The Chicago murder rate has risen rapidly since 2013. The murder rate peaked in 2001 with 23.0 per 100,000 residents and has more than tripled New York City’s rate of 7.0 per 100,000 residents (“Crime Rate in Chicago, Illinois”) while in 2015, the murder rate was 17.5 per 100,000 residents (“Crime Rate in Chicago, Illinois”). Seeing that the Midwest is the second highest region for violence crimes in the United States, it’s clear where Thomas Harris, the author of the Hannibal series, found his inspiration for the primary antagonist, Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb, in his psychological thriller The Silence of the Lambs. Thomas Harris crafted his bone-chilling antagonist, Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb in his iconic novel, The Silence of the Lambs, on Henry …show more content…
In a like manner, Buffalo Bill would call his victims ‘it’, showing how he also didn’t see his victims as people, but rather something he had the right to dismantle.Some killers used dehumanization to keep their morals balanced, yet Holmes and Buffalo Bill felt no remorse towards these women; Dehumanizing, to these killers, drove power into their minds, yet they each developed this objectification in different ways. Though Holmes believed that he was “born with the devil in [him],” (109) and that he “could not help the fact that [he] was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing,” (109) which explained is reasoning for degrading, Buffalo Bill “wasn’t born a criminal [...] He was made one through years of systematic abuse,” (Talley). Buffalo Bill had a poor relationship with his mother, a drunk prostitute that gave him up for adoption at the age of two. This relationship to his mother actually was inspired by the South Dakota-born “Lust Killer”, Jerome “Jerry” Brudos, who also inspired Buffalo Bill’s transsexuality. Brudos’ rejection from his own mother who wanted him to be her daughter (Bovsun) and Buffalo Bill’s rejection for transsexual surgery from John Hopkins, University of Minnesota, and Columbus Medical Center fueled their need to change themselves into what their insecure minds want them to be: women. The …show more content…
Holmes’ castle hosted “a wooden chute that would descend from a secret location on the second floor all the way to the basement, a walk-in vault with airtight seams and asbestos-coated iron walls; a gas jet embedded in one wall that could be controlled from his closet; large basement with hidden chambers and a basement for the permanent storage of sensitive material,” (Larson 66-67). The castle was constructed as a maze, used to confuse any guest that walked through the halls. Similarly, Buffalo Bill’s basement was designed as a maze which contained a large pit to cage his victims in. The layout was twisted enough that it cause Clarice Starling, the detective on the case, to struggle through the tight halls while Buffalo Bill could easily stalk her. Another inspiration for the dungeon was shadowed Edward Gein’s Wisconsin slaughterhouse. In Gein’s basement, he “butchered the [bodies he would dig up or kill himself] with care, keeping several heads, sex organs, livers, hearts and intestines, before discarding human parts that held no interest for him [...] [and] employed noses, lips and labia to fashion mobiles he positioned about the kitchen and even used human skin to fashion lampshades, waste cans and coverlets for chairs,” (Biography.com Editors). He, like Holmes, would experiment with the corpses, but he also practiced taxidermy and indulged
When horrific crimes occur in large cities, many of them can be chalked up to gang violence or to the larger population of that specific city. But when horrific crimes happen in small cities like Lincoln, Nebraska, people begin to ask questions like who did this and why. In 1958, a nineteen year old man named Charles Starkweather put the entire state of Nebraska and possibly the entire nation in a state of terror. With his murder spree taking only three days, Starkweather had collected a body count of ten bodies, including two teenagers and a young child. Understanding Starkweather’s past and state of mind begins to answer the second question of why.
GCSE English Coursework – Wide Reading Assignment - Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl, and The Speckled Band In this wide reading assignment I have been looking at two stories, 'Lamb to the Slaughter' by Roald Dahl, and 'The Speckled Band' by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle. Both these stories are classed as murder mysteries, and I am intending to investigate and compare the motives of the killers in both stories. 'The Speckled Band' is written in first person from the viewpoint of Dr. Watson.
Throughout all of American history there have been those who are well known for committing what are classified as deviant or criminal acts. Most of those who are well known by the public for their actions have committed deeds seen as extremely controversial such as being cult leaders, gang or mafia members, terrorists, rapists, or killers. The lists of members for each topic is numerous, however, there are a certain few that are more prominent than others. One criminal that stands out when speaking of killers in particular is Gary Ridgway, or as he is better known, the Green River Killer. Gary Ridgway is the nation’s most abundant serial killer, with the highest murder rate in America’s history (Gibson).
Directed by John Ford and based off of John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1940) stars Henry Fonda as Tom Joad who migrates to California with his family during the Great Depression.
Because the term “serial killer” was not coined until the early 1970s (Gustainis), Perry would not actually have the title; he would, however, have followed patterns typical of what the world knows as a serial killer today. While often confused with other types of murders, serial killers are very unique in that they will target many unfamiliar, yet often similar, victims over a period of time (Mulick). In Capote’s novel, Perry had never met the Clutters; they were strangers, hapless victims of his vicious crime (Capote 283). Furthermore, the stereotype of male serial killers, which Perry would fall into, is actually generally accurate, as only 14% of all serial killers are female (Crime and Punishment). Not only was Perry Smith a male who massacred a family of total strangers, but he also had obvious signs of mental illness (Capote 366), a common characteristic of even the best serial killers (Forensic Science 563). Perry had the potential to become a prolific serial killer; the only thing standing between him an...
