Ben Franklin's virtues were like a foundation for the ideal person. His virtues are very specific and to most people are hard to follow. I think that his virtues made him a better person because since he made them, he is more inclined to follow them. His virtues were logical rules that could help him in his daily life. By applying these rules to his life, he had the ability to become a better person. In Tuckerman's criticism, I think that he liked Franklin and respected his virtues. I think this because Tuckerman had a positive view toward Franklin's virtues. He even quoted "If we glance at the subjects and occasions of his tracts, letters, reports, paragraphs, and essays, we shall find that they embrace the whole circle of questions important to his country and his age,—morals, the economy of life, commerce, finance, history, and politics" (Tuckerman). Based on that comment alone, we see that Tuckerman likes Franklin's virtues. When we look at his writings, his words apply to every part of our lives. That is what I took from that quote.
Tuckerman's criticism was a very long document, but had some really interesting points. He thinks that Franklin's virtues were a basis for the ideas and advances we have today. According to Tuckerman, Franklin is a philosopher (Tuckerman). A philosopher is a person who understands and spreads ideas to answer the questions of life. I agree that Franklin is a philosopher because his virtues were like answers to the problems people had in life.
Franklin did a good job of keeping up with his virtues. He went through his virtues and added one each week. He completed going through his virtues in 13 weeks. After he finished the virtues, he started over again and kept going for a year. This made him a better person I think because he was following his own advice. Franklin was very practical (Tuckerman). He planned everything out. He knew what he wanted his virtues to accomplish when he first started making them and he worked hard towards that goal. The virtues are hard to achieve, because the average person has to give up a lot of things just to follow the virtues, but they are such a great reward and anyone can achieve the virtues if they have the motivation to follow them.
Tuckerman had a very high respect for Franklin because through his criticism I could tell that he had good opinions on his virtues. He only had good comments towards Tuckerman and the rules. He thought that his virtues were answers to all people's questions (Tuckerman). The quote that I like best from Tuckerman is "His name was not only an honorable passport among the learned, but an endeared watchword to the humble" (Tuckerman). I like that quote because it shows that all people can learn about him and his virtues. Franklin was a very flexible person. His virtues and view on life and problem solving was able to help all people, just in different ways.
Franklin, Benjamin, and Leonard Woods Labaree. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New Haven: Yale UP, 1964. Print.
Tuckerman, Henry T. "The Character of Franklin." Facts on File. Web. 30 Oct. 2011.
Great analysis
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