Blog #1

Franklin’s autobiography is the first autobiography I believe I have ever read, and it is unique and very interesting. When reading the beginning of the biography, I found myself surprised at the age that the story begins. I expected the typical skimming over the childhood in order to jump to the accomplishments of adulthood.  However, it still seemed like this was happening if I had not paid attention. I found myself surprised at every time Franklin mentions his age. I understand life was different during this time, however, the way he talks about his father setting him up for church service, mathematics schooling, and apprentices threw me off. I had a mental image of Franklin being older, possibly a young adult in studying or working, but he was still under the age of ten. This set my view for the rest of the reading. Franklin left work with his brother, went to Philadelphia without advice from his family, and made connections with the people of the city. At the age of seventeen this seemed less surprising to me, but still very impressive. Franklin tells his story of travel to London, building of political connection without seeming to brag, which made the story that much more entertaining. The way he talks about his life as a child makes him seem much more mature than I would have guessed. The things that Franklin decides to write about seem somewhat strange, because they are not all necessarily the biggest events in his life, but it really lets the reader understand him better. I really enjoy his recall of the specific people and events that took place, at it is nice to see the specific encounters that Franklin himself recalls, rather than a typical biography written by an admirer or criticizer.