Mass Murderers and Serial Killers are nothing new to today’s society. These vicious killers are all violent, brutal monsters and have an abnormal urge to kill. What gives people these urges to kill? What motivates them to keep killing? Do these killers get satisfaction from killing? Is there a difference between mass murderers and serial killers or are they the same. How do they choose their victims and what are some of their characteristics? These questions and many more are reasons why I was eager to write my paper on mass murderers and serial killers. However, the most interesting and sought after questions are the ones that have always been controversial. One example is; what goes on inside the mind of a killer? In this paper I will try to develop a better understanding of these driven killers and their motives.
Beasley, James. 2004. “Serial Murder in America: Case Studies of Seven Offenders.” Behavioral Sciences and the Law 22: 395-414
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.
A notorious murderer or serial killer is the typical next door neighbor one would hardly associate with a serious crime: an educated psychopath with little regard for life. Most of them commit murder for some misplaced psychological benefits. Their actions border on insanity as some commit theft by stealing their victims’ belongings and commiting rapes, an indication of a need for financial gain or a craving for distorted sexual desires. It is disheartening that people always associate the city of Chicago with crime, ranging from the prohibition-period gangsters to modern-day criminals; however, it is understandable because these crimes have a history going back several decades, and most received wide media coverage and documentation. Their names and pseudonyms are imbeded in the collective minds of the people. In all cases, these serial killings claim national attention and elicit heated debate, but this infamy sometimes fascinates the public to the extend that it sparks an initial interest in potential criminals. An examination into the characteristics of serial killers who were active in the Chicago area reveals they have varied motivations for their crimes but the overriding factors tend to include financial gains, sexual perversion, racial hatreds, and infamy. Chicago’s infamous reputation as a lawless and corruption riddled city stems from the motives for crimes committed by particular individuals in the Chicago area and the media attention these cases gained.
Ramsland, Katherine M. The mind of a murderer: privileged access to the demons that drive extreme violence. Santa Barbara, California: Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data, 2011.
Each of a serial killer’s killings temporary gratifies whatever provokes the killer’s actions, and each subsequent killing terminates a separate sequence of behaviors. They are all motivated to for different reasons; some kill to gain or exert power over the victims, entertainment or mission. Some kill because they believe they have the responsibility to they society to do so (Julietta Leung N.D.) Frequently, homosexuals, prostitutes, and the homeless are viewed by serial killers because they might believe they are devalued in society or they view as being beneath humanity. They believe those kind of p...
Serial killers are everywhere! Well, perhaps not in our neighborhood, but on our television screens, at the movie theaters, and in rows and rows of books at our local Borders or Barnes and Nobles Booksellers” (Brown). When people think of serial killers, names such as Dahmer, Gacy, Bundy, and Gein are cited. During the time Jack the Ripper was executing his victims in London, Holmes began his gruesome career in Chicago (America’s Serial Killers). “Despite being America’s first serial killer, Holmes is hardly a familiar name and until now we haven’t had any popular visual record of his crimes: (Spikol). Why is it that people only think of the more popular killers with higher known profiles? They are all very similar to one another because they share characteristics. H.H. Holmes was a successful serial killer because he was well educated, cunning and charming. Those are just a few traits Holmes ...
Serial killers have captivated the attention of scientists from the first signs of their existence to modern day. Interested by these killers’ inhumane actions, researchers set out to determine the cause of such graphic, horrific crimes. The brain has been brought into question regarding the motivation of these cold blooded killers. After extensive research, abnormalities of both the chemical composition and material makeup have been identified within the brains of numerous serial killers. These differences are more than mere coincidence, they are evidence that killers do not think in the same way. The killers’ drives and motives are irregular, just as their brains are. Not only are these variations interesting, but they are also crucial to the justice system in regards to the punishment of past, future, and present sequential murderers. It is important that as a society we learn the differences in the mind of a killer, and also recognize and understand them. A serial killer’s brain greatly differs in function from the average citizen’s brain due to physical variations in the brain and a different chemical makeup.
Film Analysis - The Notebook Introduction The film is portrayed in the past and present scenario setting. It is based on a young couple’s love and passion for one another, but are unexpectedly separated due to the disapproval of the teen girl parents and the social differences in their life. At the start of the movie, it displays a nursing home style setting with an elderly man named Duke (James Garner), reading to an elderly woman named Mrs. Hamilton (Gena Rowlands), whose memory is inevitably deteriorating. The story he reads to her is a love story about two teenagers named Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling), that met in the 1940’s at a carnival in Seabrook Island, South Carolina.
Love is a word that’s been both miss-used and over-used all at once. Romantic movies change our definition of and have a big impact on this definition greatly. There have been many movies and novels made over love, but never like this. “The Notebook” is a love story about unconditional love that two people have for each other. This emotionally, heart touching story will have your eyes blood-shot and burning from you not wanting to blink your eyes. This tremendously wonderful love story will have you not wanting to even miss a millisecond of this heart throbbing film. With many plot twists and many scenes that will have you falling off of your seat and you not having any nails by the end of the movie, this is the movie for you. This emotionally rich film is full of action, laughter, and romance, which is the perfect trio combination. This movie shows us how love can bind us together forever. This film went above and