One of the first relations Franklin's autobiography has with rationalism is that they both deal with Deity. Benjamin talks about how he does believe in God and that there is a Creator. However, he is not nearly as involved as the Puritans are. He was raised as a Presbyterian so he had his own views. This deism though is what brought him to church where they talked about the virtues they thought to be valuable. Benjamin Franklin respected these virtues but did not agree with them full-heartily. In reaction to this, he wrote his own system of virtues.
The main reason we can relate Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography to rationalism is because it based off of facts. Benjamin even says towards the beginning of his writing how he believed in facts. "My conduct might be blamable, but I leave it, without attempting further to excuse it; my present purpose being to relate facts, and not to make apologies for them" (Franklin, 82). Benjamin Franklin's virtues include the following: temperance, silence, order resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. (Franklin, 83 & 84) The order for his system of virtues is no coincidence. He wrote them in the way that he would personally be able to master one, which would then prepare him for the next. This way, he will be able to continue to master the list easier without breaking some of the earlier ones. After listing his system of virtues, he then goes on to explain the reasoning for this order in more detail. This is very factual and personal for him which goes along with the factual ideas of rationalism. An example of this might his first virtue, which is temperance. He picked this one to be first because it would clear his mind which is vital to his process and will keep him from distractions. After he mastered this virtue he moved onto silence, which he said was much easier acquire after mastering temperance. He continues to go on to his other virtues using the same idea.
Franklin's process for keeping himself accountable to his system of virtues was also very factual. It involved a chart where he would mark every virtue he broke that day. He was surprised at first with the amount of dots on the page, but found satisfaction as the dots started to diminish as time went on. He also created a schedule which also helped him stay accountable.
Overall, Benjamin Franklin's autobiography and rationalism share the main ideas. His process and way of thinking is very factual just like rationalism. Along with his idea of deism, they two compare very similar to each other.
Franklin, Benjamin, Dixon Wecter, Larzer Ziff, and Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1959. Print.
One thing you did well writing your essay is you had good word choice. You used "just right words" that made it more interesting. You also used evidence, with quotes, from the autobiography which help support your claims. Some of the problems you had is that your thesis was not very strong. I was not completely sure what direction your essay was going to take after I read it. Also, you had a lot of evidence from the book, but this turned your essay into more of a summary. In some spots, you related it back to your thesis, but mostly you just told us the story. You can work on relating your support back to the main point.
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