Assignment: Read “Interview with the Luddite” (1995) and write an essay that develops a point of view you have of what is discussed in the text. Integrate ideas from one other text from the course reading material into your essay.
In the beginning of your essay, establish the context for what you will discuss in it. Think about it: The interview is from 1995, 26 years ago. In it, Kevin Kelly, the interviewer, and Kirkpatrick Sale, the interviewee, place a wager on Sale’s predictions for the year 2020. It just passed, and it goes without saying that it has been a unique year, so what do you think about the predictions and whatever else is discussed in the piece? To what exactly in 2020 would draw attention, and why would you when it comes to what is discussed in the interview? Simply, discuss the present in your analysis of this interview from the past.
Be sure to give a brief summary of the interview early in the paper so that the reader can understand the direct references you make to it as you develop your ideas. Also, be clear with your thesis. A thesis, remember, is a point of view or claim or position or stance or opinion or … there are more words that can be used synonymously, but you get the point: In a thesis statement, you are stating what you think about an issue that is raised in the interview and then using the body paragraphs in the essay to develop how you arrived at the point of view you have. You have to represent the sides in the debate fairly, but you are attempting to persuade readers to see things from your point of view, not just reporting information.
