Frankly Speaking Exploring Benjamin Franklins Aphorisms Who was

Frankly Speaking… Exploring Benjamin Franklin’s Aphorisms

Who was Benjamin Franklin, The Man? He was a printer, journalist, author, scientist, diplomat, educator, and philosopher…all with no formal education ■ Born in Boston in 1706; one of seventeen children ■ Left Boston at seventeen years old to open his own print shop ■ After establishing himself as a printer, he began publishing a newspaper and an annual publication called Poor Richard’s Almanack ■

Who is Benjamin Franklin, The Scientist? When he was forty-two, Franklin retired from printing and became a successful scientist ■ He was responsible for inventing: the lightening rod, bifocal glasses, new type of stove; confirming the laws of electricity; scientific understanding of earthquakes and ocean currents ■

Who is Benjamin Franklin, The Diplomat? He played an important role in drafting the Declaration of Independence, enlisting French support during the Revolutionary War, negotiating a peace treaty with Britain, and drafting the United States Constitution ■ In later years, he was ambassador first to England then to France ■

What is Poor Richard’s Almanack? Franklin created a fictitious author called “Richard Saunders” ■ Contained practical information about the calendar, the sun and moon, and the weather ■ Also, featured homespun sayings and observations…many of which are still quoted today ■ These aphorisms* made the Almanack a bestseller! Franklin put an aphorism at the top or bottom of most pages. ■

What’s an aphorism? ■ A short, concise statement expressing a wise or clever observation or a general truth ■ A variety of devices make aphorisms easy to remember → ryhmes; repeated words or sounds; paralell structure to present contrasting ideas “No Pain, No Gain” uses rhyme, repetition and parallel structure

Aphorisms Today ■ ■ ■ “No pain, No gain” ~Unknown “Garbage In, Garbage Out” ~Unknown “We are all in the gutter, but some of use are looking at the stars” ~Oscar Wilde “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson “Believe nothing what you hear and only half of what you see” ~Mark Twain “Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it” ~ George Santayana

What aphorisms do you know? ■ ■ You see sayings like the ones on the previous slide on bumper stickers, Tshirts, and billboards. Can you think of an example of a contemporary aphorism? What does it say about our culture?

Franklin’s Aphorisms ■ Read Benjamin Franklin’s aphorisms from Poor Richard’s Almanack on pg. 76 in the texbook ■ As you read, ask yourself how the meaning of each aphorism applies to experiences you’ve had.

Discussion Which aphorisms did you recognize? ■ Which of Franklin’s aphorisms express values that are still widely held in America? ■ What are recurring themes in Franklin’s aphorisms? ■ If you had to select one aphorism from Poor Richard’s Almanack as a motto for your life, which would you choose and why? ■

Today’s Aphorisms ■ Choose one of the aphorisms from Poor Richard’s Almanack Create a meme illustrating the concept of the aphorism or inspired by the aphorism ■ Meme Generator: memeful. com/generator ■ More aphorisms: http: //www. ushistory. org/franklin/quotable/singl ehtml. htm ■

Example