Devil in the White City Essays - 1847 Words

Write an essay discussing the historical insights presented in Erik Larsons Devil in the White City, being sure to answer the following questions: In what ways does the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893 represent the contrasts and conflicts of the Gilded Age? What is the Fairs lasting imprint on American society culture, what new trends does it signal for the twentieth century? Although the Chicago Worlds fair of 1893 only lasted 6 months, I had an enormous impact on the city of Chicago, its people, and indeed the entire country. Up until that point in its history, the US had done nothing on the scale of the worlds fair, and was regarded as a country of barbarians and cowboys by much of the world, especially Old Europe. The fair†¦show more content†¦You also see a callous disregard for human life. But within all of this, Burnham was very progressive in his approach to his labor force. He realized that the higher the morale of his men, the faster and better they would build. You also see the introduction of the 8 hour workday, and near the end of the fair the carpenters received overtime pay and extra pay on holidays. The idea of overtime was revolutionary at the time. Within the Fairs construction you can better see the progressive labor movement that was sweeping the world at the time. The fair can be considered a turning point for American labor . The term gilded means something of little value that is covered by a precious metal, usually gold, to make it look more valuable. Mark Twain coined the term Gilded Age. It is an appropriate analogy for a time when the very rich lived in the lap of luxary, and the very poor starved to death. It was a time when the middle class we have today didnt exist in the numbers that they do today. The Fair is an appropriate analogy, both physically and metaphorically to the guilded age. Physically, the fair was designed to look magificant and permanent, and like it had been there for ages. In reality, it was constructed of a material that looked like real stone, but was really just a plaster mix that wouldnt last very long. All of the landscaping was done very quickly, in only a few months. Many of the buildings were not structurallyShow MoreRelatedDevil in the White City1839 Words   |  8 PagesTisaranni Humanities Summer Essay Erik Larson states, â€Å"The juxtaposition of pride and unfathomed evil struck [him] as offering powerful insights into the nature of men and their ambitions.† This quote relates to the premise of his book The Devil in the White City, which tells two different stories based around a central theme of the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893. One tells of the adventures and horrors that came with being the important figures behind the production of something as great as the expositionRead MoreEssay On The Devil In The White City883 Words   |  4 PagesIn 1893, Chicago had the pleasure of hosting the World’s Fair to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the New World in 1492. In the novel â€Å"The Devil In The White City†, written by Erik Larson, tells the story of two different men who had an impact on the World’s Fair. Both men impacted the reputation of the fair and of Chicago with their actions and accomplishme nts. The reputation of America was tarnished during the previous World’s Fair that was held in Paris,Read MoreThe Devil In The White City Analysis746 Words   |  3 PagesLarson’s, The Devil in the White City, recounts a defining time period for America. Larson sheds light on the ageless conflict: Good v.s. Evil, as he recounts the events that took place at the fair that changed America. With America falling behind in global dominances and its need to strive, Daniel Burnham tries to successfully construct the Chicago Worlds fair and hopes it will spark the turn of the century. As Burnham tries to builds up the White City, and while H. H. Holmes flourished in theRead MoreDevil in the White City Essay2654 Words   |  11 PagesDevil in the White City written by Erik Larson is a true story based on the building of the most important fair in the United States of America, the 1893 Columbian Exposition World’s Fair in Chicago. Erik Larson also told the story of the psych opathic murderer; H.H. Holmes used his World’s Fair Hotel as an evil castle to lure in young women who came to see the fair. The story starts off with Larson describing that Chicago won the Congressional vote to host the World’s Fair and beat out its competitionRead More Devil In The White City Essay2301 Words   |  10 PagesErik Larson’s book Devil in the White City is full of magic and madness that has shaped the society of the late 19th century that is specific to in Chicago. The issues that have been handled through this time frame that are addressed in this book is that how Chicago was known to be the black city at first, and how the city hoped that hosting the World’s fair would increase their reputation. Secondly, the magic of a man named Daniel Burnham that did put the plans of the world fair in Chicago intoRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Devil Of The White City 1851 Words   |  8 PagesThe Intrigue of Chaos Part 1: The Devil in the White City is a true crime novel that takes place during the building, during, and aftermath of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. There are 2 main narratives,the first is Daniel Burnham, one of the main architects and designers of the World s Fair. This plot line shows the extreme stress that all of the Architects experienced, as the construction was slow to start, slow to build, and was filled with shortages, deaths, and awful communication. The secondRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of The Devil In The White City764 Words   |  4 PagesDevil in the White City Rhetorical Analysis Essay How can two people be so different, yet so similar? The World’s Columbian Exposition was a major event in the 19th century. The fair was something that’s never been done before in history triumphing the famous Eiffel Tower. As spectacular as the fair was there were murders being committed without any signs of slowing down. The Devil in the White City tells a story between the architect Daniel Burnham and the infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes. ErikRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Devil Of The White City Essay1331 Words   |  6 PagesHaley Triplett Tyler Johnson World History 25 November 2016 The Devil in the White City Non-Fiction Book Report That night that the Titanic sinks, on board the Olympic on April 12, 1912, Daniel Hudson Burnham search mindfully for quite a while at his years arranging the Chicago World s Fair of 1893, held to respect the 400th commemoration of Columbus disclosure of America. In 1890, Chicago is a quickly developing city and needing to substantiate itself something particularly to the moreRead MoreThe Devil Of The White City By Erik Larson Essay1326 Words   |  6 Pages Every aspect that makes up human life molds and creates you into the person you are today. As time goes on, every experience comes together to create a person’s personality. In the novel â€Å"The Devil in The White City† by Erik Larson he develops a character full of evil motives and shows how he slowly develops into the murderous monster he becomes. Although this character in real life argued that he was born with the intent to kill, Larson’s way of writing seems to disagree. Through early signs atRead MoreThe Devil Of The White City By Erik Larson1808 Words   |  8 Pagespast. Many books and movies carry the essence of social history to give the viewers a deeper perspective of major issues. Social history is the use of personal stories that shed light on domin ant issues by building public awareness. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson helps highlight the major issue of homicide and publicizes it through personal stories by incorporating it in the story about the Chicago World’s Fair. In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s Fair during which a man named H.H. Holmes