The World Fair of 1893 was extravagant. Much like most other big construction projects, it had its share of problems. In fact this fair embraced several serious issues that should have stopped all construction. The first one was all architects were months late in turning in fair designs. This does not show a very enthusiastic sense of building the fair. But once cooperation grew upon the designers the construction was set back but finally able to start. While construction the fair there were of coarse many other issues needed to be worked out; the death of Root, union strikes and employee protests, weather conditions, landscape problems, etc. Any one of these issues could have stopped the ultimate construction of the fair altogether, but it didn't. In my opinion, the fair was meant to be. The fair was built for a great reason. It was to be the anniversary of the year that Christopher Columbus Found the new world. At that time in America, Americans had a lot of pride and nationalism because of transition of being a new country. The world fair was to symbolize the growth of America due to Columbus's discovery. Considering all the delays and road blocks to fairs success, it still managed to be a wonderful accomplishment. So was the fairs construction a move of arrogance, I would say not. Even though it took a lot more money and work than expected it was so powerful that it still remains a part of history. The fair stood for Americas powerful advancement and industrialization. The fair did exactly what it was intended to do and for that i do not think of it as arrogance.
Not all great acts of kindness and unity among a group illustrate destructive parallel. The fair , as well as many other projects, have been known to be an exchange of unfortunate events in return for a successful outcome. Although the fair did seem to have had some sinister like events while under construction, it managed to finish the job. again, in my opinion, its that the White City was meant to be.
-Kimberly Parker
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Devil in the White City post1
In the book, The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson makes the point to establish a sense of good and evil at that time period. He uses symbolism through characters and places in his book to portray his view on the difference between good and evil.
The first example of good and evil being presented in the book would be through the two main characters; Daniel Burnham and Henry H. Holmes. Another example would be the surrounding places of these people. Burnham is the soul architect to the Columbian World Exposition of 1893. It was the biggest world fair ever to be put on to this day. The city was so grand, beautiful, and painted white, that viewers began to refer to it as the White City. White is the color that also happens to symbolize purity and blessed. Burnham worked very hard on conducting the world fair. As the leader of the fairs architectural design it was his job to lead the fair in the right direction. Burnham proved to be a very dedicated and reliable leader. Burnham overlooked all sorts of disasters and solved those that were unexpected. Problems including weather disasters, budget deficits, employment drama, etc. Burnham throughout the book shined as a man set out to do good, good was his mission. The combination of the White City with Burnham as the man in charge makes out the symbolism cleanliness and all things good. Holmes on the other hand is the opposite. Holmes lives in the city of Chicago and Chicago is the city of passion for Holmes. Numerous times in the book, Holmes' love for the city s expressed. However the city is a sinister place according to Larson's descriptions. The city of Chicago has many tall skyscrapers that block the sun from shining on the city and that chicago is suffering from problems of smog in the air. The city has also just recently undergone a tragic fire that stained the city. Another symbolism of evil is the fact that Chicago grounds are ugly and impossible to work with. The nasty lands of Chicago are described during the construction of the White City over filthy lands that caused several delays in construction. Jackson Park was even compared to Centeral Park. The comparison suggests that Jackson Park is a filthy swamp and Cenertal Park was described as beautiful and easy to work with.The city of Chicago is a symbol of a sinister city. Holmes , like I was saying, was a crazy man. He was the worlds first serial killer and the master of fraud and embezzlement. He was capable of many horrific crimes, including brutal murder. Holmes is described with an evil tone that creastes a sense of fear in the reader.
Erik Larson makes this comparison of good and evil very successfully. While reading it stood out to me pretty clear. Holmes and chicago stand as evil while the White City and Burnham stand for good.
-Kim Parker
The first example of good and evil being presented in the book would be through the two main characters; Daniel Burnham and Henry H. Holmes. Another example would be the surrounding places of these people. Burnham is the soul architect to the Columbian World Exposition of 1893. It was the biggest world fair ever to be put on to this day. The city was so grand, beautiful, and painted white, that viewers began to refer to it as the White City. White is the color that also happens to symbolize purity and blessed. Burnham worked very hard on conducting the world fair. As the leader of the fairs architectural design it was his job to lead the fair in the right direction. Burnham proved to be a very dedicated and reliable leader. Burnham overlooked all sorts of disasters and solved those that were unexpected. Problems including weather disasters, budget deficits, employment drama, etc. Burnham throughout the book shined as a man set out to do good, good was his mission. The combination of the White City with Burnham as the man in charge makes out the symbolism cleanliness and all things good. Holmes on the other hand is the opposite. Holmes lives in the city of Chicago and Chicago is the city of passion for Holmes. Numerous times in the book, Holmes' love for the city s expressed. However the city is a sinister place according to Larson's descriptions. The city of Chicago has many tall skyscrapers that block the sun from shining on the city and that chicago is suffering from problems of smog in the air. The city has also just recently undergone a tragic fire that stained the city. Another symbolism of evil is the fact that Chicago grounds are ugly and impossible to work with. The nasty lands of Chicago are described during the construction of the White City over filthy lands that caused several delays in construction. Jackson Park was even compared to Centeral Park. The comparison suggests that Jackson Park is a filthy swamp and Cenertal Park was described as beautiful and easy to work with.The city of Chicago is a symbol of a sinister city. Holmes , like I was saying, was a crazy man. He was the worlds first serial killer and the master of fraud and embezzlement. He was capable of many horrific crimes, including brutal murder. Holmes is described with an evil tone that creastes a sense of fear in the reader.
Erik Larson makes this comparison of good and evil very successfully. While reading it stood out to me pretty clear. Holmes and chicago stand as evil while the White City and Burnham stand for good.
-Kim Parker
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)