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The Whistle

1. Benjamin Franklin wrote this letter to Madame Brillon on a Wednesday in response to two previous letters from her and in anticipation of a visit from Mr. B the following day. 2. Franklin includes a personal anecdote from his childhood where he traded all his money for a whistle, much to the dismay of his family who felt he overpaid. This early lesson stayed with Franklin. 3. Throughout the letter, Franklin uses various examples of people who "give too much for whistles", sacrificing more valuable things for superficial or fleeting pleasures. He encourages living well and being prudent with one's resources and priorities in life.

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954 views

The Whistle

1. Benjamin Franklin wrote this letter to Madame Brillon on a Wednesday in response to two previous letters from her and in anticipation of a visit from Mr. B the following day. 2. Franklin includes a personal anecdote from his childhood where he traded all his money for a whistle, much to the dismay of his family who felt he overpaid. This early lesson stayed with Franklin. 3. Throughout the letter, Franklin uses various examples of people who "give too much for whistles", sacrificing more valuable things for superficial or fleeting pleasures. He encourages living well and being prudent with one's resources and priorities in life.

Uploaded by

jaycee_evangelista
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Whistle

Benjamin Franklin (17061790)

To Madame Brillon

I RECEIVED my dear friends two letters, one for Wednesday and one for Saturday. This is again Wednesday. I do not
deserve one for to-day, because I have not answered the former. But, indolent as I am, and averse to writing, the fear of
having no more of your pleasing epistles, if I do not contribute to the correspondence, obliges me to take up my pen; and
as Mr. B. has kindly sent me word that he sets out to-morrow to see you, instead of spending this Wednesday evening, as
I have done its namesakes, in your delightful company, I sit down to spend it in thinking of you, in writing to you, and in
reading over and over again your letters.

I am charmed with your description of Paradise, and with your plan of living there; and I approve much of your
conclusion, that, in the meantime, we should draw all the good we can from this world. In my opinion we might all draw
more good from it than we do, and suffer less evil, if we would take care not to give too much for whistles. For to me it
seems that most of the unhappy people we meet with are become so by neglect of that caution.

You ask what I mean? You love stories, and will excuse my telling one of myself.

When I was a child of seven years old, my friends, on a holiday, filled my pocket with coppers. I went directly to a shop
where they sold toys for children; and being charmed with the sound of a whistle, that I met by the way in the hands of
another boy, I voluntarily offered and gave all my money for one. I then came home, and went whistling all over the house,
much pleased with my whistle, but disturbing all the family. My brothers, and sisters, and cousins, understanding the
bargain I had made, told me I had given four times as much for it as it was worth; put me in mind what good things I might
have bought with the rest of the money; and laughed at me so much for my folly, that I cried with vexation; and the
reflection gave me more chagrin than the whistle gave me pleasure.

This, however, was afterwards of use to me, the impression continuing on my mind; so that often, when I was tempted to
buy some unnecessary thing, I said to myself, Dont give too much for the whistle; and I saved my money.

As I grew up, came into the world, and observed the actions of men, I thought I met with many, very many, who gave too
much for the whistle.

When I saw one too ambitious of court favor, sacrificing his time in attendance on levees, his repose, his liberty, his
virtue, and perhaps his friends, to attain it, I have said to myself, This man gives too much for his whistle.

When I saw another fond of popularity, constantly employing himself in political bustles, neglecting his own affairs, and
ruining them by that neglect, He pays, indeed, said I, too much for his whistle.

If I knew a miser, who gave up every kind of comfortable living, all the pleasure of doing good to others, all the esteem of
his fellow-citizens, and the joys of benevolent friendship, for the sake of accumulating wealth, Poor man, said I, you pay
too much for your whistle.

When I met with a man of pleasure, sacrificing every laudable improvement of the mind, or of his fortune, to mere
corporeal sensations, and ruining his health in their pursuit, Mistaken man,said I, you are providing pain for yourself,
instead of pleasure; you give too much for your whistle.
If I see one fond of appearance, or fine clothes, fine houses, fine furniture, fine equipages, all above his fortune, for
which he contracts debts, and ends his career in a prison, Alas! say I, he has paid dear, very dear, for his whistle.

When I see a beautiful sweet-tempered girl married to an ill-natured brute of a husband,What a pity, say I, that she
should pay so much for a whistle!

In short, I conceive that great part of the miseries of mankind are brought upon them by the false estimates they have
made of the value of things, and by their giving too much for their whistles.

Yet I ought to have charity for these unhappy people, when I consider that, with all this wisdom of which I am boasting,
there are certain things in the world so tempting, for example, the apples of King John, which happily are not to be bought;
for if they were put to sale by auction, I might very easily be led to ruin myself in the purchase, and find that I had once
more given too much for the whistle.

Adieu, my dear friend, and believe me ever yours very sincerely and with unalterable affection

Guide Questions:

With your partner, find the answers to the following questions based on the letter. Use only the letter,
no outside sources. Write your answers on your own paper, using the standard heading, making sure
both yours and your partner's names appear.

1. When was this letter written?

2. What was the occasion for the writing of this letter? What influenced Franklin's decision to write it?

3. What conclusion had been reached by Madame Brillon in a previous letter to Franklin? What is his
opinion of that conclusion?

4. Why does Franklin say he includes a personal narrative/anecdote in this letter?

5. How did Franklin come to have his whistle?

6. What was Franklin's family's response to his purchase?

7. What lesson did the child Franklin learn from his experience with the whistle?

8. Choose one of Franklin's examples and explain how it demonstrates "giving too much for the
whistle."

9. Why does Franklin say he ought to be charitable towards those who are his examples?

10. For what might Franklin fall into the trap again himself? What saves him from that?

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