A Lady in a Machine-Shop Essay -- Susan Bivin Aller

In "A Lady in a Machine-Shop," Susan Bivin Aller uses creativity, determination, and confidence to demonstrate how they led Margaret Knight to succession as an inventor. Knight and her family moved to Manchester, New Hampshire when she was at a young age. At the age of twelve, Knight witnessed a mill worker injured by a steel-tipped shuttle. This motivated her to create a safety mechanism, her first invention, to prevent any further injuries in cotton mills. Knight's mind was built with creativeness and that helped her succeed. As Knight grew up with her brothers, she invented "sleds, kites, and other playthings that?were the envy of all the boys in town." Knight often had a smile on her face when making new items for her brothers. She enjoyed inventing and helping others in need. "Because she didn't play with dolls," like other girls did, Knight's mind developed independently and creatively. She was the type of person that had her own thoughts and feelings. When Knight worked at the Columbia Paper Bag Company, she wanted to improve how the machines made the bags. The bags were si...