Benjamin Franklin
Ben Franklin, or Richard Saunders, was born on January 17th 1706 in Boston, Massachusetts. He is most known for being one of the Founding Fathers and signing the Declaration of Independence in representation of the United States. Besides that, he also made a big contribution to science regarding electricity and was a well-known writer.

Franklin learned how to read very early on and then discovered his love for writing at a young age. Starting in 1721 his brother James Franklin founded the “New-England Courant”, a weekly newspaper, which Benjamin contributed to in the form of 14 essays. During his early life, he worked in many different institutions such as in a printing store. Regarding his political career, Franklin became clerk of the Pennsylvania legislature in 1736 and postmaster in 1737. At the age of 42, in 1748, he became a gentleman and worked as a partner in the printing firm of Franklin and Hall. In general, he chose a more peaceful life and started engaging in “Philosophical Studies and Amusements”. Franklin started to experience electricity and in 1751 he published an 86-page book named “Experiments and Observations on Electricity”. In the years following he was greatly involved in political issues and on August 2nd 1776 he is part of signing the Declaration of Independence. On the 4th of July, the Declaration was officially approved by the Continental Congress, which is why today the 4th of July is celebrated in the U.S. and in other countries with a connection to this day. Benjamin Franklin died on April 17th 1790 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Summary
The Ephemera: An Emblem of Human Life is about a person listening to the conversations of the little ephemera around him. He explains that he can understand all ”inferior animal tongues”. Two ephemera are talking about musicians and the person listening is fascinated by them having no complaints and that speaking about music is the only worry on their mind. The person then saw an older animal sitting by itself and he listened again. It talks about the inevitable end of his life and that there has to be a beginning connected to it. He says that he has lived for 7 hours and has seen generations of friends and family pass him by. His work of “amassing honey-dew” is left behind for others to enjoy, since he will die soon and won’t profit from it. The ephemera is also leaving behind his philosophical studies and is asking himself what the fame will do for him when he won’t exist anymore.

For the original story, click here! https://americanliterature.com/author/benjamin-franklin/letter/the-ephemera-an-emblem-of-human-life/

The old Ephemera is a direct representation of Franklin himself and he uses the animal’s speech as a way to vent about his views on life and the world. The fly has been living for seven hours, and at that time Franklin was between 70 and 80 years old. Just like the fly, Franklin also leaves behind his life’s work for others to enjoy. He signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and died only 14 years later in 1790, which means he only got to enjoy independence for a short 14 years. Franklin strongly highlights his achievements through the speech of the ephemera since he was often a victim of critics for being a bad father and for the other mistakes that he made during his life.

Benjamin Franklin lived an interesting life and made many contributions to the world that we know today. There is still a lot to discover about him and I recommend continuing your research!