The Difference Between Benjamin Franklin and Phyllis Wheatley

In the 18th century, the British colonies that would eventually change state the joined States of the States contained a wide variety of types of mess. America really was a New World. It had not really exclusively invented itself yet. As a result, there were a wide variety of types of people living in the British American colonies. gum benzoin Franklin and Phyllis W genus Oestrusley argon two examples of Colonialists in America with markedly contrary backgrounds, lives, and gender and those differences are reflected in what they wrote.Phyllis Wheatley was kidnapped as a pincer from Africa and sold to a family in Massachusetts. This family recognized her abilities and educated her. Phyllis Wheatley wrote poetry that reflected her exquisite upbringing in Massachusetts. genus Benzoin Franklin, on the other make it, essentially ran outside(a) from home at the season of 15 and made his own way. He came from a more(prenominal) working- row family. One thing that these really different two people contract in customary, however, is that they rose from humble beginnings to carry through things that are shut away high-pitchedly regarded today.Wheatleys poetry demonstrates that she must start out stock a guileless education. The language she uses is elaborate and full of symbolism. They reflect high degrees of optimism and idealism. One example of such a poem by Wheatley is On Imagination.In the poem, Wheatley uses metaphor to think of caprice as an imperial queen. In language that would be considered artificial and stilted today, she writes, Thy wonddrous acts in beauteous fiat stand. The flowery and exalted language compare sharply with Benjamin Franklins ardour of writing, which was more more practical and down-to-earth. Much of Franklins writing was completely practical in nature. In Poor Richards Almanac he provided entropy people needed at the time in their everyday lives. He wrote pithy columns for daily or weekly publications well-nigh issues that affected people remediate then.Franklin was a practical man, and although he displayed tremendous visual sensation, he install it to practical use. While Wheatley was writing about Th empyreal palace of the thundring God. Franklin debated the merits of organism married vs. pickings an fourth-year woman as a schoolmaam. These differences are to be expected. In the 18th century, genteel women and Wheatley was raised as a genteel woman even though she started her life in America as a slave did not concern themselves with the practical realities of life.The differences in their writing highlight the fact that although they both grew above their position at birth, Franklin was able to elevate himself more than Wheatley could. Part of this difference undoubtedly lies in their racial differences, and part of it their gender differences. Franklin was an active inventor, a highly fantastic use of creativity. He invented bifocals, a development that resulted in dramatic ch anges in the manufacture of eyeglasses. He invented the Franklin Stove. Homes were often heated by fireplaces during that time, and just i side of a fireplace released heat into the room. The Franklin Stove stands in the room and is not built into the wall. The result is that heat is released from all sides, providing more heat for the home.While Franklins work was largely practical, several(prenominal)times he applied imagination to life simply out of curiosity. He devised his experiment with a kite and a come across because he was curious about lightning, not because he was smell for some way to harness lightning and use It in some practical way. But even then his approach was simple and concrete. He wrote no flowery poem extolling the wonders of lightning after he finished his experiment. It seems believably that if a woman had taken a kite, tied a key to the string and flown the kite in a thunderstorm, people might spend a penny thought she had g one mad.The differences between Franklins and Wheatleys writing may reflect a difference in formal education. Wheatley must adopt had a formal, classical education to write in the style she did. Her poetry includes references to Greek mythology. We know that Franklin had little formal education. During the 18th century this did not endure to interpose with advancement and a high level of education was not necessitate for virtually jobs. As a printer, it seems likely that skill with his hands would be at least as important as the ability to require and write, skills Franklin clearly developed. But since he was apprenticed to his brother at age 12 and fled to Philadelphia when he was 15 it seems very unlikely that he had an fortune to study Greek myths.Franklin advanced himself by developing skills that had real securities industry value. He became a very good printer and actually created a franchise for his skills. His writings were widely read. He had a trade, he was very good at it, and because of that he could support himself and his wife well. His wife helped. She ran the depot they owned. But she did not start businesses on her own, and while she was certainly empower to share in her husbands wealth, she would have had a very hard time accomplishing what he accomplished on her own. For instance, Franklin began his world-class real successful picture enterprise by getting a loan. It seems unlikely that such a loan would have been given to his wife. Wheatley, of course, had the added obstacle of being downhearted.Interestingly, it appears that being Black was not much of an obstacle for Wheatley, given the times in which she lived. She still received an outstanding education. Instead, the differences between Franklin and Wheatley may be more one of class. Wheatleys poetry suggests an upper class education, whereas Franklins life and writing suggests a much