Ben Franklin Autobiography part 2

While reading part 2 of Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, I became curious as to why he chose to include the two letters at the beginning, and more specifically why he included the Benjamin Vaughan letter. The letter seemed to have no other purpose then to glorify and pay homage to Benjamin Franklin. Vaughan's letter wrote about how Franklin needed to write an autobiography because of "the chance which your life will give for the forming of future great men..." and that "the wisest man will receive lights and improve his progress, by seeing detailed the conduct of another wise man..." These types of comments are very, very complimentary things that are being said about Franklin and it seems as though the letter was possibly used as a way for Franklin to "blow his own horn" if you will, without directly talking about how great he may think himself to be.

In an effort to sort of make it seem like he is really just doing a favor and kindly writing an autobiography as suggested by the letters, Franklin states that "I have been too busy till now to think of complying with the request they contain..." I hardly think that it took alot of convincing for a man like Franklin, who clearly has a passion for composition, to write his autobiography. With that said, I really think that Franklin siezed these letters (Vaughan's in particular) as a chance to really help convince people how smart and amzazing he is. Franklin was a very intelligent man and he was cunning enough to realize he could introduce his "greatness" into his autobiograpy as someone else's opinion and not his own, thus still maintaining his apperance as a very modest man.