Mr. Franklin

Often when people think about the American country they think of saying that says America is “the land of opportunity.” There is a conception that in the United States you can climb up the economic latter regardless of your social class because if you work hard then opportunities will present themselves. Benjamin Franklin put a lot of emphasis on the idea that in order to succeed people had to be hard workers.  He assisted in creating and American national identity in which the ideal American is a hard worker.  When Franklin tried to make himself perfect he wrote down a list of 13 virtues, the 6^th read: “Industry. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions,” (Franklin, Autobiography, chapter 9). It was virtue he believed to be important not only in himself for all Americans.  He goes on to say that “Industry and Frugality….enabled him to be a useful citizen, and obtained for him some degree of reputation among the learned,” (Franklin, Autobiography, chapter 9). Franklin has more respect for people who are hard workers.

In ‘The Way to Wealth’ Ben Franklin uses a fallible narrator to get his readers’ attention. He tends to throw out a lot of advice and sayings such as “There are no gains without pains,” and it isn’t always straight forwards, sometimes his advice needs to be interpreted. “Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy,” (The Way to Wealth). In other words, in the end laziness will make things more difficult but if you work hard things will be easier to achieve.  His use of a silly narrator that seems unreliable makes the concepts seem less “heavy.” It lightens the mood while still getting important concepts and serious advice out there. People are more likely to pay attention when it’s humorous rather than demanding.