Maxims and Aphorisms

boy reading newspaperThere comes a time in every person's life when it becomes necessary to speak to a friend or loved one who is seeking advice, words of comfort, encouragement, or wisdom about a troubling situation. A trusted confidant should strive to listen, offer sound advice, and remain objective without accusing, placing blame, or judging the person's actions.

During the Revolutionary period, many Americans relied on and looked to Poor Richard (and at times, his wife Bridget) to be that sage they could turn to for gems of knowledge on a wide variety of personal and professional affairs.

Now that you have read many aphorisms that Benjamin Franklin published in Poor Richard's Almanack, you can apply the wisdom found in those sayings to today's world. In this assignment, select two aphorisms that you read. For each aphorism, find an article from a newspaper, magazine, or the Internet that relates to the aphorism. Then, for each article, write two paragraphs that explain the connection between the selected aphorism and events from the article.  Use the following format:

Paragraph 1: Summary of the Article

  • Retell the contents of the article in your own words; do not copy word for word from the article.
  • Be sure to address information regarding who, what, when, where, why, and how from the article where applicable.

Paragraph 2: Connection to the Aphorism

  • First, identify the aphorism by stating it word for word and explain the meaning of the aphorism.
  • Next, analyze and describe how the chosen aphorism correlates to the contents of the selected article.

In addition to your two paragraphs per article, you must also copy and paste the entire original article in the same document with your paragraphs. Regardless of the length of the article, both the article and the paragraphs must appear in the same document. Remember that grammar, punctuation, spelling, and neatness are all important components of this assignment.

You will need to use resources outside of this course to complete this assignment, so please submit a Works Cited document with your assignment submission. If you need assistance, visit the Developmental Module for information on citing any resources that you used.

Before you begin, review the Aphorisms Analysis Checklist to make sure that you include all of the items required for full credit.

assignment iconOnce you have completed the assignment, please submit your work with the Works Cited document to the dropbox.