This essay examines Benjamin Franklin's strategic use of humor in his Autobiography as a rhetorical device. Rather than relying solely on traditional appeals such as ethos or pathos, Franklin employs wit and self-deprecating comedy to engage his early American audience — one accustomed to dry sermons and formal treatises. The paper identifies specific examples of humor within both the style and content of the Autobiography, arguing that Franklin's unconventional choice is, in fact, a deliberate and ingenious rhetorical strategy. The essay concludes that Franklin's example offers a valuable lesson for contemporary writers: unconventional approaches can sometimes be the most persuasive.
When composing an argument, a writer has a myriad of rhetorical strategies from which to choose in order to make that argument more forceful. Some of these strategies include appealing to a high ethos, or credibility, or speaking to the readers' emotions through pathos. In addition to these, the writer must also develop a style that suits his or her audience and serves to further strengthen the argument. An examination of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography — one of the most renowned works of nonfiction from early American history — can help contemporary readers understand how to make strategic choices when writing today.
In his Autobiography, Franklin employs a style that some literary critics might find unexpected: humor. Examples of this humor can be found in both the style and content of the work. Stylistically, he often uses humor in his descriptions of others or of himself, and he makes small comments that frequently seem witty or gently sarcastic.
For instance, Franklin describes a humorous incident in which he, much like the fictional Tom Sawyer, serves as the ringleader of his friends. He instructs them to remove stones so that they can build a wharf, but the boys are later scolded when it is discovered that the stones were needed by the city's workmen (Chapter One). Franklin further demonstrates his humor by describing his own work as a "rambling digression" and writing: "I us'd to write more methodically. But one does not dress for private company as for a publick ball. 'Tis perhaps only negligence" (Chapter One). Here, his humor invites the reader to view the work in a more lighthearted fashion, while also poking fun at his own advanced age.
"Humor as audience engagement and universal appeal"
Furthermore, his stylistic humor and willingness to poke fun at his own work broaden its appeal. In other words, Franklin recognized humor as a kind of universal currency through which he could communicate with many different types of readers. His wit allows him to identify with his audience, making it more likely that they will remain engaged with — and receptive to — his ideas. As scholars of classical rhetoric have long noted, a speaker or writer who establishes common ground with an audience increases the persuasive power of the message. Franklin's humor functions precisely in this way.
Franklin's choice to use humor, though it may at first seem out of place in a serious autobiographical work, is in fact an ingenious rhetorical choice. By embracing an unconventional style, he reaches a broader audience and strengthens his rhetorical appeal. His example demonstrates that effective communication often depends less on following established formulas than on understanding one's audience and adapting accordingly. For today's writers, Franklin's Autobiography offers a lasting lesson: the unconventional can sometimes be the most powerful way to make an argument.
Franklin, Benjamin. "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." Archiving Early America. 1771. 19 January 2008. http://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/chapt1/
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