Ben Franklin & Son

     In response to Deane's comment on my last post about Benjamin Franklin: I think that in the context he writes in about the death of his son, he is continuing his narrative of his life chronologically.  However, this event must have affected him so much that he includes it in this narrative.  He also says, "I long regretted bitterly, and still regret that I had not given it to him by inoculation" (79).  Throughout the rest of his autobiography, he often mentions the big "errors" in his life that he tried his best to correct later on.  I think this is one of those big errors that he regrets he can not fix at all, but warns other parents to inoculate their children instead of passing it up and possibly losing their children.  He says that some parents are afraid that their child will die if inoculated, but that either way their death is caused, it hurts just as much.  I think this event had a big impact on him as a parent.  He felt personally responsible for his child's death when he was trying his best not to be responsible for his death by having him inoculated.  For once in his life, no amount of studying or writing or doing good could fix a situation for him.  This was certainly enough to urge him to record the event in his autobiography.  I think that by writing this, he is trying to subtly admit that he is not perfect and was incapable of saving someone who he was supposed to protect as much as possible.  He is putting aside the pride he often conveys in his autobiography and saying for the first time, I failed both my son and myself.