The Poor Richard’s Almanack by Benjamin Franklin

📚 Author and Work Overview

Hi there! Today, i would like to make known about The Poor Richard’s Almanack, which was a work written by "The First American" Benjamin Franklin and published between 1732 and 1758. For sure it was one of the most popular publications in colonial America. The first intention of Franklin by creating this almanac was to share practical information such as calendars, weather forecasts, and advice about daily life. But over the time, the most important part of the book is its collection of proverbs and sayings related work, money, and personal values, creating a fictional character called “Richard Saunders", a poor and humble astrologer in order to made it seem that the work was created by an ordinary and struggling man to taught people how to live wisely and responsibly without the need of being wealthy intellectual.

🧐 Summary of the Work

The main content of Poor Richard’s Almanack was short phrases and moral lessons that promote values such as:

  • Hard work

  • Discipline

  • Saving money

  • Honesty

  • Responsibility

As well as some famous quotes, for instance:

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
  

“God helps them that help themselves.”

These sayings main objective was to encourage readers, which were generally farmers, workers, shopkeepers and ordinary families, to take the control of their own lives and make them believe that success depends mainly on personal effort rather than talent.

✍️ Personal and Critical Analysis

I think that Poor Richard’s Almanack reflects perfectly about what we nowadays call the "American Dream". Franklin shows that anyone, even a "poor" can improve their life through effort and good habits. I really admire how he presented serious lessons using satire and humorous way. The language is basic and easy to understand, which made his ideas accessible to ordinary people rather than elite with access to education.

However, I would like to add that Franklin’s philosophy may be problematic, suggesting that our success depends only on individual effort; ignoring all social problems such as poverty, discrimination, or lack of opportunities. To be honest, not everyone starts life with the same advantages.

In the end, while Franklin’s advice is motivating, it can also be surrealistic, specially in modern contexts in which things are not same like in the past.

🌍 Connection to the Present

As of today, Franklin’s ideas are still very influential. Many people still promote that “hustle culture” which encourages working nonstop until achieve successful. This catches Franklin's message about discipline and effort. 

But, nowadays, many people also talk about balance between life and work, as well as mental health, in contrast of Franklin’s time, current society recognizes that rest and emotional health are also important. While Poor Richard's Almanack ideas are still relevant in the present, they need to be adapted to our current reality.

🎬 Multimedia Resource

Here is a recopillation of the most important sayings and advices of Benjamin's work, as well as the cover of it.



📖 Sources

Franklin, B. (2004). Poor Richard's almanack. Barnes & Noble Publishing.

Pencak, W. (1992). Politics and Ideology in" Poor Richard's Almanack". The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 116(2), 183-211.

✅ Reflection

Poor Richard’s Almanack teaches us that responsibility and effort are important for our personal growth. Even if some ideas may seem old-fashioned for our current time, this book still continues to influence modern society, implying that it is considered as a cult piece. By the way, if we analize this work we can also better understand the origins of American values and reflect on how success is defined today.

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