Larson Blog #2

The whole book The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, encompasses one main event. Aside from the murders of Holmes, it is the Chicago World’s Fair. The fair was definitely a spectacular event. It had over 14 exhibits all with a unique exhibition to be viewed and enjoyed the public. However, there were many things that were brought on by the fair. Some of the feelings that were brought on by the fair were mayhem and exuberance among other sentiments. The fair not only bought on new feelings but also new controversies towards different exhibits in the fair. Some of the exhibits from other countries were considered to be too racy and sexual. Like, for example, the belly dancers that performed as part of the exhibits from India I believe. Also something new that was brought on by the fair was all the architecture for the buildings created specifically for the fair. One piece in particular that stood out to people was the largest Ferris wheel in the middle of it all. Also at the fair were many new products that the public had yet to experience. One of these new products was none other than Cracker Jacks. This was the first time that anyone had ever had or heard of Cracker Jacks. With all the magic and mystery associated with the fair, the city became known as the “White City.” Even though it was considered white, there was still darkness involved within the depths of the fair. Some may blame the darkness on the exhibits that they disapproved of. Other people may have felt the darkness came from mainly the people themselves and the fair only created a place for them to act. Whatever the case may be, there was indeed bad things that arose with the opening of the fair. Also, some of the buildings were not safe for public display. In fact, some of them collapsed and also burned down from fires. This is also where some of the darkness came from because some lives were lost with the destruction of these buildings. They were all accidents, of course, but the thought of someone dieing in a collapsed building or being burned in a fire is simply a dark and sad thing. Some may say that the Chicago World’s Fair was a place full of arrogance. Some people may have felt that we, as Americans, were showcasing that we had the time, money, and resources to build such a fair. Even though it may have made people mad, they still tried their best to represent their country at the fair. This was probably because of how extravagant the fair was, all these different countries wanted a part of the fair and probably also a part of the magic. So, yes, the fair may have been a projection of our arrogance as a nation, but the fair showed our skills in throwing a wonderful fair for all countries and people to enjoy. That is why the fair was so amazing.

Larson Blog #1

In the very beginning of The Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson, there is a note titled “Evils Imminent”. In this note, Larson talks about the two men Daniel Burnham and H. H. Holmes. Though the two hadn’t met formally, they are the two main people spoken of in the book. Burnham is an architect while Holmes is the first urban serial killer. The reason they are linked is because Burnham built for the Chicago World’s Fair and Holmes killed during the fair. Throughout the book, there is definitely a struggle between good and evil. This is mostly coming from Holmes, because he was not always a murderer. I believe that Holmes mostly became a murderer because of his childhood. Also, this is how the book shows some of the “ineluctable conflict between good and evil”. What really defines being good or evil anyway? Is being good simply telling someone something nice or is it more than that? Does being good mean that one must be good for the whole of their life? These questions certainly apply to this book because Holmes is basically pinpointed as bad. Now, that’s not to say that being a serial killer is all right, because it’s not alright in the least. This is to say, however, that Holmes may not have been all bad for all of his life. The poor man was bullied for being smart, wouldn’t that make someone at least upset? Burnham, on the other hand, is not necessarily marked as good or bad. In the very beginning of the book, Burnham is on a boat ride. He wants to send a message to a man he knows on the sister ship. However, the man is refusing to accept the message. This makes Burnham angry and uncomfortable and insists the man get his message. What Burnham doesn’t know, though, is that the sister ship is having some technical difficulties and the ship Burnham is on is going to go help. Though he feels slightly concerned for his acquaintance, he still feels a little rejoice that for once he came out on top. After all, Burnham’s friend (Frank Millet) had always been trying to get the upper hand. Millet did indeed ride the bigger and better ship than Burnham. Now is this little feud considered bad? Does having a competition for who can have or do better things make oneself a bad person? Could Burnham now be considered evil? These questions are exactly why there is an ineluctable conflict between good and evil. I would say that this is how the two main men are alike. Both men are angry and upset about something. In fact, they are both wounded as well. Though Burnham’s wound is physical and Holmes is more on the mental side, this makes them alike to some extent. They are also, however, vastly different. For one, Burnham isn’t a murderer and he does not posses the capability to be that cruel to another human being. On the other hand, Holmes does this with ease and may not even consider himself a psychopath or a murderer.

