Summary and Response to "Benjamin Franklin, the Inveterate (and Crafty) Public Instructor"

Introduction

In Patrick Sullivan’s Benjamin Franklin, the Inveterate (and Crafty) Public Instructor he states that there are two types of readers of Benjamin Franklin’s The Way to Wealth; the “less sophisticated readers” who are presented with a great collection of proverbial advice, and the “more sophisticated readers” who are challenged to think independently. I must admit when reading The Way to Wealth the first time I was the less sophisticated reader, seeing it as merely a collection of practical proverbs, but after reading Sullivan’s essay I see how much more Franklin meant for his writing to be. This “Farwell Address” from Franklin to his faithful readers after 25 years of writing Almanacs as Poor Richard was meant to celebrate the legacy, but more importantly challenge and “critique…the phenomenon which Franklin had created” (248) with his proverbial sayings.

Summary

Patrick Sullivan starts out his article about Franklin’s The Way to Wealth with some background information about Poor Richard and how this final “Farwell Address” concluded 25 years of almanacs. Sullivan says that it is meant to be a celebration of the almanacs and collection of proverbs, but, in contradiction, to also challenge readers to think for themselves and not passively accept the familiar quotations.

In the first paragraph of The Way to Wealth, the issue of Poor Richards reputation is brought up, as Sullivan points out. Franklin discusses the lack of praise he has received from “other learned authors,” and suggests that value is measured by this rather than profit. But in the second paragraph Franklin offers another idea that the market; those who buy his almanacs, determine their value. Franklin goes on to say, as Sullivan points out; “that the People were the best Judges of my Merit.”

Sullivan describes Father Abraham, (who is the character quoting Poor Richard in the story,) as both a “favorable embodiment of Richard, …a product and in some ways a victim of Richard’s proverbs” (251). Sullivan tells readers that “Abraham repeats ‘as Poor Richard says’ or ‘as Poor Dick says’ forty-eight times” (251). Sullivan continues pointing out reasons Franklin gives us to be skeptical of Abraham, and even of Poor Richard himself.

The article explains that Franklin valued proverbial wisdom, and that this was meant in part to be a convenient collection of sayings, but Sullivan also points out that the quotations Father Abraham cites are not representatives of the almanacs, but contain only those about hard work, diligence and other capitalistic type ideas. But there are negative aspects or proverbs, which Sullivan point out, which must be considered.

One negative aspect is the fact that readers can approve of them and still not practice them. Sullivan gives the example of the people who Father Abraham instructed, who immediately after approving the doctrine went and practiced the opposite. The Example of the right response is Richard himself, who decides to take action after hearing the speech, not to waste money. The second issue Franklin believes to be the influence of Heaven. Sullivan quotes Franklin saying basically that man depends on the blessing of heaven. Franklin also believes that we should not rely too exclusively on our own reasoning, “for reason too can delude” (253). The fourth reason for concern is that proverbs create an over simplified view of life.

Sullivan then shows us how Franklin intentionally contradicts himself, saying first that man can learn from experience and not as likely from advice, but then saying that one who will not accept council cannot be helped. Sullivan believes he does this to show them the fallacies of proverbs, force his readers to think critically for themselves, and make them solve the conflicting messages.

Sullivan points out the similarities between Franklin’s ideas presented here and Locke’s educational ideas. Franklin and Locke both see the mind as a blank slate to be written on, and that all knowledge comes from experience. Sullivan also shows the irony of this uprooting the authority of all texts, including the one Franklin is writing. Franklin and Locke agree that education is not to fill brains with facts, but to train one to be capable of doing any objective using their mind, to create freedom and self direction for the educated.

Sullivan concludes reminding readers of the idea that The Way to Wealth was written not only to be a collection of proverbs but something to set readers free from the weaknesses of proverbial wisdom. Sullivan says that it contains “‘Revolutionary’ elements, reflections of his concern for intellectual independence” (256).

Response

As stated in the introduction, when I first read The Way to Wealth I was the “less sophisticated reader” seeing just a convenient compilation of proverbial sayings, but reading Patrick Sullivan’s essay has helped me see much more in this complex writing of Franklin’s.

One of the first things that this article showed me was the dual purpose of Franklin’s “Farewell Address.” It should have occurred to me that Franklin meant to make a point with the story he tells, not just puff up his pride and give us a bunch of proverbs about hard work and financial wisdom, but it didn’t. The biggest way I saw the point of the story demonstrated in this essay was through the character assessment of Father Abraham. Seeing him as more of a product and victim of passively accepting Richards proverbs shows his character more realistically. The fact that he refers back to Poor Richard so much, promises a short speech and gives a long one, and doesn’t refer to any different or higher authority than the almanacs substantially weaken rather than strengthen his credibility. This seems to be what Franklin wants, and it makes sense. He wants to encourage independent thought, unlike the thought of Father Abraham.

Another idea that I hadn’t picked up on before was Locke’s influence on the thought of Franklin. This is the idea that the mind is like blank paper without any ideas and is furnished by experience alone. While I don’t believe this is entirely true I think the ideas that stem from it are valuable as it is valuable to an extent. Education as Locke desires is a thing to improve the general capacity of the mind, not stuff it with facts or perfect it at a specific task. We see this concept in Franklin’s writing where he says “Experience keeps a dear School, but Fools will learn in no other” which means that experience is the greatest way to learn, and the way that all can learn, even the fool. The idea that education should be “a formation of character, of habits…of mind and body” (256) is one that should be paid attention to, because in the end one’s whole life is the issue, not just learning individual tasks and facts.

(I will add more response elements here later)

Conclusion

Franklin’s “Farewell Address” according to Sullivan seems to contradict all Franklin ever taught in his Poor Richard’s Almanacs, but really it is just another form of wisdom brought to the table; for readers to think independently. Looking at it this way has completely changed my view of Franklin’s The Way to Wealth, and made it a much more useful, meaningful text. The point is, don’t accept everything a simple proverb tells, but think for yourself and think hard.