The devil in the white city is based about the Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair also known as The Worlds Columbian Exposition. In the book, the author Erik Larson talks about both Daniel Burnham and the infamous killer H.H Holmes. Daniel Burnham is the architect who would build the designs of the World’s Fair in 1893. H.H Holmes is the serial killer who would use the fair as his way to find his victims and kill them in a three story building that he had built with an elevator known as the house of horrors.
Their play opened in the year Two-Thousand, examining what occurred back on that cold evening in 1998. What triggered the killers? What are the people like in the community? The book
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.
Taylor Grayson English Honors Period 1 Peller Task # 1: The Glass Castle Throughout their lives , every member of the Walls family experienced hardships. Though Jeannette and her three other siblings endured abuse both physically and mentally throughout their childhood, the peculiar ways in which both her mentally unstable parents showed their love and guidance ultimately helped to form these children and shape them into the individuals they are today. While Rex Walls, Jeannette’s alcoholic yet genius father, promised that he would one day create a house for the family made out of glass, his skills in mathematics and science unfortunately were not enough to battle his issues with alcohol and his inability to provide for his family.
They fought through tons of obstacles on their way to completing the Fair and making it a success. The Fair represented, for many, a place of wonder and mystique, and yet also of great magnificence and opulence. Several characteristics, in particular, impressed visitors more than
In the memoir The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, the main character Jeannette goes through a collision of culture by the way her parents disagree about their religious beliefs. The difference between the two parents are shown when Jeannette says “Church was particularly excruciating when Dad came along. Dad had been raised a Baptist, but he didn’t like religion and didn’t believe in God. He believed in science and reason, he said, not superstition and voodoo. But Mom had refused to have children unless Dad agreed to raise them as Catholics and to attend church himself on holy days of obligation”.
At first, I thought the writing was a bit convoluted because of certain aspects that I didn't understand--southern language. Karen Brennan grew up in Columbus Georgia therefor her speech in her writing displays Southern contacts. True indeed she was writing with the perception of the 1920s period. However, one particular quote on page 156 further clarified the Lynch Mob warning to the sheriff. In the author's own words, "get out of Dodge."
The book follows his struggle and work to put this huge fair together, and also make it a huge profiting attraction. He faces many obstacles and internal conflict while doing so. The second is H. H. Holmes, an insane serial killer who was active during the existence of the fair. He had different businesses and practices he would use to lure women, in order to kill them and sometimes the women in their families. The book takes place in Chicago during the early 1890s, as
W. Mudgett. Extensive detail is included regarding the differences between each character—their personalities, desires, and behaviors—that allow the reader to synthesize information such as why Mudgett has psychopathic tendencies and why Burnham was raised differently from Mudgett, thus contributing to his contrasting actions and roles within the story. As the plot progresses, Burnham is blessed with success as the World’s Fair attracts thousands of visitors and provides humanity with a certain “pride.” Mudgett, conversely, uses the World’s Fair as an opportunity to fulfill his own sick interests. Burnham gives to humanity, while Mudgett drains his fellow
In this world, there’s learning things the hard way and the easy way; in Jeannette Wall’s world, there’s only learning things the hard way. The Glass Castle is an adventurous story that reveals the painfully miserable story of Jeannette Walls. A selfish mother, a careless father, and terrible social encounters- these are some of the elements of a harsh reality Rex and Rose Mary Walls failed to shield their children from. Growing up poor was already difficult, but growing up with a selfish parent, specifically an unfeeling mom, made life hell for the Walls children. The family barely had one source of income from Rex Walls, and instead of helping out with the family’s finance issues, Rose Mary spent her days at home painting.
The imagery that Larson used to describe the way that Holmes feels about Chicago and why depicts to the readers the way Holmes mind works. Instead of loving the city for the character and freedom it brings like the many others that come to Chicago, Holmes reveals his lustful intentions to the readers by imagining the way “smoke… could envelope a woman and leave no trace” which he believes gives him many opportunities to carry out his malevolent plans (Larson 62). Larson’s use of not only visual imagery but smells as well shows the readers Holmes is obsessive over his agenda and how a “blade thin track of perfume” was a temptation to him(Larson 62). Because Chicago had become a place for people to come and start over, there were many young women
The following work of interest is “Who goes there?” or “The Thing” by John W. Campbell. Originally written in 1938, “Who goes there?” tells the story of a group of scientific researchers in Antarctica who discover a space ship and an alien creature entombed in ice. As the story progress the crew realize that the creature has escaped and has one deadly ability, the ability to imitate any living thing down to the cellular level.
H. H. Holmes exploited the grandeur of the fair to lure innocent people to their demise. In here lies the overarching theme
In the book, “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote takes us through the lives of the murderers and the murdered in the 1959 Clutter family homicide, which transpires in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The first chapter, “The Last to See Them Alive,” vividly illustrates the daily activities of the Clutter family—Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon—and the scheming plot of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith up to point where the family is found tied up, and brutally murdered. In doing so, he depicts the picture-perfect town of Holcomb with “blue skies and desert clear air”(3) whose safety is threatened when “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”(5). Through the eyes of a picture perfect family and criminals with social aspirations, Capote describes the American Dream and introduces his audience to the idea that this ideal was no more than an illusion. Herbert Clutter: the character Capote describes as the epitome of the American Dream.
Summary “Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” by Jessica Statsky is a thoughtful insight on the competitive sports for children. She is of the view that the competitive sports can ruin the enjoyment that games are supposed to provide. These methods of playing the games like adults can prove to be lethal for physical and psychological health. The author quotes from an authentic source that “Kids under the age of fourteen are not by nature physical.” (Tutko)
