Journal #13

Overall I did not think the Franklin Virtues Project was all that bad. I think I probably gained more than I lost and it went a lot better than I thought it would. One of the things that I gained from this project that was most valuable was probably communication skills with people from other schools and then video editing skills from making the YouTube video.Being able to communicate for a project with someone not right in front of you is something that I think was very beneficial to practice. This is not a skill that we had to use only in this case, but it is something that can help us out later in life, for example if your job requires it. I would say that video editing skills were good to learn as well. I had never uploaded a video onto YouTube before this project so it was interesting to me to see how it all works. I think this is a useful skill to know because you just never know when this might be something you will lose later done the road. Along with being the video editor, it helped me learn patience. Practicing this was hard, but it was good for me. In a group project, you never know who is going to hold up their end and who is going to ride off of others work. This project taught me to be patient with the other members in my group. Something I think that could be improved is that if someone in your group fails to finish their part of the video, it would not affect the other members in the group's grade. This would make it less stressful for the video editor. I do not think it should be their responsibility to do someone else's work and then they get the credit for what you did. I would also say that the other class at Farmington should not have a blocked email so it is easier to keep in contact with them.

Analysis of Franklin's Virtues & Success

Benjamin Franklin was a very rational man whose logic and reasoning skills were unmistakable in his thirteen virtues. He created and followed these in a serious manner.  Success is defined as "the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors " ("Success"). In this case, Franklin was attempting to become a better person and based off this definition, he was indeed successful. He accomplished this by creating the virtues specifically off of his personal opinion, using a scientific approach and procedure, and then keeping himself accountable and consistent.

The first step Franklin took towards success was making sure that his virtues lined up with what he specifically believed would benefit not only him, but anyone who attempted. He had attended public sermons where they explained their own virtues, but Franklin did not necessarily agree with them all. He then took matters into his own hands and decided to make his own (Franklin). His virtues included what he believed to be the basic essentials for a human being. He made these not only applicable to himself, but also diplomatic in the way that they would not challenge the consensus of people's beliefs during this time period. By writing these virtues from his own opinion, they were personable. He was therefore able to easily relate to the virtues and set himself up for success.

Along with having a personal relationship with the virtues, his scientific approach aided Franklin in his success as well. Being a rational man, Franklin put much thought into the process in which he would execute his goal of living out all thirteen virtues. He used the scientific method to plan his schedule in which to attempt the given virtue, as well as record and analyze his results. In Tuckerman's criticism of Franklin's character, he shares how he also believes science was a key to Franklin's success saying, "But while official duty and patriotism gave Franklin occasion to propagate and actualize so many useful and requisite principles,—to become the thinker and advocate,—the incarnated common-sense of his country and his time,—there was another sphere of mental activity, another range of sagacious enterprise, in which he expatiated with kindred success" (Bloom 2). Science allowed Franklin to organize his ideas and procedure to reach his goal.

Lastly, after succeeding in following his set thirteen, he then followed up with his success by keeping himself accountable. Franklin did this by not throwing away his book that tracked his attempts to follow the virtues, but instead keeping it as a reminder for himself. Franklin's Autobiography talks about how he always kept in on him. This way, even though he was not recording his results every day, he still had it available to pull out when he felt that he was slipping (Franklin). By being accountable for his actions, Franklin was able to maintain consistent success in becoming a better person.

Overall, Franklin's steps led him all the way to success. By taking the time to make his goal personable, he made it easier for him to relate and be motivated. By using science, he could collect his ideas and procedures to keep him on track. By staying accountable, his success in becoming a better person was not short lived. Along with Franklin's thirteen virtues, his process of successfully mastering them can be applicable as well. Following his example, one may also achieve success.

Bloom, Harold, ed. "The Character of Franklin." BenjaminFranklin, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online.Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=&iPin=C C VBF019&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 29, 2012).

Franklin, Benjamin, Dixon Wecter, Larzer Ziff, and Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1959. Print.

"Success." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/success>.

 

Journal #12

I think today's American Dream would have to do with living your own life. America is one of the few countries where for the most part, you can express yourself freely and live how you choose. You have to live with the consequences but they are your own decisions to make. Some of these freedoms include the freedom of speech and the freedom of religion. This was one of the main reasons people came to America in the first place. Another aspect of the American Dream I think would definitely be free market. The opportunity to own and profit off your own business is a huge plus. I think people associate the American Dream with being successful in whatever business you decide on and being able to provide for yourself and your family. Today, I think being considered successful is highly influenced by how much money you make.I personally think this is not necessarily true, but that's just how our society sees it. You can be successful in more ways that money though. Maybe you have a successful family or a job that you love even if it is not the most high-paying. I think our definition of success today has been kind of rewritten to only what the majority of society considers successful. The pursuit of happiness is considered one of our God given rights according to the Declaration of Independence. I think being happy in America is simply living your own life with your own choices. I don't think there is a strict definition of happy in America like success because everyone is different. People are happy for many reasons. It could be because of their family, their home, their relationships, their job, their wealth, their faith, and so much more. I think it is people's right to do what makes them happy, but if it means breaking the law to do so, than its their choice and responsibility to live with the consequences.

Literary Anylsis: Franklin's system of virtues

Benjamin Franklin's set of virtues were very impressive and exemplifies the rationalism well. Rationalism is really focused on facts. Unlike the other types of writing we have read like the Puritan's writings, this type does not evolve God as much. With the Puritans writings, they referenced and backed up their points with God and Scripture, while with rationalism the authors supports his statements with facts and examples. Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography shared very similar themes with the rationalism style.

