The early discovery that electricity came as a result that lightening was discovered by Benjamin Franklin. Apart from the invention, he was also an author, printer, and statesman. During his writing period, he strived to oppose the influence of deism which believed that the world was created by God and the world was to work on the influence of natural laws (Ruland and Malcolm). This prompted him to venture into writing and one of his books is titled ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack’. The theme of the book mainly motivated people through the experiences she underwent but came out stronger.
Through his entire writing, Benjamin Franklin noted that writing is clear and concise. He also observed the emotions that caused people to behave in a way that they would like to please everybody and expecting very little in return (Harris). He also pointed out that as a writer, one must identify and accept own shortcomings while writing. As a writer he also fulfilled the liberal ideas of the 18thC, he observed language styles to make instant meaning from the writing.
According to Benjamin Franklin’s writings, he found out that the writings were useful to the people of English religious life because he dealt with deism and showed people the truth. He also found the writings important to the people because he was willing to point out the attitudes that made human beings act in a way to please everybody without expecting anything in return (Franklin and Julian). His objective tone while writing showed his own acknowledgment to his shortcomings and triumphs and this depicted his character of minding about other people’s welfare by keenly observing what happens in their lives comparing it to what happens in his own life. This shows how concerned he was as a writer.
The Puritans, on the other hand, wrote books which were also useful and interesting to the people during those times. The Puritans believed on being in a binding relationship with God so that one is redeemed from the sinful nature and be saved from the worldly things (Higgins). They also believed that the Holy Spirit was a force that gave those hopes and energy during salvation.
There are various English Puritans and they include John Owen was a Puritan who reigned between the year 1616 and 1683. He was also called the prince of the Puritans. During his lifetime he served as a church minister and he also wrote many books that were motivating to the people. Examples of his writings were ‘Holy spirit, mortification of sin and Apostasy’ (Franklin and Julian). His writings were most important because they taught people about the proper ways of living according to the word of God. The writings were also interesting in the sense that it made people believe in Holy Spirit as an energizer to their salvation. An example of his books is ‘Banner of Truth’ (Franklin).
Richard Baxter (1615-1691), was also a puritan who was a qualified writer. As a writer, he included his works in the ‘Christian Directory’ which applied the gospel in every aspect of life. He incorporated the Puritan idea in his writings that believed that grace existed in human nature. Richard Baxter teachings were useful to the people because it gave people a chance to convert to Christianity and made them apply to Christianity doctrines to everyday life (Aldridge). These writings acted as a guiding principle to the people.
The Christian doctrines and cultural values majorly applied on the principle of marriage and family, position in the church, and the people’s position in the world. An example of his books is, ‘The Mutual Duties of Husbands and Wives towards Each Other.’ It is practical works because it teaches biblical directions towards husbands and wives (Franklin and Julian). Romantics existed between the end of the eighteenth century to mid-19th C and it existed as a movement that showed the importance of the artist’s feelings, emotions and expressions during writing. The Romantics movement also did not allow writers to be rigid while writing and it also put more emphasis on the writer’s unique experiences (Harris). The Romantics valued nature and emphasized on artists experience with nature, and it was brought into existence by the French American revolution which strived to free people from a rigid society.
There are various writers of Romantic Period and they include Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832), he was a German Writer as well a statesman. An example of his books is ‘The Sorrows of Youth Werther’. Most of his writing has been set to music mainly because of their simplicity. His writings were used to the people at that time because of the simplicity and after the writings have been set to music, many people listened to the music and had an impact on their everyday lives (Franklin and Julian). The music was interesting and the people enjoyed listening to them.
Mary Shelley was a British author and she wrote many books in her entire writing period. An example of a book she authored was known as ‘Frankenstein’. This book majorly featured her entire life experiences from childhood to when she was an adult and married (Franklin). The theme of the book mainly motivated people through the experiences she underwent but came out stronger. This was encouraging and became useful to those people who read it. Sir Walter Scott was also a renowned Scottish novelist and poet. He also wrote many novels that became useful to the people during that time (Aldridge). One of the books he wrote is ‘Waverly’ which in his writing mostly had a sense of humor. These writings were important and interesting to the readers and people got various lessons from them.
In conclusion, there are many writers who existed and influenced greatly by the people’s ways of living. All the writers like Benjamin Franklin, the Puritans, and the Romantics all had important themes while writing their books and the themes affected the readers positively (Ruland and Malcolm). They were also useful and they applied the teachings from the various books in their everyday lives. During his writing period, he strived to oppose the influence of deism which believed that the world was created by God and the world was to work on the influence of natural laws. The teachings also taught people to live according to ways of God. However, the writers do not show how they negatively affected the people of those time. Furthermore, Sir Walter Scott was also a renowned Scottish novelist and poet. He also wrote many novels that became useful to the people during that time. For that reason and from the writings they fulfilled the liberal ideas of the 18thC, which observed language styles to make instant meaning from the concepts they wrote about.
- Aldridge, Alfred Owen. Early American literature: a comparatist approach. Princeton University Press, 2014.
- Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography and other writings. Oxford University Press, USA, 1998.
- Franklin, Benjamin, and Julian W. Abernethy. “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.” (1994).
- Harris, Marc L. “The Political Philosophy of Benjamin Franklin by Lorraine Smith Pangle; Benjamin Franklin and the Politics of Improvement by Alan Houston.” Pennsylvania History 78.3 (2017).
- Higgins, Nicholas. “Achieving Human Perfection: Benjamin Franklin contra George Whitefield.” Journal of American Studies 50.1 (2016): 61-80.
- Ruland, Richard, and Malcolm Bradbury. From puritanism to postmodernism: a history of American literature. Routledge, 2016.