Autobiography of Ben Franklin and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglas

Indeed, in both Benjamin Franklin's An Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglas's A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave, we, as readers, are told the stories of two men who faced adversity, and with much hard work and courage, were able to overcome the obstacles that stood in their way in order to become influential and important men in America. Interestingly enough, both men had points in their early lives that proved pivotal in terms of shaping and molding them into a form that could grow into their later greatness. Interestingly, the experiences that changed both Franklin and Douglas had to do with the importance of education in enabling people to better themselves. In the case of Franklin, this reality was realized when he worked as an apprentice printer with his brother James during his teens. In Douglas's case, he realized the importance of education when he learned his ABCs.

Indeed, given the adventurous and exciting life that he lead it is very difficult indeed to isolate one moment, idea, event, or person that played a pivotal role in changing, shaping, and molding the life that Benjamin Franklin lead. Nonetheless, there must be some very interesting point of departure, for Franklin's brothers, for example ended up being earnest tradesmen, though hardly learned people and statesmen of Benjamin Franklin's character. Thus, clearly there was some moment at which Franklin's life was made to take an exceptionally different course from those of his siblings, and, indeed, the fact that his path differed so much from his brothers', or even his father's journey in life, which he undertook as a simple candlestick maker, was largely due to Franklin's love of books, a love he was able to foster at an early age by working with his brother James, who was a printer:

This bookish inclination at length determined my father to make me a printer, though he had already one son (James) of that profession... I now had access to better books. An acquaintance with the apprentices of booksellers enabled me sometimes to borrow a small one, which I was careful to return soon and clean. Often I sat up in my room reading the greatest part of the night, when the book was borrowed in the evening and to be returned early in the morning, lest it should be missed or wanted.

Franklin Part I)

Indeed, it was because of the fact that he had such great access to books through his induction into the printer's trade that he was able to foster his love of books and learning and to begin to develop his persuasive rhetorical skills that would aid him not only in writing, but also in oratory. Without this love of books and learning being instilled in him Franklin could have never become the great thinker, speaker, author, and statesmen that he was to become.

Frederick Douglas's life story as he narrates it in his biography, however, tells a much bleaker tale that shows even more the ability of one man to use his wits and his natural talents to pull himself up by the bootstraps after a fashion that will enable him to achieve a better and more important life. Like in Franklin's case, it was the moment where Douglas realized the true importance of education that everything began to come together for him and his life began to take a very different path. Indeed, Douglas's mistress, Mrs. Auld, began to teach him the alphabet, but Mr. Auld, upon finding out, forbade her to continue doing so, arguing that, in educating Douglas, she would only be inciting him to insurrection and to forget his place as a servant. When Mr. Auld says this, Douglas realizes that he, in fact, is actually telling the truth and therefore realizes the true importance of education:

Very soon after I went to live with Mr. And Mrs. Auld, she very kindly commenced to teach me the A, B, C. After I had learned this, she assisted me in learning to spell words of three or four letters. Just at this point of my progress, Mr. Auld found out what was going on, and at once forbade Mrs. Auld to instruct me further... It gave me the best assurance that I might rely with the utmost confidence on the results which, he said, would flow from teaching me to read. What he most dreaded, that I most desired.