In Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography, one quality that an ideal American should exhibit is being a hard worker. This quality surrounds not only the obvious of working long hours and being responsible but also having creativity. Being a hard worker means to have new ideas, new concepts, listen and learn from past mistakes, and have solid judgment. This quality means sacrificing things, being frugal, and saving for the future. In the time period that Franklin was writing, hard work was essential to success and he believed that hard work led to wealth. For example, he writes, “Reading was the only amusement I allow’d myself. I spent no time in taverns, games, of frolicks of any kind” (Franklin, Autobiography, chapter 8). Franklin, in “The Way to Wealth,” again illustrates the importance of hard work when he writes, “Then plough deep, while sluggards sleep, and you shall have corn to sell and to keep…. Work while it is called today, for you know not how much you may be hindered tomorrow.”
Franklin persuades his audience to adopt his views in a variety of ways. He appeals to readers by using emotions and humor. His writing style reflects himself and the ideals and values of the time. He uses simple language; his sentences are compact and his vocabulary direct. His sincere manner of writing gives instruction to the reader. “A man may, if he knows not how to save as he gets, keep his nose to the grindstone, and die not worth a groat at last” (Franklin, “The Way to Wealth). Franklin knows that hard work was the way to obtain wealth and distinction. Franklin is very persuasive in laying out a plan for success through hard work.
I agree, he definitely puts a lot of emphasis on the idea of hard work and he isn’t just referring to putting in long hours, but in your free time as well.
Eric – I think you are the first person to comment on Franklin’s sentence style and structure. Nice observation! Yes, you are exactly right: using a direct approach helps him come across as sincere, and as a man of the people. His ability to discuss his ideas so clearly and simply is, perhaps, another example of how the appearance of humility helps him persuade others of his ideas.