of the spectrum in society: Daniel Burnham, the architect of the World’s Fair, and Herman Webster Mudgett or better known as Dr. H.H. Holmes (Dr. Henry Howard Holmes), one of the first serial killers of America and psychopath. These two seemingly different stories come together in one event that made great city…
Listen, I know it’s a bit late, but I’m finally getting back to you on those book recommendations. I just finished reading a novel called The Devil in the White City, and I’m pretty sure that you would find it quite interesting. The book is set around the time of the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 and follows the parallel paths of Daniel Burnham, the fair’s architect, and H. H. Holmes, a prolific serial killer who used the fair’s magnetic allure to find his victims. Burnham’s storyline is about…
tells the story of an architect and a serial killer in Chicago during the 1890’s. He tries to describe how Daniel Burnham, an architect, builds the Chicago World Fair in an innocent or white city while at the same time helps Henry Holmes, the devil in the innocent city, to satisfy his craving of power, blood, and fear. Burnham tries to give Chicago a more positive reputation, but it ends of having a bad reputation due to Henry Holmes. Holmes gives it the bad reputation because he finds his…
Rachel Strunk Mr. Lawson AP English Language 30 September 2015 Discussion Questions: The Devil in the White City Why did Erik Larson choose the point of views of Daniel Burnham and H.H Holmes together? Does this juxtaposition affect the narrative? If so, how? Erik Larson uses his extensive research to retell the lives of two men that had a part in the World’s Columbian Exchange in one way or another. In his process, he creates two separate points of view to the story but with a connected…
Publishing Group, 2003, and 447 The book "The Devil in the White City" is about the serial killer H.H. Holmes and the architect of the World's Fair Daniel H. Burnham. Who was Daniel H. Burnham? Burnham was a man who rose to prominence. In 1893 Chicago won the bid for the World's Exposition. The architects chosen were Burnham and his partner John Root, Burnham and John needed to build something to give their city a better reputation. Burnham ended facing many hardships along the way, it started…
simultaneously tells the stories of the architects who designed the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, and a serial killer who took advantage of the World Fair to kill several unsuspecting tourists. Larson contrasts the brilliance of the fair’s architects with the madness of the villainous murderer. By simultaneously telling these stories, Larson demonstrates the two sides of humanity: the greatness that is possible in its builders, and the evil that lurks in its destroyers. The architects plot…
Fair. This time period was not as easy as it seemed either; they were in the midst of a depression. This made it harder to do what was needed to be done. In the book The Devil in the White City gives a wonderful and nonfictional story about the Worlds Fair that will have you at the edge of your seat. Larson, author of The Devil in the White City, uses all the background information he can get to come up with an amazing story about to completely different men, but then oddly connects…
“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing” (Larson 109.) In the book, The Devil in the White City, Burnham, an architect, is having many different struggles in building the World’s Fair by opening day, but after the many struggles he ends up making the fair a dreamland. At the same time, Holmes, the first serial killer, is luring young women into his hotel and killing them without getting caught;…
The Great Chicago Fire occurred in 1871 in Chicago. The destruction of the fire resulted in the complete desolation of 3.3 square miles, leaving over 100,000 persons homeless. Known to be one of the largest natural disasters of the 19th century Chicago was able to rebuild itself all thanks to resources made possible as result of the Gilded Age. The expansion of the economy made it possible for Burnham to use an abundance of new goods and services to build the best possible fair. One result of…
that accompanied the construction of the fair. This book exhibits America’s determination to surmount all of the dilemmas that occurred. Despite the weather conditions and the unfinished look of the fair, Burnham and his peers were able to get the job done and make the fair…