Benajmin Franklin and Jonathan Edwards
The Innovators of American Literature From their critical assessments on how to improve themselves and to the American public that they influenced by their writings, Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin illustrate American themes in their personal narratives that quintessentially make part of American Literature. Although they lived in different times during the early development of the United States of America and wrote for different purposes, they share common themes. Their influence by their environment, individualism, proposals for a better society, and events that affected their society generate from their writings. By analyzing Jonathan Edwards' "Personal Narrative," "Resolutions," "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," and selections from Benjamin Franklin's The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin found in The Heath Anthology of American Literature: Third Edition Volume One edited by Paul Lauter, the fundamental themes in American literature are evident and their individual ideas are distinctive. These personal narratives reveal the influences of their environment that gave them epiphanies to their closer perfection of themselves. Jonathan Edwards' "Personal Narrative" shows his journey towards a closer relationship
Franklin's true account of his success from moving from the lower class to the upper class influenced many of his fellow American in a needful time. He pleas to divert the influence of uncertified preachers and stay close to the community and save themselves. Gilmore writes in the introduction, "[the Puritans] in their minds the Bible was the book of history, and typology revealed the developmental pattern of events by finding correspondences between the Old and New Testaments" (2). While Franklin teaches through writing the events to all Americans for the need for a closer society after the Revolutionary War, Edward preaches to his congregation the need to bind together and seek salvation during the time when America redefined religion. These epiphanies assisted on his assessment of becoming a better man in the eyes of God and minister to his community. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. who lived close to nature faithful to her laws uncontaminated by artificialities of court or town" (9, 11). Benjamin Franklin did not hold his family beliefs of Christianity, but from his early environment, he drew his relationship to God as a Deist. His autobiography illustrates his faults and accomplishments. He preaches, "now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open" (Lauter 602). " In Soundings: Some Early American Writers, Lewis Leary writes "Franklin was the true American.
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