As in
inventor, philosopher, and politician, Benjamin Franklin was a man of many
talents. His advanced mind was capable of many things, but he still realized
that he was not perfect, and he had room for improvement. As he reflected on
this, he came to the conclusion that he shared the faults he noticed in others,
and decided to make set of virtues that would help better him and the people he
had noticed these things in. Coming from a low class family, Franklin made his
rise to the high class. This evolution can be traced back to the virtues. He
was not trying to get rich and powerful, he was simply pursuing the goal of
becoming someone that he pictured having these admirable qualities. With these
thirteen virtues, Franklin succeeded in becoming a better person.
To begin, Franklin
actualized that the values taught in church were not those in which could make
a person become better (Franklin 81). He observed and considered what his peers
and he needed to purify themselves. He concluded with thirteen virtues he would
then follow, and record. To ensure that he would pursue these virtues, he kept
a journal in which he recorded his blunders, and furthermore designed a
calendar which focused on a certain virtue each week (Franklin 85). By
following these virtues, he would make exemplify his idea of how a
praiseworthy, righteous person behaves. He kept this up for a year, and from
then continued on, without recording in his journal. If he saw that he was
beginning to stumble on his processes, he would revisit his journal technique
(Franklin). These procedures helped him keep up his goal of personal bettering.
How did
these virtues help make Franklin a better person? As said by Tuckerman, when
related to other philosophers, Franklin was clearly the most advanced and
humble one of them all. Throughout his essay, Tuckerman admires Franklin for
this humble attitude. “No experiment was too insignificant for his philosophy,
no task to humble for his patriotism,” Tuckerman said in regard to Franklin
testing his virtues on himself, and the commitment he put into it. In the
contents of his essay, Tuckerman proves over and over why Franklin’s life was a
commendable one and his virtues can be linked directly to this. Describing him
as “brave,” “patriotic,” and “dignified,” he supported this praise for Franklin’s
character (Tuckerman). In Franklin’s life, he started out as a low class
citizen, coming from “rags”. After his virtues, and more specifically his use
of the virtues industry, justice, and frugality, he was able to rise to “riches”.
This “rags to riches” concept is a major part of the American Dream. This
theory of the American Dream is what people in American aspire to reach, the
goals they wish to achieve, and the future they strive to have one day.
Franklin can fit in very well in this description, proving that because of his
virtues, he went from a low class citizen to an admirable person living the American
Dream. Using those three emphasized virtues, he was able to save money, stay on
task and get things done, and be an honest trustworthy person.
Overall,
Franklin became proved to be a better person in result of his virtues. The virtues
not only helped Franklin, but also anyone who has read or reads them. The virtues and Tuckerman’s support and praise
helps prove how Franklin became the successful man he is now known as.
Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1895. Print.
Tuckerman, Henry T. "Franklin's Character." Comp.
Harold Bloom. Benjamin
Franklin, Classic Critical Review. New York: Chelsea
House, 2006. N. pag. Print.
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