Brainstorming Compare & Contrast Essay
Transcendentalism Thesis:
Although I do admire the Transcendentalists and their will to correct the demons within themselves, I do believe that humans must have some kind of flaws to be our own unique persons, and we should embrace some of those flaws because they make us who we are as individuals.
Franklin's Moral Plan for correction: Franklin took it upon himself to rid himself of flaws and to become more virtuous. He did this by monitoring each flaw and documenting the results in order to get out of the bad habits he had fallen in.
His strategy vs Our strategy:
He tackled each imperfection one by one, we did ours all at once
What didn't work:
I would have personally benefited more from what Franklin did because I succeed when I focus on what specific thing to correct not all of them at once.
I also realized that carrying a separate piece of paper is very difficult for me, as many people know, I tend to set things down and forget where I put them.
Constantly recording my actions was very difficult me, I remember to do it at the end of the day but I find it difficult to mark down what I did right after it happened because it's not always the best moment (discussing in class, eating, social events, etc.)
What did work:
This project made me very conscientious of my actions and how they affect other people. It's even the little things, like making sure to say hello to someone, or holding the door, or even giving someone a piece of gum.
This project helped me realize how much happier I am when I surround myself with the right people who will not only support me but always be there to help me out of any situation. This also then made me realize that I am very reliant on other people, and how they treat/act towards me really affects my mood and my attitude.
Quotes from The Autobiography
1. "My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judg'd it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time"
2. "And conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom, I thought it right and necessary to solicit his assistance for obtaining it; to this end I formed the following little prayer, which was prefix'd to my tables of examination, for daily use."
3. "...that a perfect character might be attended with the inconvenience of being envied and hated; and that a benevolent man should allow a few faults in himself, to keep his friends in countenance."
My Reactions to the Quotes:
1. I agree with Franklin's statement that the experiment is more accurate when one is testing each element individually. I think it was smart that he decided to put all his efforts into each virtue at a time.
2. I wasn't necessarily in this thought process when I was completing the experiment. I have a different view on faith, instead of having faith in God to help me better myself, I rely on myself to do that and have faith solely in the fact that I can complete the goal of ridding my faults.
3. As I had mentioned in my thesis, we are all human, and to be human you must have flaws. It is a waste to exert all efforts into "perfecting" yourself because the fact is not everyone is going to like you, and you can not master every single thing there is to master in the world.