Connor Ellis Ben Franklin Response

Question 1

In his autobiography Benjamin Franklin keeps the reader interested by providing an engaging description of his interesting lifetime. He manages to balance the diction of a well-learned man with humor and stories from his past.

One such interesting story is told by Franklin is his debate with his friend Collins about the ability and social correctness of women to become well-educated. Franklin states that he took the pro-women’s education stance, albeit partially as a devil’s advocate. The two young men argue back and forth on the topic and Franklin states that he had the upper hand in terms of grammar but that Collins was more elegant. This story was engaging because not only is it related to the topic of our course but also because it shows that Franklin was not perfect.

On page 16 Franklin states that most people don’t make a habit of starting arguments except for “lawyers, university men, and men of all sorts that have been bred at Edinborough”. This small bit of humor allows the reader to see that Franklin was a witty and comical man. In learning about him many students think of him as the smart old man who did nothing but extremely important United States business, and it is good to know that that he was more dynamic than this.

Question 2

1. As a group we need to agree that over the course of the semester many controversial topics will come up. Each of us needs to understand that we will not agree with everything is said and we need to be able to learn from each different viewpoint.

2. When a person gives their ideas they need to be able to convey them quickly but fully so that there is time for an in-depth discussion which covers many different topics and standpoints.