He Snatched Lightning from the Sky and the Scepter from Tyrants: Benjamin Franklin, the Kite Experiment, and Purpose

How did Benjamin Franklin's purpose help him achieve great discoveries in science?

Walk-In-The-Shoes Questions
As you read, imagine you are the protagonist.

• What challenges are you facing?
• What fears or concerns might you have?
• What may prevent you from acting in the way you ought?

Observation Questions

• Other than a Founding Father, a printer, and a businessman, what did Benjamin Franklin consider himself to be?
• Why did Franklin fly a kite in a thunderstorm?
• What responsibility did Franklin feel toward his community? How did this shape his purpose in his political and scientific life?

Discussion Questions
Discuss the following questions with your students.

• What is the historical context of the narrative?
• What historical circumstances presented a challenge to the protagonist?
• How and why did the individual exhibit a moral and/or civic virtue in facing and overcoming the challenge?
• How did the exercise of the virtue benefit civil society?
• How might exercise of the virtue benefit the protagonist?
• What might the exercise of the virtue cost the protagonist?
• Would you react the same under similar circumstances? Why or why not?
• How can you act similarly in your own life? What obstacles must you overcome in order to do so?

• Students will analyze Benjamin Franklin’s drive to experiment and discover things about the world around him.
• Students will understand how they can pursue their purpose in their own lives.
• Students will apply this knowledge to discover, understand, and pursue their own purpose.