18-Lineman’s Death
Nov 24th–read Empires of Light, pp. 198-204 (the PR struggle over the electrocution of a Western Union lineman in The Horrible Experiment). Then begin your own letter to one of the New York papers on the Western Union lineman case and the safety of AC and DC. After you have posted a preliminary draft In class, comment on the arguments of at least two of your fellow students.
Dec 1st–review Empires of Light, pp. 198-204 (the PR struggle over the electrocution of a Western Union lineman in The Horrible Experiment). Also read the pieces by Edison and Westinghouse from the North American Review listed below. Choose sides and write your letter supporting either Westinghouse or Edison. Or, if you wish, you can pretend to be either Westinghouse or Edison and write a follow up piece for The North American Review or supporting letter to another paper or journal. One final option is to imagine that you are an “objective” observer or regulator trying to sort through both Edison and Westinghouse’s positions and come up with a judgment on the case. Whatever approach you take, use the exchange as a model. Remember that you are writing for a general audience, not just other engineers, and so will need to explain the technical issues you cover. You should discuss the advantages and dangers of Alternating and Direct Current as well as the events that provoked the exchange (Jonnes 198-204). You may decide to be more informal, personal or contemporary in your writing than either Westinghouse or Edison but whatever style you use, take a position on the specific issues that came up in the debate. Also remember to check your own name and lineman’s death so you get credit for the assignment. By the end of class on Dec 1st, you should have incorported material from Jonnes and the North American Review in your letter and listed further citations you will use in your revision of the letter. Use the MLA citation format and try and integrate quotes and paraphrases from the material into the style of your letter.
To review the schedule leading up to the final, you should post an initial draft of your letter to the blog before class on Nov 24th after you have read Jonnes account (198-204) and the Edison and Westinghouse letters. In class, you will critique each other’s postings, using the comment feature of WordPress. You will then have time to revise your blog posting in class on Dec 1st, taking into account comments and responses left by your fellow students and your reading of the Edison-Westinghouse exchange. The final, typed version of the piece is due in my box (Enterprise 345) anytime between Dec 10th and 15th, as indicated on the syllabus. The citations and URL for the two pieces are as follows:
Thomas Edison, The Dangers of Electric Lighting
North American Review Volume 149, Issue 396
November 1889 pp. 625-635
http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABQ7578-0149-75
George Westinghouse, Jr., A Reply to Mr. Edison
North American Review Volume 149, Issue 397
December 1889 pp. 653-665
http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/moa-cgi?notisid=ABQ7578-0149-80
Do not use the Leave a Reply box below but New Post at the top of the page. Check your name (under people) and lineman’s death (under assignments).
