54 pages 1 hour read

Walter Isaacson

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2003

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Essay Topics

1.

How did Franklin’s Puritan upbringing influence his character and outlook?

2.

Why was the occupation of printer a perfect fit for Franklin? How did it match his skills and personality?

3.

Why does Isaacson depict Franklin as a product of the Enlightenment? Consider his interests, politics, and view of religion. Does that imply that the outlook of the American middle class is consistent with the Enlightenment?