Lessons from EOTO

 Overall, I was extremely impressed by my peers during EOTO and truly learned a significant amount. I chose to focus this blog on Benjamin Franklin. Obviously, I have studied him throughout my time in schooling, yet never had I been given the perspective of seeing him as a journalist. 

His accomplishments are far and wide, but it truly is remarkable the impact he left on our country with the words he wrote. His contribution to the The New England Courant stands out to me for it lays the foundation for opinion writing. Choosing to write under the pen name of “Silence Dogood”, his pseudonym represents all Franklin was trying to accomplish. Through his words and his published writing, Franklin wanted to “Do Good” in a “silent” fashion which is why he did not attribute himself directly.

    

Franklin also played a role in partisan press, which I touched on in an earlier blog, when he created a political cartoon which is still widely known today. Join or Die was a prime example that works of art can be used to sway political views within a society and create impact upon first glance.