discussion

During his own lifetime, and often since then, Benjamin Franklin has been described as "the first American," as someone who through his life and works epitomizes some attitude, spirit, action--or something else that distinguishes the United States. One wonders if anything that Franklin represented lives in popular American thought, today.

I challenge you to identify some contemporary piece of art, music, literature, or any other cultural artifact that you believe reflects the same (or similar) theme as you find in Franklin's autobiography.

 Support your idea with accurate, precise evidence. For both works, point out (with careful cited paraphrase and/or accurate and cited quote) the sentences(s) where in the text you see evidence of the theme you have identified and, to the extent necessary, explain why you believe those sentences illustrate the theme you claim.