Benjamin Franklin Documentary Analysis

The Life of Benjamin Franklin is a documentary in which historians and scholars examine Benjamin Franklin’s life. The documentary explains in detail about his innovations, creations, and all of his achievements in both science and politics. Many people often praise him for his extraordinary mind and his desire to solve any problem that he comes across, the first half of the documentary when they explain his life as a child and young adult is interesting and explains many of his characteristics. Most people associate the image of Benjamin Franklin as a poised, elderly man, but the documentary unveils another image of him that is often not discussed or seen. Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1706, during the height of the Salem Witch Trials. …show more content…
As a child, he was fascinated by the teachings of Cotton Mathers. Cotton Mathers took stories and disassembled them into moral lessons, influenced by puritanism. One of the ideas Mathers emphasized was to not to enter or leave a room without doing some good for your fellow man. In Benjamin Franklin’s old age, he recalls a memory of an interaction between him and Cotton Mathers. They were walking and Cotton Mather’s says to Benjamin Franklin, “Stoop!” Cotton Mathers then pushes Benjamin Franklin’s head against a stoop and says, “Your young and have the world before you and you will avoid many high bumps if you do not carry your head high.” Although Benjamin Franklin appears to be vain in his autobiography, he remembers and values his humble …show more content…
Enlightenment put an emphasis on rational thoughts, planning, and an emphasis on the present. There was a lack of self-interest and became about the improvement of people and culture. The documentary explains Enlightenment as, “We’re not born to be what we are,” a modern insight that leads to change. At twenty years old, Benjamin Franklin moves back to Philadelphia and wants to put his life in order. He combines lessons from his childhood and ideas from the Enlightenment as a motivator to help others. Benjamin Franklin devoted his attention to problems and wanted to make life comfortable for ordinary human beings. Although he is one of the great thinkers, he understood the general public and knew how to interact with him. Often, when people become successful they become selfish and even lose their motivation to do well in their work, because they feel a sense of security in their position. However, Benjamin Franklin continued to have this childlike curiosity, continuing to ask questions, and had the same want of exploration in his old age he had as a young man. He did not rest, but instead searched for another problem he could