19-Final Paper
Read very carefully the electronic versions of the exchange between Edison and Westinghouse that Jill Jonnes discusses in Empires of Light (200-203). Use the URLs at the bottom of each citation below to locate and read the exchange.
You should study what Edison and Westinghouse wrote after the electrocution of the Western Union lineman John Feeks (Jonnes 19) before you choose sides and write a 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. In either case, you can 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 any 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.
You should post an initial draft of your letter to the blog before class on Nov 24th after reviewing Jonnes account (198-204). 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, taking into account comments and responses left by your fellow students.
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. I would also like you to send me an electronic copy of the final letter for my files. 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
