Ben Franklin's Autobiography As A Unified Work

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Benjamin Franklin is most commonly known as one of the founding fathers of the United States of America, in addition he is also the historic political figure on the one hundred dollar bill. The incomplete memoir of Benjamin Franklin has been official referred to as The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, which is the most read autobiography in the New World. While Franklin’s autobiography is, at times, muddled and disorganized it is one of the most hopeful stories of idealistic living and is thus credited as one of the most influential historical self-help books of all time. Franklin wrote his memoir over the course of 18 years and even though he was able to unify his writing in a literary sense some areas of his work are disorganized and unclear, mostly due to his unexpected death before this piece was truly finished. Additionally, the fact that this memoir was written over such a long period of time both lessens and reinforces its overall theme and effectiveness. At times Franklin seems to forget what he has even written in previous sections. Towards the end of the autobiography Franklin’s writing becomes less and less clear, perhaps serving as another sign of his failing health. Franklin as an ambassador, political genius, scientist and inventor, was first and foremost a publisher and writer. Franklin started writing and publishing at the age of 12, when he first apprenticed under his older brother. Franklin holds degrees from both two prestigious colleges in the United Kingdom, Oxford and St. Andrews University, from which he graduated with honors. It took Franklin over 18 years to nearly finish his memoir, yet he was not able to make the finishing touches, which would have included him unifying and clarifying points throughout his manuscript. Franklin’s autobiography can be divided in to four main parts, each part corresponding to the different

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