American Literature / Unit 5 AML 0406 short lesson, about 20 seconds
"The Way to Wealth"
Captions available
The idea
In this piece of seventeen fifty-eight Franklin gathers the almanac's sayings into a speech by Father Abraham at an auction, stringing proverbs on industry and thrift together. The crowd applauds and then buys extravagantly anyway, which is the joke Franklin builds in.
In practice
A sermon on thrift, ignored by its hearers.
Where people slip
The ending undercuts the advice on purpose.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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