A modest proposal blog

Recently, we read “A Modest Proposal” by Dr. Jonathan Swift one day in class. We started reading the essay because we are learning a bit more about satire. Throughout the essay, there are several examples of satire. In order to find out if the essay had a satirical tone to the essay, the reader has to look for certain characteristics. Some of the characteristics of an essay with satire in it are a comedy type of piece, application of all the devices of rhetoric (language and the way that it’s spoken), hyperbole, figure of speech, using over statements and/or understatements, irony, wit, sarcasm, allusion, and juxtaposition. Juxtaposition is two dissimilar items, descriptions or ideas being compared close together or side by side. There are two different types of satire essay, one type is horatian and the other type is juvenalian. The horatian type of satire essay is when it is gentle, smiling, kind, the reader has sympathetic laughter, sees the world honestly, is not destructive, and meant to be reflective. On the other hand, the juvenalian type of satire essay is biting, angry, shows the corruption of human beings and institutions with contempt, is intolerable, can sometimes be perceived as enraged, and has huge doses of sarcasm and irony. Satire is usually used in persuasive essays, as opposed to argument essays in which do not really on pathos for support. In the beginning of the essay “A Modest Proposal” by Dr. Jonathan Swift, the satire is not really noticed. As the essay progresses, however, the satirical devices become quite apparent. Once the reader come upon the second page, the satire becomes quite apparent in the fact that Swift begins to talk about how some “gentlemen” eat their children, or other people’s children. At the very beginning of the second essay, Swift writes that, “…a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked or broiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricaise, or a ragoust.” Later on in the essay, he writes that, “Infant’s flesh will be in season throughout the year…” which is quite odd because Swift uses the words “in season” as if the infant’s flesh is like a fruit or vegetable and is in season for a particular period of time in the year. In the next paragraph, Swift writes that, “..no gentlemen would repine to give ten shillings for the carcass of a good fat child,” as if eating children was something to be coveted and desired.  Throughout the essay, the word “gentlemen” is used even when describing the people who are participating in the act of eating these poor children. This is quite significant because what he writes about in the essay of the cannibalism it seems as though he’s saying it as a classy thing, only for the rich and powerful. Later on the in the essay, Swift uses the word “justify” which is really surprising diction because how can one come close to even thinking of justifying the act of eating all those perfectly innocent children. Shortly after Swift uses the word “justify”, he writes that, “…when any young person happened to be put to death, the executioner sold the carcass to persons of quality, as a prime dainty; and that, in his time, the body of a plump girl of fifteen who was crucified for an attempt to poison the Emperor, was sold to his imperial majesty’s prime minister of state..” This statement shows that even though this girl was convicted of trying to kill the Emperor, she still ended up in the inner circle of the royalty where she apparently intended to poison the Emperor. Later on in the essay, Swift writes about the six advantages to his “modest proposal.” The first advantage that Swift writes about is that his modest proposal would greatly lessen the number of Papists. The second advantage that Swift writes about is that the poorer tenants will have something valuable of their own, which by law may be made liable to a distress, and help to pay their landlord’s rent. The third advantage Swift writes about is that the nation’s stock will be increased fifty thousand pounds per year due to a lesser amount of money spent on maintaining children. The fourth advantage Swift writes about is the gain of money to the “breeders” because they could sell the children that they produced for money. The fifth advantage that Swift writes about is the food would be better. The last advantage Swift writes about is that his modest proposal would be a great inducement to marriage. Those are all the examples of satire throughout the essay.

Extended Journal Response Blog

What does it mean to be a hero? Does one need an awesome super power or fierce body armor? No, not always. Sometimes what constitutes a hero is someone who is simply courageous or not afraid to fight in the face of danger. When it comes to the book “The Sun Also Rises”, Hemingway describes a hero with certain characteristics. The characteristics under which Hemingway describe a hero are; being stoic, grace and courage in the face of death, seeks the ‘rewards’ of life and does not feel ashamed of it, loyal to a smaller group of people, and self-reliance. Some characters throughout the novel exhibit Hemingway’s depiction of a hero, while others blatantly do not. One character that is quite literally a Hemingway hero would be Pedro Romero. He exhibits each and every one of Hemingway’s characteristics of a hero. Romero is so on point of Hemingway’s depiction that it almost seems like Hemingway created his vision of a hero around the character of Pedro Romero. The ways in which Romero is a hero is the fact that because he is a bull fighter, and puts himself in danger, he is able to show his ability to use grace and courage in the face of death. Also, he shows his heroism because when he was knocked down by the bull, he got back up, not showing any weakness. Romero is indeed self-reliant and loyal to a small group of people while also enjoying the ‘rewards’ of life without feeling guilty. Of course when you talk about the ‘rewards’ of life, one is talking about gluttony, sex, and pleasure. Romero does not feel bad about enjoying such things and feels they should be enjoyed. On the other hand, Jake Barnes is the complete opposite of Pedro Romero. Romero is manly, keeps it together, dignified, and doesn’t feel bad about gluttony while Jake falls short of heroism. Jake tries to be stoic but is not always successful, he sometimes complains and cries, he stay out all night to avoid his varying problems, he is not self-reliant, he depends on his group of friends, and he stays with the group for Brett. Jake never really faces a situation where he is needed to be graceful and courageous in the face of death, unless drinking and feeling sorry about Brett not being with him is somehow a life or death situation. Among the others that are not Hemingway heroes are Mike and Robert Cohn. Mike is simply not a Hemingway hero because he is a lousy drunk and can not hold his liquor, he frequently complains and cries, and since he is not a character that pops up a lot in the book, never exhibits grace or courage in the face of danger. Robert Cohn much like Mike and Jake is not a hero. I think of all the characters in the book, he is the least likely to be a hero. The character of Robert Cohn is very childlike (being uncomfortable by the bull fights); he depends on both the group and Frances, and is not in any way self-reliant (hence not wanting to go to South America by himself). Cohn is not manly, stoic and does not face death. He makes attempts at being a hero but in the end it just does not work out. Of all the characters, the only other one that could be considered a hero would be Brett. Brett is indeed bothered by the bull fights, in fact she’s fascinated by them, she really just acts for herself, she would be the most likely to seek the rewards of life and she certainly does. Also, with the way Brett acts and dresses, she is quite manly and very androgynous. One more fact is that she is easily nice to men, as a friend, than to women since guys always are falling for her beauty it tends to bring the jealousy out of women.