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.

Journal #11

There are several virtues a good person should live by. Instead of listing all of them though, I can summarize it by simply being Christ like. If you do your best to follow His example and live like Jesus did, you will in the process, live a life with great virtues. One of these virtues would be generosity. This is a good quality to have, and something Jesus absolutely valued. He was selfless and never put His needs above others. An example of this would be the feeding of the five-thousand. This is how God wants us to live, unselfishly and not only focused on meeting our own needs, but helping others. Another virtue to live by would be patience. Every day we are faced with obstacles that are going to take time out of day. Whether it is traffic, crazy little kids you are babysitting, a line to the cash register, or waiting for your food to heat up in the microwave, you must have patience. Learning to have patience with the little things like this, will make the more demanding things easier. God demonstrates patience continually in the Bible. An example would be when He tells Moses to go back to Egypt to set His people free. Moses made every excuse in the book, but God was patient with him and showed him he was not alone. Respect is a virtue that is important to have as well. In most cases, when you respect others, they will respect you in return. This can apply to yourself as well. Having self-respect is just as important. How do you except others to respect you, if you do not respect yourself? Respecting your teachers, parents, and class mates is important as well. Getting into this habit will help you later in life when you have a boss and co-workers. Valuing respect is a quality that will never go out of style. All of these virtues are important, but like I said, you can meet all of these in the process of living a Godly lifestyle.

Reflection: Declaration of Independence

Everyone knows the date of when The Declaration of Independence was signed. We have a holiday devoted to it. Not everyone knows the contents of it though and more specifically the writing technique behind it. This was my first time really analyzing The Declaration of Independence and looking at it with a goal perspective really opens your eyes.

There are several uses of propaganda and errors of faulty logic in The Declaration of Independence. The first example that I noticed was during the first few paragraphs. Here it mentions "the opinions of mankind" and "all men". This is a type of errors to the reference called appeal to the people (Recognizing Propaganda Techniques and Errors of Faulty Logic). In this technique, the writer tries to persuade you by including the popularity. In this case, is it referring everyone. Another technique used towards the beginning was testimonial. In this case, it talked about God entitling the nature of their laws.This is used towards the end of the writing as well when it refers to the court and government. "We, therefore, the representatives of the United States, in general Congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world.." (Jefferson, 124). The use of transfer propaganda was also used. This was not apart of the document itself, but in our books, the title of The Declaration of Independence does use our country's flag as the background.

One of the main uses of propaganda/ errors of faulty logic I found while reading, was "name calling". This is a technique in which the author pins negative images and thoughts to a person or idea that they are against. This is usually due to the fact that they cannot support themselves so they tear done others, but I think Thomas Jefferson was justified in the way that he talked about Great Britain because he did have evidence to support his negative remarks towards them. He even starts this section of his speech with "To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world" (Jefferson, 122). He then goes on to explain how the King of Great Britain is tyrant who is only hurting his people. Jefferson backs this up by providing examples of this including that he has forbidden to assent laws, refused his governors to pass laws, and neglects to attend to the suspended laws. (Jefferson) Jefferson continues to rant about the King of Great Britain's failure to meet the needs of the people and provides evidence for every slam he makes. "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people" (Jefferson, 124).

The use of propaganda and errors of faulty logic can really affect the reader's reaction to it. I never really thought to compare The Declaration of Independence to it though. This was a new approach to reading something we are all familiar with. I can definitely see how propaganda and errors of faulty logic can persuade a reader to agreeing with, voting for, or buying what the author is saying.

"Recognizing Propaganda Techniquesand Errors of Faulty Logic." Recognizing Propaganda--Guide to Critical Thinking--Academic Support. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2012. http://academic.cuesta.edu/acasupp/as/404.htm.

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., Douglas Fisher, Kathleen A. Hinchman, David G. O'Brien, Taffy Raphael, and Cynthia Hynd. Shanahan. Glencoe Literature. New York: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

Journal #10

Mr. Langley, I believe it is beneficial for both students and faculty if you were to bring in Brach's Star Brites mints next class. This would benefit our learning environment for several reasons. The first benefit of bringing in mints is it gives the students something to look forward to. We follow a strict schedule of school every day, every week, every year. Anything out of the ordinary or special that breaks this pattern will be very appreciated. Doing something like this is just another way to show us that you care about us. It lets us know that you are thinking about us and admire our hard work. Rewarding your students every now and then is something everyone can benefit from and all teachers should take note.

If you bring in Brach's Star Brites mints next class, you will not only show your students you care about them, but it will also create a healthier environment. Everyone has those days when you just do not feel like getting out of bed. It is Monday morning, and you have a long week ahead of you. Failing to wake up to your alarm, you find yourself rushing to get out the door to get to school on time. In doing this, you forget to brush your teeth. Gross. You have now gone almost ten hours without treating your mouth with proper care. You roll into second hour English, where the lesson plan for class is to have a group discussion. Because of your bad breath, your fellow students are now distracted. Instead of listening to your insightful perspective of The Crucible , they are too busy focusing on your morning breath. What a shame. This is unfortunate for both your fellow students and yourself.

Now Mr.Langley, you would not want your students to be distracted from learning would you? Of course not. Please do us all a favor, and bring in Brach's Star Brites mints next class. You will not only gain the affection of your students, but also set us up for a successful class in a healthy learning environment.