Your Name _Max Bickel______________ Date _10/15/14____ Genre: _Biography________

Literary Analysis
Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

Bibliographic Information: Byrd, R. (2012). Electric Ben: The amazing life and times of Benjamin
Franklin. New York: Penguin Group.
Plot:
Does the book tell a good story? Yes the book tells the story of Benjamin Franklin. It starts at his
beginnings and progresses through everything he achieves, including helping with the constitution and
creating the first light bulb.
Is there a logical series of happenings? Yes the book progresses through the life of Benjamin Franklin
and tell about his achievements as they come up in his life. It follows a chronological timeline of his life.
Setting:
Where does the story take place? Most of the story takes place in Pennsylvania, primarily in the city of
Philadelphia.
Does the story transcend the setting and have universal implications? The story does transcend the
setting of the book. The discoveries he made affected the entire world and helped create the USA. He was
a founding father of one of the largest nations in the world.
Theme:
Does the story have a theme? The theme in this book seems to be invention and creativity. Ben
constantly tries to do things that no one else has ever tried. Even when he fails at first he doesnt give up,
he tries again until he eventually succeeds.
Does the theme overpower the story? No I do not believe that the theme overpowers the story. The
point of this book is to describe the life of Ben Franklin and his achievements and the theme is expressed
through those successes. It just reinforces the point of the book.
Characterization:
Are the characters convincing and credible? Yes the characters are credible because it is based off the
life of an actual person.
How does the author present diverse groups of people? The people in the American Colonies are
shown as being strong and independent. They want to live on their own not under the thumb of the
British. The British citizens are shown to strictly follow what they are told. They do not want to give up
the land or the people that the gained in the colonies.
Style:

Is the style of writing appropriate to the subject? Yes, it tells the story of Ben without causing much
confusion with figurative language. It is clear and concise throughout the story.
How did the author create the mood? The author created the mood in the story but not only including
his successes but also his failures. It makes you feel that you can achieve whatever u put ur mind to with
time. It also gives a very positive outlook and feeling.
Point of View:
Is the point of view that the story is told appropriate to the subject? Yes, third person is the best way
to tell a story about an individual. It allows the reader to see how a person affects no only their own life
but also the lives of all those around them.
Did the point of view limit the readers horizon or enlarge it? I believe that the point of view enlarged
the readers horizon. It allowed them to see the growing country as a whole and how Bens inventions
helped change the entire world.
Describe Characteristics of this text specific to the genre:
Theme The author focused more on the achievements that Ben had that changed history. He did not go
into detail on aspects of his life or his family. This could have been to hide negative relationships with
those close to him.
Accuracy and Authenticity The book uses many technical drawings to show some of Bens inventions.
This helps improve the authenticity of the book. Looking up some of the facts he also did a great job
being accurate with the information he presented.
Choice of Subject The topic of Benjamin Franklin and his inventions is one that will interest a great
number of people. His inventions revolutionized the world and because of that many people feel
connected to his work in some way. The fact that he was a founding father only increases the amount of
people who would show interest.
Reflections: (What are your impressions? Connections to past or future plans? Insights?, etc.)

Benjamin Franklin was an inventor that I have been interested in ever since I was a child. His
quote that I only found 999 ways not to build a light bulb, was stuck in my head ever since I
first heard it and helped shape my outlook on life. This book did an excellent job in my opinion
of presenting his accomplishments in a way that is pleasing to the reader. This book could be
especially helpful in the classroom when trying to teach students about electricity and electrical
energy. We actually read a book quite similar to this in my CTs classroom during my interning.