Analysis Of Devil In The White City By Erik Larson

Chicago could emerge as a powerhouse over other populated cities in the United States and the United States could emerge as an evolving supreme nation over all others. The an unthinkably short deadline to meet, the success and the beauty Burnham was able to capture is truly miraculous. His’s intentions for the fair were pure; he truly desired Chicago to be molded into the “white city” and many would say he achieved his goal. On the opposite end of the spectrum, but a few blocks away from the exposition, Holmes also saw potential. Holmes was already a criminal, but his bloodthirsty desire grew when the opportunity arrived to prey on the people swarming to Chicago because of the opportunities and the exposition.

He describes the removal of a body from the fairgrounds and writes, "few noticed, and those who did assumed it was just another accident" (Larson 109). This foreshadows the murders that will occur later in the book, implying that the magnificence of the fair has blinded people to the dangers lurking beneath the surface. It also symbolizes the inability of the people of Chicagos to notice the crimes and corruption that happen around them. Larson describes the construction of the Ferris Wheel, noting that "few could have imagined the true significance of what they were building" (Larson 175). This foreshadows the fair's disastrous consequences, particularly the murder spree of serial killer H.H. Holmes.

Drummond and Cates can only hope this happens in the town of Hillsboro after this big trail has just happened. I believe seeing this the theme of man vs society throughout the book gave the audience/readers the book gave them the understanding when they express their opinion in can have a positive

I picked The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson as my one book to read this summer because the serial killer aspect of the novel really appealed to me as compelling and interesting. Larson tells two different stories in the novel that are tied together by happening in the same city of Chicago in the 1890s. It tells of Daniel Burnham and his determination to create something good and H. H. Holmes, a serial killer who practices great evil. This book has a meaningful impact on how I view life as it divulges the difference between good and evil. I have always thought I was a good person or at least I try to be.

The Devil In The White City had many plot lines that took place in Chicago around 1893 at the World's Fair. The first plot line focuses mainly on Daniel Burnham constructing the World's Fair with his partner John Root. It tells a story of struggle for the men, how they had such a hard time constructing the large Farris wheel, to having to open unfinished, then having trouble getting attendance up. Then the struggle is over for the two guys for a short amount of time. Not long after they gather up just enough money to pay off their debts, the Fair had to shut down, as the mayor of Chicago had been assassinated, honestly a more positive reputation for Chicago.

I think the connection in this book was to value family. I think this was a reminder that anything bad could happen unexpectedly to a loved one. There were several horrors that day such as four plane crashes and thousands of lives lost. Not only were there thousands of lives lost but many families had to mourn over their losses. People should live their lives to the fullest and be happy with every moment.

In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote, “reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers.” Murders of this kind cause more fear and phobias in not only rural communities, but really any community. The murder of the beloved Clutter family is more widely recognized and emits an abundant amount of fear upon citizens in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. No one thought such a terrible tragedy could transpire to them… until it happened. There have been similar small town crises throughout history that have left lasting effects on not only the town, but the nation as well.

The Chicago World’s Fair was an opportunity for the city to come together and create event so spectacular to shock the world. However, as Chicago prepared to awe people with this extravagant fair the city faced skepticism on weather or not issues of urbanization, sanitation, and crime would be fixed in time for the World’s Fair. In beginning of the novel, Larson takes the reader back to the start before Chicago wins the bid for the World’s fair to be held in Chicago. The idea of the World’s Fair in the United

The Devil in the White City Rhetorical Analysis Essay The Chicago World’s Fair, one of America’s most compelling historical events, spurred an era of innovative discoveries and life-changing inventions. The fair brought forward a bright and hopeful future for America; however, there is just as much darkness as there is light and wonder. In the non-fiction novel, The Devil in the White City, architect Daniel Burnham and serial killer H. H. Holmes are the perfect representation of the light and dark displayed in Chicago. Erik Larson uses positive and negative tone, juxtaposition, and imagery to express that despite the brightness and newfound wonder brought on by the fair, darkness lurks around the city in the form of murder, which at first, went unnoticed.

Larson also chose to include some backstory of Holmes and his life after being caught for some of his crimes and not just how he chose to kill his victims. Larson really tells the full, and true story of the Chicago world’s fair surrounding Burnham and Holmes. The most impressive part was the incredible detail that Larson included, while keeping the story nonfiction, and historically accurate. I was able to learn about the huge amount of planning for the Chicago World’s fair and what it was like for the average visitor. I also got to learn about the serial killer H. H. Holmes, and how different crime was treated back then.

Holmes, the mysterious serial killer. Burnham and Holmes have many similarities, the biggest one being their sheer determination to reach a goal or get what they want, which is used towards the manufacture of good, or the manufacture of sorrow. However their differences separate them apart, their biggest difference being their actions, as one build the World’s Fair and does this for the wellbeing of everyone, while Holmes uses his talent to kill many people, and cause commotion in Chicago and such. In conclusion, Erik Larson tries to show the underlying difference between good and evil, and how no matter what, evil is accompanied by good, and vice versa. Even the title of the book “The Devil in the White City” shows the most prominent theme of this amazing novel, by Erik

In the nonfiction novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” American author, John Berendt, gives his account of a 1981 murder case that took place in Savannah, Georgia. Even though during the 1980s, United States as a whole is heading towards prosperity as the Cold War ends in 1981, he repeatedly touches back on the undercurrent southern racism. Berendt draws a vivid picture of Southern Gothic weirdness to convey, using real life occurrences and characters, the idea of what kind of people exist in the community to readers of all places. The writer uses rhetorical devices such as description, foreshadowing, and dysphemism to successfully depict the occurrences in suspenseful yet humorous tone.

The World fair was the engineering project of its time. It brought plenty of excitement and attention to itself, but it also brought crime. The problem is, even though everything seems fine with the fair, there were bad things still happening. Stealing, cheating, and in extreme cases even murder. Chicago was in charge of building the World’s fair, but ended up hosting a murderer in its walls.

As it states in Chapter 8 “I had traveled to other parts of New, York but my world was Harlem. Mr. Myers felt as if he had seen all his obstacles in his life in Harlem through his fresh eyes. Through chapters 10-12 it talked about

This lead to the Second World declared by the United States. By Ford using this event in his writing gave the novel of feeling of reality back in that time. Another allusion in the novel was the Japanese American internment camps. It was a huge concern for the Japanese Americans during that time. When Keiko and Henry were at the club and Keiko was almost taken