Benjamin Franklin

[Regina Lace]

Defining the American Narrative at the halfway point requires a review of the prominent authors and personalities that shaped American culture. Therefore, at this halfway point, the American Narrative can be defined using words grit, tenacity, and innovation. Thus, the American Narrative conveys ideas of a resilient group of people willing to make necessary sacrifices to build a better world. As a result, it is difficult to think of someone else who possessed the character, mindset, and aspirations that define what it is to become an American other than Benjamin Franklin. For example, there is that famous story of Franklin flying a child’s toy in the midst of a thunderstorm. Immediately, the image painted by biographers and admirers depicts an intelligent young man, who is not afraid to carve a path through the route that is less traveled. However, there is more to Franklin than it appears to be. In other words, he is more than a scientist or a politician. Franklin’s life cannot be simplified only by the works that made him popular in the world of politics. It is also important to mention that he was a self-made man, and his tenacity to improve his life gives credence to the idea that he could easily become a poster boy for the modern self-help movement. If people truly understood his personal background, they would readily agree with such assessment. Franklin's exploits and his writings have made a major contribution to shaping the modern culture and literary world.
Noteworthy, Franklin was a prolific writer. One of his early works, for which he used a pen name Silence Dogood, tells much about his character. Silence Dogood talks about irrepressible energy and a single-minded pursuit of self-improvement. In this type of writing, Franklin reveals his desire to teach or influence people everywhere, emphasizing on the importance of not wasting time, and to leverage all the available resources at one’s disposal to create a better future. Correspondingly, he has facilitated the emergence of self-help books, a major staple of modern literature. A critical element in self-help book is the necessity to eliminate all types of excuses. Thus, the bestselling self-help books begin with adversity or a story of how the author overcame serious bouts of adversities only to experience a personal or financial triumph at the end. It is imperative to target the stated excuses since the one, reading the book, can find many reasons not to continue with the journey. Therefore, it is common for authors to encourage the reader by saying that even with serious hurdles and mind-bending trials they have to overcome nothing should be able to prevent the accomplishment of a goal.
It should be indicated that in the essays and other literary works that he created using his pen name, Franklin utilizes the same pattern. For example, he recounts the personal background of Silence Dogood, saying that during the time of his birth he lost his father. He continues by telling that after some time, he was separated from his mother and forced to live with a country minister, who subsequently became his master and tutor. He recounts the bitter-sweet struggles of acquiring knowledge at a time when the majority of children of his age love nothing else except for playing and spending their idle time without accomplishing anything of significance. However, Silence Dogood is different from the others since he studies arithmetic and writing. In addition, he spends a great amount of time reading books.
It is not only the literary world that has been shaped by Franklin's ideas. His life and deeds inspired multiple generations of Americans to appreciate the importance of self-improvement. For example, he inspired them to defy enormous odds. Franklin did not find it difficult to write stories about personal hardships as he was born to a large family of seventeen children. It was a poor family, supported only by the meager income of his father, who worked as a candle and soap maker. In fact, his life was stuck in the extreme poverty to a degree when he was only able to finish two years of formal education. However, these personal challenges did not serve as a burden for him. At the latter part of his life, Franklin became a wealthy man, and today his face adorns the U.S. Treasury’s one hundred-dollar bills. It is therefore evident that Franklin’s life story is not only a perfect backdrop to the history of the self-help industry in the country; it also personifies the American Narrative, the one that reminds people of persistence, innovation, thirst for knowledge, and the undying passion for self-improvement.
To summarize, at the halfway point in the consideration of the American Narrative, one can evaluate it as a story of people, characterized by the need to pass a difficult phase. As one of a few people who could truly capture its essence, Franklin did not only exemplify the core ideals found within the American Narrative, he was also instrumental in the development of the self-improvement practice as evidenced by his essays where he used the pen name. His life is a testament to the importance of demanding work and single-minded focus on accomplishing valuable goals. Therefore, he could certainly be accepted as a poster boy for the contemporary self-help movement. More importantly, Franklin’s role extends to offering the seekers of knowledge a mental image of the American Narrative.
The article was prepared by Regina Lace, a writer at the essay rewriting service.