Franklin,+Ben

=Ben Franklin= (1706-1790) http://www.juntoventure.org/images/ben_franklin.jpg http://www.bartleby.com/109/2.html =The Whistle =
 * Summary**: In this story, Franklin speaks about a time when he was seven years old and falls in love with the sound of a whistle. He blows his money on the whistle and later his family members tell him that he had spent too much for the //whistle//. He carries that morality of not giving too much for ones whistle with him, for the rest of his life. He then continues to talk about the //whistle// symbolically, referring to the idea of humans spending too much of their time, effort, and money on the unimportant things in life. He says that the values mankind has made of things are ludicrous. Unlike many people, Ben Franklin learned his lesson the first time, and never made the mistake of giving too much for his //whistle// again.


 * Reflection:** After reading this story, I was reminded of my mom who is always nagging about how I //spend too much for my whistle.// I admit to have spent too much money for certain items that I could live without. I agree that it is ridiculous on the amount of money, time, and effort people will put into the items they desire and the goals they have, but I think one can be easily enticed into spending too much for //their whistle//. While reading each of the examples in the essay, I could picture the type of person Franklin was describing in my head. For example, "If I knew a miser, who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of his fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the sake of accumulating wealth, Poor man,  said I, you pay too much for your whistle." I pictured a man who gives up his friendships with others and commits unethical deeds just for the possession of money. He has paid to much for his whistle just to possess the epithet "wealthy".

"This, however, was afterwards of use to me, the impression continuing on my mind; so that often, when I was tempted to buy some unnecessary thing, I said to myself, //Don’t give too much for the whistle; //  and I saved my money. " This shows that Ben Franklin had enough self-discipline to stick to his motif of not spending too much time, effort, and money on the little frivolous constituents of life. After learning his lesson the first time as a child, although he may have been tempted to make the mistake again, he prevailed against his temptations.
 * Author:

Theme:** "I conceive that great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by the false estimates they have made of the value of things, and by their //giving too much for their whistle.//" "As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, //who gave too much for the whistle."//

The theme of this essay is the idea of mankind spending too much of their time, effort, money, etc. on the superfluous items and goals that people want or possess. Throughout the piece, Franklin expresses his feelings towards the actions of men that he has observed while growing up. In all the examples, he feels that the person has spent or given too much for their whistle. For example, "If I see on fond of appearance, or fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine equipages, all above his fortune, for which he contracts debts, and ends his career in a prison, //Alas!// say I, //he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle."// Franklin feels that this person has lavished himself with all the fine materialistic items in life, which are unnecessary. In the end, he does not have the income to afford all the items, so he ends up in debt.

"I conceive that great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by the false estimates they have made of the value of things, and by their //giving too much for their whistle.//"
 * Era: Classicism**

Many classicists thought literature's function was to show the everyday values of humanity and the laws of human existence. The whistle's theme corresponds to all of humanity and representsa struggle that most of mankind struggles with. Major themes in Franklin's writing include interest in the individual and society, the creation of an American national identity, the awareness of America as distinct in values and interests from those of England, and tensions between appearance and reality.