1 / 11

American literature

American literature. Xue Ling. Chapter One. Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790). - He ’ s a writer. - He ’ s a scientist. - He ’ s a businessman. - He ’ s a politician. - He ’ s an inventor. Born on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts from a very large family.

phallon-caddell
Télécharger la présentation

American literature

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. American literature Xue Ling

  2. Chapter One Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790)

  3. - He’s a writer. • - He’s a scientist. • - He’s a businessman. • - He’s a politician. • - He’s an inventor.

  4. Born on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts from a very large family. • At the age of 12, apprenticed to be a newspaper printer in Boston. • In 1729, already owned his own printing shop and published the newspaper Pennsylvania Gazette 《宾夕法尼亚报》.

  5. In 1732, offered his Poor Richard’s Almonac《格言历书》. • From 1771 to 1790, wrote his Autobiography《自传》. • Being one of those who drafted articles leading to the Declaration of Independence. • Served on the convention to draft the constitution, which was finally adopted in 1789.

  6. Literary term • Autobiography: - A written account of one’s own life. - Autobiographical writing as a literary genre.

  7. Style • His style is clear and even plain in his time, but for modern readers, it is a bit hard to read. • His style is rather formal, but the organization of his material is informal • It is a book on the art of self-improvement.

  8. It is significant: (1) it is a classic of its kind in American literature; (2) it indicates the fact that Franklin was the spokesman of American enlightenment. • Franklin embodied the transition from Puritan piety, idealism and provincialism to the more secular, utilitarian, and cosmopolitan values of the American enlightenment.

  9. Significance of Franklin’s Autobiography • Franklin’s autobiography remains one of the classics of its kind. It shows Franklin as a man of versatile energy and new ideas, a man who represented American. enlightenment and the fulfillment of American dream.

  10. It is a humorous and fascinating record of an old man’s reflections on his rise from a poor boy to a rich and famous personage through self-examination, self-reliance, and self improvement.

  11. Questions to ponder • Why is Benjamin Franklin considered a great man in American literature and history? • What are the major contributions he made to America? • In what ways are you impressed by Benjamin Franklin?

More Related