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Workgroup Intro Ned Ludd comes from Sherwood forest, like Robin Hood. The riots (= émeutes ) started around Nottinghamshire [ Notingemshe ]. In the 19th century, there were economic difficulties because of the Napoleonic Wars. The Luddite movement lasted for 5 years : they not only ( non seulement ) broke into factories ( to break into = entrer par effraction ) and attacked the machines, but also ( mais aussi ) employers and soldiers. The British government tried to find a compromise, but it didn't work out, so they punished Luddites: 17 were executed thousands of troops were deployed Luddites were protected by local communities because they had the public opinion with them. Luddites were very effective, because they kept fighting, and they could regroup many people.  

Today we finished studying last time's text. Here's what we found out. According to Thomas Pynchon, there were two main reasons for the Luddites' revolt: 1. The machines were owned by just a few people, they were rich. Each machine was a "concentration of capital." 2. Each machine would replace many workers, "many human souls." People in 1812 had a "love/hate" relationship with these knitting machines: on the one hand , they made clothes cheaper than ever, and they represented technical progress (Good points), but on the other hand , they caused social problems and unemployment (negative points). It's the same with us today, all machines have a price to pay (be it (que ce soit) social, environmental or economical), and the Luddites of today are afraid of losing their jobs to future machines. A very famous English poet and politician, Lord Byron, was against a law in Parliament that projected to punish machine breaki...

"The Blood of Luddites" This article from the New York Time is entitled: Is It OK To Be A Luddite..., and was written by Thomas Pynchon. Here are a few things we understood after scanning the document. The Luddites was a group that flourished in England from 1812 to 1816, it was an organized  anonymous  mass of people,  who were considered as counter-revolutionaries . As we already know, they became synonymous with the destruction of machines. According to the Oxford dictionary, the name Luddite comes from a Ned Lud, who is said to have inspired the movement. His story tells that when he saw machines, he destroyed them. The article also says that they swore allegiance not to the British King, but to this King Lud. The second paragraph is about the origin of the Luddite movement. In the last paragraph, the author mentions Lord Byron, who was a politician who defended the Luddites. Vocab Mostly Whether although to swear allegiance hosiery...