In the letter from Benjamin Franklin’s father written at Twyford, at the Bishop of St. Asaph’s in 1771 he informs Ben that, he was born and his early years in poverty and obscurity, from which he himself to a state of affluence celebrity in the world. He goes on to tell of the good fortune that accompanied him into his later years. Then he thanks Providence and tells how he wants to learn the means he employed to meet with this success. .
Benjamin Franklin’s father thanks Providence for his good fortune, however the remainder of the statement implies differently. Although he thanks Providence, (Claim 1) what he really is saying is that he did this on his own and raised himself to his present level of success. In this manner, Benjamin Franklin learned early on from his father the techniques he later utilized for himself and expressed in such quotations as, “Diligence is the mother of good luck.” (Sub-Claim 2).
For example, he cites the poverty and obscurity of his early years, then writes that he raised himself. At the time of the writing, he feels he enjoys, affluence, celebrity in the world and constant good fortune into his advanced years. Then he expresses his desire to learn the means he employed that allowed him to meet with such success. These statements all refer to what he did by himself to change the circumstances of his birth and early years of poverty and obscurity. (Evidence).
All these statements combine to show that he believes his personal success comes from the actions he took in his life, and that his “good fortune” was self created. This indicates that even though he includes the socially correct reference gratitude to Providence, what he is really saying is that his success was self-created and he is at that time analyzing how his own actions succeeded.
Works Cited
Franklin, Benjamin. Classic American Autobiographies. Ed. William L. Andrews. Signet Classics, n.d.
