Fictive Autobiographies Are Not Oxymorons

This literary criticism was very insightful towards Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography. It contained many ideas about the nonfiction work that I had not considered before reading it. The main idea, of course, was the American Dream, and how Franklin interpreted it in his own life (Lemay). The author of this criticism also observed how the Autobiography was also a guide to improve one's life through the example of Benjamin Franklin's own life, another concept which I had not thought of (Lemay). What I had first viewed as merely an account of a great man's life has now transformed itself into something much more from the idea presented in this literary criticism.

The American Dream motif was my favorite part of the criticism, partly because it was discussed and explained in so much depth. I liked the different aspects of the American Dream that Lemay delved into in his piece, such as talking about not only the rise from rags to riches, but other aspects such as "the rise from impotence to importance" (Lemay). I also was impressed by his comparison of this process to the process of growing up. The section of that that struck me the most was the gaining of the adulthood state, of the independence and power, and the realization that it is not as good as one might have imagined it to be (Lemay). I also appreciated, as an AP US History student, the comparison of Benjamin Franklin's rise to greatness with the rising of America into independence and power (Lemay). Seeing all these comparisons made almost makes me wonder if Franklin's Autobiography was rather fiction than fact, something to mirror the events that were occuring around him every day. It is indeed very interesting to think about.

I agreed with Lemay's statement about Franklin's third aspect of the American Dream, the section about the power of the individual and Franklin's belief that individuals controlled their own destinies as well as the destiny of their entire world (Lemay). It is a very optimistic view, and I like it a lot for that reason. Think about all the good that might be accomplished in the world if everyone were to believe that they had the power to change everything, although some might take a pessimistic view and say this might cause people with bad intentions to fulfill their dreams. However, call me an idealist, I believe that most people, with total faith in their own abilities, would strive toward good and make our world a better place.

While the criticism was rather long, dry, and used a lot of words that I had to look up in a dictionary, I liked it a lot. The ideas that Lemay expressed were novel to me and helped me gain a better understanding of why Benjamin Franklin might have taken the time to tell the world all about his life. I am glad that he did, for one, and at first chance, I think I will most definitely try to find a copy of his book to read for myself. It is definitely his masterpiece.

Works Cited

Lemay, J.A. Leo. "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." InThe Renaissance Man in the Eighteenth Century. Los Angeles: William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, 1978. Quoted as "Franklin's Autobiography and the American Dream." in Bloom, Harold, ed. The American Dream, Bloom's Literary Themes. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=1&iPin=BLTTAD005&SingleRecord=True (accessed October 11, 2010).