"The Autobiography"

      This week in class we read "The Autobiography" written by Benjamin Franklin. He began writing his autobiography when he was already well into his sixties. He was never even able to finish it because he was constantly politically active, or  working on something important. The portion of his autobiography we read in class was taken from when he was about seventeen years old. The main subject of Franklin's autobiography is moral perfection, and him striving to me a morally whole person. He wants to inform us about his life, and the various ways he tried to achieve moral perfection.
      Benjamin Franklin makes a list of thirteen virtues that he believes he needs to work on in order to achieve his goal. He makes a chart with all thirteen virtues, and marks what he accomplishes every day. In the end, although he believes he did not completely achieve moral perfection, he became a better person simply by being aware of what he had accomplished and what he still needed to work on. Throughout the autobiography, Franklin's tone is informative, descriptive, and also practical. He explains what he wants to achieve in life with simple, honest thoughts.