OBSERVATION

Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father and a polymath, inventor, scientist, printer, politician,
freemason and diplomat. Franklin helped to draft the Declaration of Independence and the U.S.
Constitution, and he negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris ending the Revolutionary War. His scientific
pursuits included investigations into electricity, mathematics and mapmaking. A writer known for his wit
and wisdom, Franklin also published Poor Richard’s Almanac, invented bifocal glasses and organized the
first successful American lending library. Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, in what was
then known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony.Franklin’s father, English-born soap and candle maker
Josiah Franklin, had seven children with first wife, Anne Child, and 10 more with second wife, Abiah
Folger. Franklin was his 15th child and youngest son. Franklin learned to read at an early age, and
despite his success at the Boston Latin School, he stopped his formal schooling at 10 to work full-time in
his cash-strapped father’s candle and soap shop. Dipping wax and cutting wicks didn’t fire the young
boy’s imagination, however. Perhaps to dissuade him from going to sea as one of his other sons had
done, Josiah apprenticed 12-year-old Franklin at the print shop run by his older brother James. Although
James mistreated and frequently beat his younger brother, Franklin learned a great deal about
newspaper publishing and adopted a similar brand of subversive politics under the printer’s tutelage.

When James refused to publish any of his brother’s writing, 16-year-old Franklin adopted the
pseudonym Mrs Silence Dogood, and “her” 14 imaginative and witty letters delighted readers of his
brother’s newspaper, The New England Courant. James grew angry, however, when he learned that his
apprentice had penned the letters. Tired of his brother’s “harsh and tyrannical” behaviour, Franklin fled
Boston in 1723 although he had three years remaining on a legally binding contract with his master. He
escaped to New York before settling in Philadelphia and began working with another printer.
Philadelphia became his home base for the rest of his life. Encouraged by Pennsylvania Governor
William Keith to set up his own print shop, Franklin left for London in 1724 to purchase supplies from
stationers, booksellers and printers. When the teenager arrived in England, however, he felt duped
when Keith’s letters of introduction never arrived as promised. Although forced to find work at London’s
print shops, Franklin took full advantage of the city’s pleasures—attending theatre performances,
mingling with the locals in coffee houses and continuing his lifelong passion for reading. A self-taught
swimmer who crafted his own wooden flippers, Franklin performed long-distance swims on the Thames
River. (In 1968, he was inducted as an honorary member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.) In
1725 Franklin published his first pamphlet, "A Dissertation upon Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and
Pain," which argued that humans lack free will and, thus, are not morally responsible for their actions.
(Franklin later repudiated this thought and burned all but one copy of the pamphlet still in his
possession.)
INTERPRETATION
4 WH and H
1. What is the wedlock all about?
- It expresses the idea while one is married, to have pleasure with, to make the best
of one’s wife and not stab her in the back because most men only get one wife in a
lifetime

2. When was the poem published?

- The poem was published in 1789

3. Who is the author of the poem?

- Benjamin Franklin

4. Where the literature was takes place?

- Paris France

5. How did the author describe the literary piece?

- The tone of the poem is judgmental, and the statuses of being married and not
married are up for debate.
-
HOTS
6. Do you think that wedding is the end goal of all of the couples?
- Somehow yes and quite no for the reason that there are couples who ended up
breaking up.

7. What do you think is the other reason why Benjamin Franklin wrote the literature?
- Benjamin Franklin wants to fight for women rights

8. In your view is wedlock necessary I every relationship?

- Wedding is important, especially for those women who bears a children. It is also to
prevent something like single mother status of other women.

9. If you were at the time when Benjamin Franklin wrote this literature, would you support Mr
Franklin in writing this literature?
- I would definitely agree with this type of literature in which it highlights the necessities
of every woman in the world.

10. Did you think it is possible for Mr Franklin to have a children?

- Yes
REFLECTION

The poem “Wedlock” is about the state of being married, and its major theme is contradictory
views of marriage and whether it is good or bad. However, the subsidiary themes of repentance and
grief are also intertwined with the major theme of conjugal love. The title “Wedlock” could refer to
marriage as a beautiful incident. However, the content of the poem throws a new and satiric light on
marriage, as the speaker or the poet also highlights the potential grief and repentance involved in this
type of relationship. The tone of the poem is judgmental, and the statuses of being married and not
married are up for debate. The poet writes in an omniscient third person point of view, and has
observed attitudes and views of people about marriage. He begins the poem by giving views of old
people about the states of being married or unmarried. According to him, most adults favour marriage,
and that it is common: “as old men note, hath likened been, unto a public crowd or common rout.” Then
he talks about the opinions of the majority of people. People who have not married yet strongly wish to
get married: “where those that are without would fain get in.” Married people, however, wish to get rid
of this bond, and want divorce. He states that there are pleasures in marriage, but “grief often treads
upon the heels of pleasure.” Commenting on this state of affairs in highly connotative and suggestive
language, the poet has outlined positive aspects of marriage in the first three lines. The rest of the poem
turns into a debate about its negative and positive aspects. He says that those who are married do not
live in pleasure, because “Married in haste, we oft repent at leisure.” It is a similar sentiment to the
popular saying “haste makes waste.” His ultimate message is that marriage should not be entered
lightly. The reason for this is that both parties can have overly high expectations of the other, and when
their dreams do not come true as they expect, they feel disenchanted. However, some people might
“find these words misplaced.” This is because, as the poet states, “Married at leisure, they repent in
haste.” Thus, those who take their time entering marriage have an equal chance of feeling sorry about
the commitment.

The poem is written in alternating iambic and trochaic pentameter, as “Wedlock, as old men
note, hath likened been a public crowd or common rout.” The diction used in the poem is simple and
understandable without having any connotative meanings. Enjambment runs throughout the entire
poem, as the meaning of a line moves into the next line such as “Where those that are without would
fain get in, / And those that are within, would fain get out.” End-Stopped Lines occur just twice, each at
the end of the stanza. Alliteration is used in different lines such as in these words: “crowd and common”
and “where, without, would.” There is assonance in the lines containing “old/note” and “crowd/rout.” In
addition, hypo taxis is used in this poem. The main idea is wedlock, and entire poem is written with
subordinate sentences that explain the main idea such as, “Wedlock, as old men note, hath likened
been, / unto a public crowd or common rout.” This helps in expressing the individual thoughts of the
poet through subordinate clauses. This poem is a discourse about marriage. It can be a beautiful thing,
but people also undergo grief, remorse, and regret due to staying in marital relationships. Thus,
marriage can have both positive and negative effects. Many adults love the concept of marriage. Happily
married couples can use and dedicate parts of this poem to each other. Newlyweds can also send the
first three lines to each other on wedding anniversaries, which signify the importance of romantic
relationship