Pride and Vanity in Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography

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Two words may, to some people, mean the same thing, and to others something completely different. This is displayed in Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography of the words “vanity” and “pride”. To Franklin vanity is something to be desired, it produces motivation for self improvement and “is often productive of Good to the Possessor & to others that are within his Sphere of Action” (Page 4). To many, pride and vanity are one in the same. As German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once wrote, “Vanity is the polite mask of pride.” Pride is often times defined as how we view ourselves, and vanity being how others view us. Ample amounts of success in life institutes pride in ones self. When speaking of pride, Franklin feels as though having or showing pride should be a humiliation but he also says that it is impossible to not have pride whether you “Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down, stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive” (Page 93). As Franklin distinguishes between vanity and pride throughout his autobiography, it becomes clear that he feels as though having pride is more of an imperfection as opposed to being vain. Benjamin Franklin addresses vanity, although considered a flaw by society, as rather beneficial to his character and success. His distinction between the two words seems to fall into self-image or how he appears to the public. This is common in his autobiography, for often times Franklin is concerned with how the public views him and works hard to improve his status in society. After leaving his childhood home in Boston and moving to Pennsylvania, Franklin returned home dressed well and with a pocket full of money, as if to show up his brother by displaying his pride upon his return. Franklin uses this instance to feed into his vanity by displaying his success to the public eye. From The Corrosive Logic of
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