ENG 396a ~ Franklin blog

Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography is a collection of calculated rhetoric where every detail is expressed in precisely the way he wanted it to be read. A man who takes the time to list his hourly activities does nothing at random. Even if random things occur, in this autobiography, there remains a specific plan for articulating them. Just as an orator would use inflection to stress the point, Franklin capitalizes words to call attention to their importance. The capitalization of words is used to emphasize Franklin’s intention with each passage.

The conversation Franklin has with Collins on the topic of educating women was a precursor to his underlying intentions for that page. The purpose was to stress the practice of argument as a means to enhance readiness and clarity of verbal and written articulation. Franklin supported female students in this debate, but it was a stance taken merely “for Dispute sake” (15). He revealed his position to be the contrary of his opinion making the topic insignificant. Franklin felt he did not argue his “Point” (15) well and chose to clarify his “Arguments in Writing” (15). The significance of the passage lies in the words capitalized on the page that suggest his intentions for the entire passage:
I fell far short in elegance of Expression, in Method and in Perspicuity,
of which he convinc’d me by several Instances. I saw Justice of his
Remarks, & thence grew more attentive to the Manner in Writing,
and determin’d to endeavor at Improvement. (15-16)
The words expression, argument, writing, point, improvement, all these capitalized words are directing attention toward Franklin’s intention here. He is stressing the importance of a practiced and skilled articulation. Franklin goes even further to use italics with the word, manner. Again this kind of attention to the word illustrates the importance of it.

Franklin’s recollection of listening to the speeches of Mr. Whitefield again shows the emphasis of the passage by using capitalized words. He was in awe of the “Influence of his Oratory on his Hearers” (116) and in Franklin’s adoration of Mr. Whitefield’s ability he chose to calculate how many people Mr. Whitefield was able to preach, reach, and teach. The capitalized word influence suggests Franklin’s intentions here. Just as an orator would use inflection to stress his point, Franklin again asserts the importance of a practiced and skilled articulation by directing attention to specific words:
His Delivery of the latter was so improv’d by frequent Repetitions,
that every Accent, every Emphasis, every Modulation of Voice, was
so perfectly well turn’d and well plac’d, that without being interested
in the Subject, one could not help being pleas’d with the Discourse, a
Pleasure of much the same kind with that reciev’d from an excellent
Piece of Music. (120)
The capitalizations of the words here undoubtedly argue that Franklin is acting much like an orator himself. He is using inflection on the written page in the hopes of influencing whoever reads it.

The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a tightly focused narrative exposing only what he wants shown. Some unflattering things may be revealed along the way, but these incidences remain self serving for their evolutionary qualities. Some of these capitalized words may be more important than others, but the emphasis remains attached to them. A man listing order as a virtue would find it reasonable to admit that these accented words hold meaning and are in no way random.

Wrench This

Reflecting on my educational history brings up more emotional facets than I would like to admit, but their relevance is unavoidable since it addresses motivation. The path of institutional learning has been a rocky one for me, and the completion of my undergrad has become in my case a personal vendetta. To understand why I would have to summarize a bit of childhood. This may be more information than requested, but education is a loaded endeavor.

From kindergarten to fifth grade my family lived in Arlington, Texas. The elementary curriculum was difficult, and I remember struggling with the second year of Algebra in the fifth grade. Hours and hours my father would spend trying to explain the steps, and after a while I got the hang of it. In 1987 my father passed away from a type of Cancer that he acquired from exposure to Agent Orange during one of his three tours in Vietnam. My mother grew up in Tucson and chose to move us back here about six months after the funeral. My sister was given the task of choosing a high school that she could deal with so that we might find a house within that district. It was my enrollment in middle school that first exposed me to the difference of educational demographics. The Texas curriculum surpassed that of Arizona. Algebra two classes were for eighth graders and I was only in the sixth.

So from that point to high school graduation I was bored. Life experience would seem, at the time, more stimulating than the curriculum available to me. These life experiences however were detrimental to my scholastic career. I did not take the SAT’s because my rebellion against any institution prohibited that kind of submission. The VA’s offer to finance my community college education lead to an accumulation of debt that took me years to pay off. I had a fake id and spent more time in pool halls than I did in the classroom. Clichéd yes, but I was still rebelling. Even though those decisions seemed to negatively affect my academic career I realize the knowledge I gained from it couldn’t be found in any book. Those were the lessons I had to learn to appreciate the higher education I am purchasing now. After ten years of trudging along this path of institutional learning I have reconciled with my rebellions and have chosen to better arm myself with varying areas of knowledge through both life experience and a higher education.

My schooling thus far is worth every penny. Being able to see past whatever is on the surface to the underlying issues, to question everything especially authority, comprehending some nuance known to the educationally privileged, or perhaps teaching others that do not have the opportunity to learn, these things are worth the time, effort, and money spent on my education.

Whether or not my career is within the field of my educational studies I find totally irrelevant. The point of my continued education is more for myself than my resume. I hope to be a career student in life because outside the institution of learning I am aware of how much more there is to know.