A Study On The Construction Of "Americanization" In Benjamin Franklin’s Writing

The demarcation of British and American culture has gone through a longperiod of ambiguity.Whether it is a single view of American culture as the derivative and subsidiary of British culture,or because the two cultures are mixed together in the relationship between the suzerain and the colonial in the special historical stage,their views are not accurate.Therefore,the research on the construction of“Americanization” helps to deeply understand the origin and development of American culture.In the course of the study,combined with Benjamin Franklin’s public utilities,ideas and literary works,this paper specifically and carefully interprets how the American “father” figure shapes the precious and unique“Americanized” national cultural prototype in all aspects of social life,religious ethics and moral behavior,and further explores the cultural connotation,the complexity of the ideological connotation of the American nation and the United States and the reasons for its great influence on later generations.This paper is divided into four parts for writing:In the first chapter,the background of Americanization is analyzed.First of all,to Benjamin Franklin’s ideological change and his transition from the British Empire to American citizenship as a starting point to explore the political crisis in North America.On this basis,combined with Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe,this paper compares the “Little England” civilization created by the protagonist Robinson on the desert island with the American native culture,regards the relationship between them as the existing condition of “Americanization”,and then analyzes the cultural flow between Britain and America,and takes Benjamin Franklin’s political works as an example to clarify the important role of literary writing in political construction,explore the way to achieve “Americanization” from a political point of view.Benjamin Franklin’s far-reaching ethics can be described as the embodiment of the connotation of “Americanization”.In this regard,the author interprets it from the perspectives of social view,wealth view and moral view in the second chapter,which specifically involves three aspects: the public consciousness shown by Franklin in the category of community construction,the economic ethics characterized by the puritans’ emphasis on reality and the noble moral consciousness respected by Franklin in the shaping of personal identity.These concepts have played a vital role in improving the personal accomplishment of citizens,which is of great significance for reshaping the concept of public society and building the national character of the United States.In the third chapter,with the help of Habermas’ theory of public sphere,by focusing on the development of Franklin’s public utilities,to explore the connotation of his literary works to further explore his remodeling process of social concepts.In the analysis of Franklin’s works,this paper first interprets the Poor Richard Yearbook in the form of diary,which is a private writing.The work contains Franklin’s rich ideas intended to convey to the public,showing supreme publicity.In addition,Franklin’s “moral self-improvement plan” proposed in his Autobiography has a profound impact on individuals and society.Through social undertakings and literary works,he pointed out the specific strategies for the implementation of“Americanization” and promoted the process of “Americanization”.The last chapter of the thesis takes Franklin as a typical and sample of“Americanization” analyzes his exemplary role in the growth process of the young generation in the United States,and further interprets the proliferation and complementarity of culture through the initial source of “Americanization” national culture and its own development,so as to outline the whole picture of Franklin’s construction process of “Americanization” by means of writing,and deeply understand his enlightenment to later generations and the benefits of literary development.By exploring the construction of “Americanization” in Benjamin Franklin’s writing,this paper grasps the origin and development of American culture in detail,and clarifies the important role of this “father of all Yankees” in shaping American national culture and national character.Its influence on American social development and civic concept permeates all aspects of public life.