Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Oct 1981

Franklin's Autobiography — Important Lessons in Tone, Syntax, and Persona

Elizabeth Tebeaux Texas A&M University

Abstract

Having students read selected portions of Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography provides unique and effective material for supplementing instruction in style and control of tone. Franklin's writing exemplifies the major style characteristics taught in technical writing: active voice, conciseness, common words, concrete language, sentences structured by clauses rather than phrases. The work clearly shows that good “technical” style is not an isolated type of writing, but a powerful means of controlling tone and meaning. Students can be shown that by skillfully using syntax and diction and by carefully selecting content, Franklin shrewdly and effectively achieved his goal in writing the Autobiography — a precisely drawn image of himself for posterity.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
1981-10-01
DOI
10.2190/f2gw-hdjy-lyfb-l3pe
CompPile
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Open Access
Closed
Topics
technical communication grammar and mechanics
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Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

  1. Malone et al. (2018)
    “To Promote That Demand”: Toward a History of the Marketing White Paper as a Genre
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  2. HAGGE (1995)
    Early Engineering Writing Textbooks and the Anthropological Complexity of Disci…
    Written Communication
  3. RIVERS (1994)
    Studies in the History of Business and Technical Writing: A Bibliographical Essay
    Journal of Business and Technical Communication
  4. Brockmann (1983)
    Bibliography of Articles on the History of Technical Writing
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication

References (16) · 3 in this index

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    Essays on American Literature in Honor of Jay B. Hubbell
  2. Sayre R., The Examined Self, Princeton, pp. 3–43, 1964.
  3. 10.2307/3031649
     ↗
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  5. Griffith J. (1971)
    Criticism
Show all 16 →
  1. Dawson H. J. (1977)
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  2. Labaree L. W. (1964)
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  5. 10.2307/375963
     ↗
  6. Achieving the Essential Goals of Technical Writing: Role Playing Won't Do It!, ABCA Bulletin, 41, September 1978.
     ↗
  7. Business and Technical Writing — Meeting Today's Needs and Tomorrow's Challenge, Journal of Tau Alpha Pi, 3, 1979.
  8. Schlesinger (1979)
    What is Multimedia?
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
  9. (1980)
    Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
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CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network → Build reading path →

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