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The great impact of the World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World Fair, was shown in The Devil in the White City. Although the main plot of the novel concerns H.H. Holmes, an infamous serial killer who completed his work during the time of the fair, the bright culture and growing importance of knowledge during the 1890s were illustrated. The Chicago World Fair showed the development of culture and infrastructure in the Untied States through unification, shifting ideas, and competition; one specific area that evolved was architecture, which was displayed through the buildings and inventions.
During the World’s Columbian Exposition, millions of Americans came to enjoy and marvel at the different offered inventions and attractions.
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Influential women spoke at the fair, so people realized that women could be intelligent and useful, similar to men. Some women included “women’s rights icon Susan B. Anthony, labor rights reformer Florence Kelley, and abolitionist Julia Ward Howe”. (Novak 2013) The unification of America during this time period, which was around 1893, became increasingly important due to Panic of 1893. The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression that was triggered by failing businesses and banks. (Di Cola, Stone 8-11) The Columbian Exposition became a way for families to take their minds off of lack of money. Another large impact of the world fair was the introduction of many inventions. The fair blurred the lines between academia and entertainment by creating enjoyable and fascinating inventions. (McNamara 2004) Water came to have a more important role in technology. Wolski wrote, “In some cases, electricity was incorporated into water displays to create a stunning spectacle”. (Wolski 2009) Perspective also changed. Chicago became a more important city through the World’s Exposition. Citizens of the United States did not originally expect Chicago to get the opportunity. They expected New York City or Washington D.C. because …show more content…
The fair had great expectations to rise to the same influence as the Paris Exposition. A main goal of architects and those participating in the fair was to surpass the Eiffel Tower’s prominence from the Paris Exposition. (Di Cola, Stone 8-11) Instead of trying to make every aspect of the fair great, many of the architects focused on making things that could compete with the Europeans’ inventions and architecture. For example, the director of the fair’s architecture, Daniel Burnham, “desired that Chicago would have a waterfront that would rival European cities…” (Wolski 2009) Americans have always competed with Europe. Although there were many activities, the head attraction was the Ferris wheel. Although the Ferris wheel was not an invention that improved everyday life, it brought happiness to some and entertained others. It also puzzled some, but peoples’ emotions exhibited the profound effect of the new inventions. The Ferris wheel was a product of the changing culture. The Columbian Exposition showed America that technology did not only need to be for practical uses. Skyscrapers were the “Eiffel Tower” of the Chicago Exposition. They showed the groundbreaking technology of America and the great metalworking of Chicago. As shown in The Devil in the White City, H.H. Holmes’ built a hotel that he used as his torture chamber for his victims. The hotel does not exist anymore, but its
In the late 1800’s America began to take on its own individual identity as a country. The Chicago World's Fair was a great influence for that notion. In Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City he tells a duel nonfictional storyline of one of the fair’s architects and a serial killer living just outside the fair. By using imagery, juxtaposition, and syntax Larson is able to enchant the reader and make the novel read like a fiction.
...ut jobs for the people who created poverty because of the dearth of money. Many stressed and worried for their family’s well being resorted to violence to find ends meet. After the fair everything went back to its normal form the Black City which many did not know existed, too many Chicago will always be the White City created by the World’s Columbian Exposition. In The Devil in the White City, by Erick Larson the protagonist Holmes was shown as a new definition of evil. The twins were very different one became what nobody expected; he was going to become a mass murderer. He was known for being gentle and charming and he was the complete opposite being ironic because it’s not expected. The twin shows that ambition could make one or break one and everything is not what it seems. At the end both had different ambitions which led the two to different and separate paths.
At this time the United States was constructing massive amounts of railroad track that eventually grew to connect the entire country. The World’s Fair acted as a jumping off point for the creation of the railroad in some respects. For example, the powerful 999 steam train was presented at the World’s Fair. This train made fast train travel more accessible and ushered in the age of the locomotive. The quadricycle was another important invention that was present at the fair. The quadricycle was an extremely early iteration of an automobile. The quadricycle itself was not necessarily a huge step in history, but it was seen by the man who would go on to create the greatest advancement in automobile technology 20 years after the fair, Henry Ford. Henry Ford, of Ford Automobile fame, was inspired to create his revolutionary automobile design by the quadricycle. The quadricycle gave Ford an idea that changed the world, without the quadricycle Ford may not have gone into the auto industry and produced the first widely used automobiles. The quadricycle is indirectly responsible for one of the single most important inventions ever, the world would have been very different had the quadricycle not existed. The World’s Fair acted as a breeding ground for new ideas and inventions that went
All of these strategies combined make the reader imagine and want to see all of the amazing qualities Chicago has. Larson’s use of these writing strategies creates an image of the fair and the small but extravagant parts to make it the dreamlike qualities in The Devil in the White
As we all know from the memorable song, in 1492 Columbus sailed to find the New World, commonly known as the Americas. Many idolize Columbus for his accomplishment in colonizing the Americas and starting the Columbian Exchange. The Columbian Exchange is the sharing of plants, animals, diseases, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Western and Eastern Hemispheres as a direct result of Columbus’ arrival to the Americas. However, we often oversee the downfalls of the Columbian Exchange. Some consequences of the exchange are the spread of disease to the Native people and settlers, the destruction of the Native population, and the disappearance of the Natives custom’s, beliefs, and way of life.
