Autobiographies Group

Question:

kmste
kmste
Student
High School - 11th Grade

In the "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin", what did Franklin hope to achieve through his list of thirteen virtues?

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Posted by kmste on Tuesday December 18, 2007 at 10:45 AM and tagged with autobiographies, purpose, virtues.

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  1. teacherscribe Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    Franklin was hoping to attain moral perfection.  He states, "I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into." This is keeping with Franklin's nature of self-improvement.  However, he soon realizes that as soon as he believes he has mastered one fault, another arises to confound him.  Ultimately, his plan is to create a chart whereby he can begin to monitor his progress from one virtue to another.  Franklin surmised that it wasn't simply enough to want to master a virtue, he had to make the virtues habits.

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    Posted by teacherscribe on Tuesday December 18, 2007 at 12:17 PM