The Luddites were a group of people during the industrial revolution who highly opposed the way new technology was being used. Most of them were lower level workers and they fought for better pay of the lower class and destroyed different machines in protest of the machineries misuse and to send a message to the higher ups that they had issues that needed to be addressed. They disapproved of the use of certain machinery because they thought it helped contribute to the highly industrialized world they lived in, and also the increase in poverty amongst the lower class due to the Lowell mills and other enterprises narrowing the opportunities of the people that worked there. What follows is a fictional recreation of a letter that would be sent by a factory girl during the industrial revolution who was opposed to the Luddites.
Dear Colin,
My deepest apologies but I’m afraid I can’t be home for Christmas this year, something terrible has happened at the mill. I was just getting ready to attend to my 2nd shift when I heard that a group of hooligans barged in and left the machines for scrap. Now I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Luddite movement but what I’ve heard is they’re poor folk that are opposed to new machinery and the like and think that its the sole contributor to all their poverty, and woes. Now I understand why they’re so frustrated at all the higher ups and blame them for their pitiful sorrows but that doesn't mean they have the right to break into a respected established, demolish all of its contents, and ruin my good day! But I’d think you’d probably side with these “Luddites” you having gone through so much hardship in the past few years, going from job to job, city to city, having a quarter less of your index finger than you had previous to the madness of it all. But I’ve been here 7 years, in the same place with my nose to the grindstone working in pretty decent conditions and decent enough pay, I don’t know what they’re talking about! And I certainly don’t know why they had to make me late to see you all. I mean sure I hate this confounded contraptions too, and sometimes I’d like to put a hammer to those beasts as well, but what you want to do and what you should do are two things that shouldn’t even be in relation to each other, little lone acted upon simultaneously without caution or reasoning. Of course it still makes me sad to think of Mother and Father and Emily cold and destitute, and I wish I could be their to take care of them, I really do, and It is in some way due to technology that our families were put in this dreadful position. But at the same time if it wasn’t for all this new technology we’d be all be farming for a living, doing the same amount of work for a lot less pay, in the blazing heat and chilling cold instead of warm boarding houses, so I’m grateful. I wish these Luddites could see that what they’re doing isn’t helping any, what are they even looking to accomplish with all this vandalism? All it does is make them look like common thugs, rebels and renegades, not people looking for a good change in the world. But what can I do about it? I’m just a penniless mill girl, no one will listen to what I have to say anyhow, I’ll just try to get home as fast as I can then go back to the mill when it’s rebuilt, it’s what I know, and it’s all I’m good at. I do agree with these Luddites that the wage cuts aren't all that ethical, and the conditions aren't as good as they used to be I suppose, but the way I see it, it’s better than nothing.
My deepest apologies but I’m afraid I can’t be home for Christmas this year, something terrible has happened at the mill. I was just getting ready to attend to my 2nd shift when I heard that a group of hooligans barged in and left the machines for scrap. Now I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Luddite movement but what I’ve heard is they’re poor folk that are opposed to new machinery and the like and think that its the sole contributor to all their poverty, and woes. Now I understand why they’re so frustrated at all the higher ups and blame them for their pitiful sorrows but that doesn't mean they have the right to break into a respected established, demolish all of its contents, and ruin my good day! But I’d think you’d probably side with these “Luddites” you having gone through so much hardship in the past few years, going from job to job, city to city, having a quarter less of your index finger than you had previous to the madness of it all. But I’ve been here 7 years, in the same place with my nose to the grindstone working in pretty decent conditions and decent enough pay, I don’t know what they’re talking about! And I certainly don’t know why they had to make me late to see you all. I mean sure I hate this confounded contraptions too, and sometimes I’d like to put a hammer to those beasts as well, but what you want to do and what you should do are two things that shouldn’t even be in relation to each other, little lone acted upon simultaneously without caution or reasoning. Of course it still makes me sad to think of Mother and Father and Emily cold and destitute, and I wish I could be their to take care of them, I really do, and It is in some way due to technology that our families were put in this dreadful position. But at the same time if it wasn’t for all this new technology we’d be all be farming for a living, doing the same amount of work for a lot less pay, in the blazing heat and chilling cold instead of warm boarding houses, so I’m grateful. I wish these Luddites could see that what they’re doing isn’t helping any, what are they even looking to accomplish with all this vandalism? All it does is make them look like common thugs, rebels and renegades, not people looking for a good change in the world. But what can I do about it? I’m just a penniless mill girl, no one will listen to what I have to say anyhow, I’ll just try to get home as fast as I can then go back to the mill when it’s rebuilt, it’s what I know, and it’s all I’m good at. I do agree with these Luddites that the wage cuts aren't all that ethical, and the conditions aren't as good as they used to be I suppose, but the way I see it, it’s better than nothing.
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