The second part of Franklin’s autobiography was clearly oozing with vanity and major self confidence. I feel like Franklin does a humorous job of trying to play his ego down, but in turn making him sound and seem even more pompous. A good example of that is when he is reminiscing about establishing a public library and he says, “so few were the readers at that time in Philadelphia, and the majority of us poor…” , I am pretty sure that Franklin was not poor at this time while trying to build a public library.
The second subject that is a constant throughout the autobiography is vanity. He makes several statements about vanity such as “the present little sacrifice of your vanity will afterwards be amply repaid.” I thought this was an interesting quote because he makes this statement in regards to building the library, and how (at the time) he tried to stay out of the spotlight and let his friends reap the benefits. He doesn’t even follow his own advice because he is writing this for everyone to see and to know that he did that. It makes it even vainer to publish something that you did in lieu of avoiding vanity no matter how many years ago it may have been.
Mt favorite quote of arrogance has to be near the end of the passage when Franklin is “surprised” that he has so many faults; but knew that he could watch them diminish while using the 13 step program that he himself wrote. Is he extremely vain because he was one of the youngest children out of more than a dozen? Or just trying to cement him as an important figure in history? One of the last subjects I found intriguing was when a Quaker friend of Franklin’s told him to add Humility to his 12 steps because Ben was often thought of as too proud and very insolent when in heated discussions. Franklin immediately states that he can fix this pride and selfishness by simply adding humility into his daily routine and practicing it. In the last paragraph of the reading he states (unlike any other on of his steps) that in “reality there is perhaps no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue in pride.” In that sentence alone he immediately is defending is outward pride and lack of humility. I guess Franklin needs to add some more steps to mold the perfect man.
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I wanted to respond to your notion of Benjamin Franklin's vanity. In part I of his biography, Franklin says "Most people dislike vanity in other, whatever share they have of it themselves; but I give it fair quarter wherever I meet with it, being persuaded that it is often productive of good to the possessor, and to others that are within his sphere of action." This comment supports his own personal vanity as well as the vanity in others. This does not contradict the fact he holds to the highest degree the values of "truth, sincerity, and integrity." I don't think his vanity is a reflection of his character, but rather as a characteristic that allows him to mobilize his efforts in pursuing the American Dream. In part II, Franklin describes thirteen virtues, the last of these being humility – quite the opposite of vanity. Jesus and Socrates were beyond needed the mobilization of vanity to pursue their goals. Also, Franklin starts with the first virtue, temperance, before moving onto the others. Therefore, he has a long way to go before reaching the depths of humility.
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