A good author writes with a specific purpose. Many of them are very opinionated and controversial, calling out certain groups of people, or presenting readers with seemingly outlandish ideas. George Orwell says that he writes “to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other people’s idea of the kind of society that they should strive after.” His purpose is to persuade his readers to better themselves as well as society based on what he deems the correct approach. Erik Larson wrote “The Devil in the White City” to shine light on the infamous Gilded Age of America and the stark contrast, yet inevitable relatedness, of pride and evil. The book follows the story or architect Daniel Burnham as he works on the World’s Columbian Exposition,
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson tells the story of Daniel Burnham’s World Fair and H.H. Holmes’ murder spree. The tale focuses much on the conflict between good and evil, light and dark. However, the book also goes deeper, utilizing contrast to demonstrate the greed, exclusiveness, and exploitation ever present in the Gilded Age of America.
Heaps of civilians wanted to work for the world fair so they came to Chicago. However, there was an abundance of people present and the fair only took a portion of them. At the end of October, the Chicago World Fair ended and the country was in a substantial economic crisis. The working class and even a large number of companies filed for bankruptcy. The social classes were forced to think about their families and forget about the fair. Citizens around the country hoped that the economy would rise up with the fair’s success. However, all of the money that America earned did not stipulate the economy. The thousands of people who had jobs at the fair were now unemployed. The vast amount of people who came to Chicago thinking they would obtain a job since the fair began were now unemployed. For example, look at the Pullman’s Railroad Company and what they did to the workers. They made the apartment's rent 25% higher than the city and cut back 25% on wages (VandeCreek). The reason why the wage cuts and apartment raise occurred was that unemployment was so high that the workers knew they could not fight back. The Chicago fair truly changed history as it was chronologically right next to the Panic of 1893. Luckily, the economy started rising to shape the twentieth century. "Late in the 19th century American manufacturing started to migrate from the eastern seaboard to the burgeoning Midwest in search of cheaper labor, more raw materials, and cheaper power"(Lowery). All of the inventions may not have helped early on, but towards the end of the 19th century, it truly did. All in all, the fair caused an economic distress as shown by the Panic of 1893 however, it helped towards the end bringing a stable economy into the twentieth
Daniel Burnham was a successful architect that built, with the help of others, the great Chicago world's fair of 1893, also known as the World's Columbian Exposition. Holmes, on the other hand, sought out his fame by becoming one of the world's first serial killers,
A world’s fair in Lewisburg is a wonderful idea! Lewisburg is large enough to host the state fair, and I believe it is, in fact, large enough to host the world fair. There are several hundred open acres to house vendors of all sorts and the parking area is already available. This town has already been recognized as the smallest little town in WV. In short, Lewisburg has Come on, come all to the first ever West Virginia World’s Fair. It has a nice ring to it don’t you think? This year several towns are being considered for the spot of host for the World’s Fair. It is my belief Lewisburg, WV should be this year’s host of the fair due to the fact that Lewisburg has much to offer. Lewisburg is a location close to the airports, home of the state fairgrounds, and was voted coolest little town in West
The Chicago World Fair brought about through the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in America has posed significant value and worth to the city of Chicago. Over a six-month period, more than 26 million visitors from all over the world would flock to the fairgrounds to experience the rebuilt and vibrant city of Chicago. The 600-acre fairground would have housed 200 buildings that showcased new food, art, technology, and entertainment. Chicago became known as the White City, a place of freedom, grandeur, and security. But unbeknownst to fairgoers, there was a serial killer among them. While Dr. H.H. Holmes lured his innocent victims to his “Castle”, just blocks away architect Daniel Burnham built up the dream city of Chicago. Both these men operated at the same time in history, simply blocks apart, both creating legacies that carry to this day. Burnham and Holmes are two side of the coin of human nature. In “The Devil in White City” Erik Larson’s juxtaposition of Burnham and Holmes, and the Black City and the White City, contributes to the understanding of human nature, that one cannot be good without having done evil, and that good and evil are viewed as complementary in their mutual dependence.
Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America. New York: Crown, 2003. Print.
In August of 2011, a stage at the Indiana State Fair collapsed during a storm that produced high winds and rain (Crandall, Parnell & Spillan, 2014). As the storm descended upon the fair, the crowd which was gathered to watch the band Sugarland, was horrified when the stage suddenly collapsed. The roof and beams fell, crushing several people toward the front (Crandall, et al., 2014). Ultimately, this event claimed seven lives.
go on them to get started off because if you started on a scary one it
The Columbian Exposition became one of the largest fairs and exposition in the United States. Competing against the expositions recently held in France and Lon...