Unit 1 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Characters in the Autobiography：
①Benjamin Franklin---The author and protagonist of the Autobiography;The Autobiography tells of the major events of his life and many of his important scientific and political ideas, but the work does not discuss the American Revolution, in which Franklin was a major participant.
②William Franklin---Benjamin's son and royal governor of New Jery in 1771 when Ben begins writing the work. Ben begins the Autobiography as a letter to William with the intent of telling him about his life.
③James Franklin---Franklin older brother who owns a printing hou in Boston. Ben is apprenticed to James when Ben is 12, and while they do not always get along very well, Ben learns much from James and proves to be quite helpful. When James is arrested for h
olding subversive (颠覆性的） political ideas, Ben takes over the paper until James' relea. When Ben breaks his contract and leaves for Philadelphia, James grows angry and spiteful.
④Andrew Bradford A printer in Philadelphia, he is unable to hire Franklin but he does allow Franklin to stay in his hou.Later on, when Franklin runs his own paper, the two are competitors until Bradford leaves the printing industry.
⑤Samuel Keimer---The printer in Philadelphia for whom Franklin works. Their relationship deteriorates over time, and eventually they have a falling out. Keimer, however, tries to make amends when he realizes that Ben can supply him with important printing tools.
furl⑥John Read---A resident of Philadelphia, he hous Franklin shortly after Franklin arrives in Philadelphia.
⑦Deborah Rea---The daughter of John Read, she eventually marries Franklin even thou
gh their courtship is interrupted by his 18-month trip to England, during which time she marries another man who disappears thus allowing her marriage to Franklin.
“Firsts" associated with the Autobiography
pyg1.It is considered the first popular lf-help book ever published.
2. It was the first and only work written in American before the 19th century that has retained bestller popularity since its relea.
3. It was the first major cular American autobiography.
4. It is also the first real account of the American Dream in action as told from a man who experienced it firsthand.
细节决定成败演讲稿北京大学考研成绩查询Part One, first ction容器英文
The Autobiography opens with a salutation（问候、致意） to Ben Franklin’s son, William Franklin who at the time was the royal governor of New Jery. Franklin is writing in the s
ummer of 1771 on vacation in a small town about 50 miles south of London. Franklin says that becau his son may wish to know about his life, he is taking his one week vacation in the English countryside to record his past. Franklin says that he has enjoyed his life and would like to repeat it, although he would like to correct some small errors if the opportunity aro. But since Franklin cannot repeat life, he can instead recollect it. He thanks God for allowing him to live a good life.Ben, at the age of 12, signed a contract to work for James for the next eight years.
Commentary
The opening part of the Autobiography address some themes that will come up later on in the book, namely, lf-betterment and religion. Franklin‘s tone at the beginning of the book is humble. He claims to write only so that his own life may be an example for his son of how one can live well and how one can get through hardships. Franklin's book, a story of lf-betterment, is written so as to be a model for the betterment of others. This general motive for writing, as well as Franklin's mention of correcting some errors were h
e to relive his life, both indicate Franklin's constant interest in lf-improvement. This is perhaps the largest theme in the Autobiography; it dominates Part Two and recurs often in Part One.Also notice that Franklin thanks God for helping him to lead a good life. Franklin does not often show a religious side, and he will explain in greater depth later on that he is a Deist（自然神论信仰者）without ascribing to any particular religious denomination（教派）. Franklin is often en as the prototypical American and the first real example of the classic American Dream in action. Notice how Franklin carefully draws out throughout the book how he ro up with help primarily from hard work and skills. This part of the Autobiography is interesting from a literary standpoint becau Ben Franklin is esntially creating the legend of the American Dream.
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Part One, cond ction
abc360spidermonkeyWhen James was jailed for political reasons, Ben had the chance to take over the paper briefly, a job which Ben held in name even after James was relead under the stipulation（约定） that he could no longer work on the paper.After another fight with Ja
owningmes, however, Ben suddenly broke his contract and quit his job. James immediately instructed the other printers in Boston not to hire his brother, and as a result, Ben realizes that he would have to travel to a different city if he wished to find work. At age 17, he cretly leaves home and traveled to New York City.He finds no work there , but learns that he could get a job in Philadelphia working for a printer named Andrew Bradford.His journey to Philadelphia is eventful as he gets caught in a storm, during which he saved the life of a drunken Dutchman, who nearly drowned. The boat dropped him off near Burlington, about 18 miles from Philadelphia. He finally arrived in the city on October 6, 1723 in the Market Street Wharf.Wandering around, Franklin stumbled into a Quaker meeting（贵格会教派的祈祷会）near the market. One of the Quakers showed him a place to stay the night.