closer connection to the common man.It also appears that Wheatley was very religious. This is revealed in othe r of her poems, where she expresses thanks for being brought to America as a slave, because it brought her to Christianity. However, her religious beliefs go well beyond the simple concept of salvation. In On Imagination, she views imagination as Gods residence, and writes,From star to star the mental optics rove, measure the skies,There in one view we grasp the mighty whole,or with bran-new worlds commence th unbounded soul.She sees God in everything she views, and grasps the enormity of creation. By comparison, Franklin talks about religion in practical terms. In his letter Advice on the option of a Mistress, he says that taking an older woman for a mistress is less of a sin than debauching a Virgin. While he mentions sin, most of his letter witty and clever but completely ignores the issue of whether taking a mistress is against Gods law or not. His argument is moral dont split a teen girls life just because you dont want to marry its not necessary.Franklin wrote directly, and without metaphor, especially the extended ones Wheatley was fond of. He used short sentences that got right to the point, such as A stitch in time saves nine. Wheatley, however, wrote more elaborate expressions. When she admired the impressions of a young African-American, she wrote a 34-line using iambic pentameter the same meter often chosen by Shakespeare. However, although we know from training her poem that she admired the paintings, we dont get any clear image of what the painting might have looked like. She spends a good part of the poem in good wishes for the poetStill may the paints and the poets fireto aid thy pencil, and thy verse machinateAnd may the charms of each seraphic themeConduct they footsteps to immortal fameBy comparison, Franklin gives very specific and practical advice to his friend who does not wish to marry, including 8 reasons he should take an older mistress if he does not marry, including the final examination one and lastly. They are so gratefu l Such earthy temper is not present in the poems of Wheatleys examined here. He also gives humorous advice such as to cover the upper torso of an older lover with a basket, because the head and upper body suffer the ravages of age first. Even when bountiful intensely personal advice, Franklin is practical as well as entertaining. Franklin seems to love bawdy humor based on this example. However, it should be noted that Franklin may not have intended this letter to be published and may have written in a less graphic style for public consumption.Benjamin Franklin lived a remarkable life. He was apprenticed to his older brother and worked hard for him, only to make his brother jealous of Benjamins abilities. Benjamin managed to keep his brothers paper operational while the brother was in tuck away for expressing his beliefs, and wrote a column for it anonymously, slipping his work under the door at night. When he finally revealed to his brother that he was Silence Dogood, his brothe r only scolded him. Defying the norms of the day, he ran away at age 15. He arrived penniless in Philadelphia but not only created his own fortune, but won the hand of the young woman who first saw him when he arrived in Philadelphia looking quite disreputable. He then parlayed one success into the next, ended up a leader in the emerging new country, and served as the new countrys ambassador to France.Franklin seems to have succeeded at everything he attempted to do. With almost no education, he became a famous writer, a founding father of what became a great nation, and an ambassador. He had no advantage of class upper class youth were educated and not apprenticed to a trade. He seems to have had a talent for recognizing opportunity when it was presented to him, because running away was illegal. Such an swear out could have begun a serious downward spiral. Instead it was the start of the first of many opportunities Franklin created for himself. Along the way he developed concern f or the common good. He organized Philadelphias first hospital and first fire department.Wheatleys portion were quite different. Kidnapped and brought to the U. S. as a slave, she was fortunate to be purchased by a family that educated her. However, she could not have had the opportunities to create her own fortune as Franklin did, both because she was female and because she was Black. One has to wonder how Phyllis Wheatley fit into Massachusetts club as an adult. It would have been difficult for her to find an African-American husband who had her level of education. It just have been quite a shock to many to recognize that the beautiful, elaborate poetry had been written by a former slave. It would have been very difficult for her to get a college education. Perhaps she could have been a teacher, maybe for African-American children, but genteel women of the time were not brought up to have some kind of career or trade. That was the province of young men such as Benjamin Franklin. Still, both Franklin and Wheatley seem to have made the best they could of their circumstances. Franklin had an uncanny knack for business and understood the feeling trade very well. It probably helped him that he entered this field just as being able to communicate with people via the printed word was going to become very important. The printed word played an important role in beat up colonists around the cause of separating from Great Britain. In spite of what must have been very restrictive circumstances, Wheatley found the perfect outlet for her education, language abilities and noetic skills in her ornate poetry. In this way, both Franklin epitomized the United States during the 18th century, because for people with talent and determination, America truly was a land of opportunity.