The World's Fair changed American in more ways than imaginable. The Fair was a huge turning point for technology of the time and social and political aspects of American life. It changed what many other nations and people thought that America could create and accomplish. It was unlike anything else ever seen in America. The Fair helped America on its way to becoming a huge world power and leading the world in industrial and economic change and success. The fair changed how the rest of the world saw America as a country and as a world power. The fair influenced American and the rest of the world for generations to come, not only the few decades after the actual Fair. The World's Colombian Exposition established a Neo-Classical revival in Chicago and across America, thus changing American ideals and creating a entirely new way to view America. This global phenomenon of a fair changed culture, fashion, food, transportation and the ways in which tourists viewed architecture, and how these building defied gravity to create a whole new world to those who visited the fair. The fair was so new to everyone, that it baffled and wowed, and left many awestruck and excited. The buildings and new architecture of the fair helped to create this image of America as well, including the Ferris Wheel, and Thomas Edison's light tower of colorful choreographed lights dancing to the music. The exhibition halls housed new inventions and appliances for the home and farm, many of them powered by electricity changing the way home and farm worked. The new forms of electricity found at the fair were amazing and new and exciting, including, but not limited to electric incubators for chicken eggs, electric chairs for executions, an electric sidewalk, an early fax machine that sent pictures over telegraph lines, electric irons, sewing machines and laundry machines, and Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope, the first moving pictures. The new inventions of the time pulled in visitors and customers, leaving more and more profit for the fair than anyone could've imagined. Food was also a big part of the fair, leading to the creation of many well known brands of today, and common foods for the 1800's and still today, including gums, hamburger, cream of wheat, quaker oats, and shredded wheat. Aunt Jemima and Heinz were also new to the era, and created quite a frenzy of food madness. Many architects, such as Frank Lloyd Wright, and of course Burnham and Root, were involved in the production of the fair, leaving more room for improvement in architecture and such. The many visitors of the fair throughout its existence saw sights unlike anything else, and truly witnessed America change and grow socially. Buffalo Bill Cody, Thomas Edison, Susan B. Anthony were all greatly influenced by the creation and execution of the fair, making their ideas and beliefs readily available to the public eye for scrutiny, and helped them gain fame and popularity. The tourists, architects, city dwellers, and social activists of the time truly saw the change brought to America by the great World's Fair of the late 1800's.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Devil In The White City Blog 3
Extended Reflection Journal: In what ways does the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 change America? What lasting inventions and ideas did it introduce into American culture? What important figures were critically influenced by the Fair?
Devil In The White City Blog 2
Extended Reflection Journal: In describing the collapse of the roof of Manufacturers and Liberal Arts Building, Larson writes "In a great blur of snow and silvery glass the building's roof—that marvel of late nineteenth-century hubris, enclosing the greatest volume of unobstructed space in history—collapsed to the floor below" [p. 196–97]. Was the entire Fair, in its extravagant size and cost, an exhibition of arrogance? Do such creative acts automatically engender a darker, destructive parallel?
Throughout history, America has been trying to outshine and outdo everyone else, but along with numerous other countries as well. From The Imperial Age, to modern times, Americans always want something bigger and better and just plain and simply: more than anyone else. Nowadays, American's are always trying to one up their neighbors with a nicer lawn or a bigger car, or maybe trying to get a better grade than the student next to them, or trying to earn the most money. It's the American way of life, and it always has been. America is an arrogant country, always showing off what they've got, and not being afraid to show it. The World's Fair was just another example of arrogance and boasting the newest, best, most advanced technology, style, culture, trends and so on and so forth. The Fair was built on jealousy and materialism, showcasing America's strength. The World's fair introduced a new found obsession with becoming a world superpower in America in the 19th century. Arrogance is an overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors; directly relating to the fair. The fair was only installed and designed in order to project America as a wondrous country better than that of the former Paris exposition. It was supposed to be designed bigger and better than anything in existence no matter of cost or physical or earthly limitations. The fair was completely and one hundred percent a display of American arrogance during the 19th century. It was used throughout its running as an act to draw in and hypnotize tourists to believe and register America as a world power; the best, and only, of its kind. In order to reach this level of greatness no cost limit was implicated, displaying the arrogance and pride America soaked in and developed during the worlds fair construction and exposition. America wanted to reach the title of number one, outdoing the competition Paris displayed. This simple act of want, greed, and need for material popularity gained America arrogance not easily forgotten. Arrogance must be displayed in order to gain the superiority America strove for when wanting to build and construct a beautiful, amazing world exposition sure to draw in, capture, and shock tourists and business men from all over ready and willing to watch America sky rocket to stardom. The project was built purely for boasting and bragging rights, and to leave other nations behind in the metaphorical dust. The fair's amount of work and power required to function, of course will engender a darker, destructive parallel. Anything that takes this much work, with such a good outcome of course has to have a downside, or a downfall. THe whole novel contrasts the White City and the Black City, leaving a parallel of bad to go with the massive amounts off good that came out of the Fair. All good things have a bad side, including the magnificent World's Fair of the late 1800's; the work Burnham and the other architects put into it was incredible, while others like Holmes, were on cruel murdering sprees throughout the city, leaving a bad taste. The Fair was a fantastic event, all the while creating a bad effect.
Throughout history, America has been trying to outshine and outdo everyone else, but along with numerous other countries as well. From The Imperial Age, to modern times, Americans always want something bigger and better and just plain and simply: more than anyone else. Nowadays, American's are always trying to one up their neighbors with a nicer lawn or a bigger car, or maybe trying to get a better grade than the student next to them, or trying to earn the most money. It's the American way of life, and it always has been. America is an arrogant country, always showing off what they've got, and not being afraid to show it. The World's Fair was just another example of arrogance and boasting the newest, best, most advanced technology, style, culture, trends and so on and so forth. The Fair was built on jealousy and materialism, showcasing America's strength. The World's fair introduced a new found obsession with becoming a world superpower in America in the 19th century. Arrogance is an overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner toward inferiors; directly relating to the fair. The fair was only installed and designed in order to project America as a wondrous country better than that of the former Paris exposition. It was supposed to be designed bigger and better than anything in existence no matter of cost or physical or earthly limitations. The fair was completely and one hundred percent a display of American arrogance during the 19th century. It was used throughout its running as an act to draw in and hypnotize tourists to believe and register America as a world power; the best, and only, of its kind. In order to reach this level of greatness no cost limit was implicated, displaying the arrogance and pride America soaked in and developed during the worlds fair construction and exposition. America wanted to reach the title of number one, outdoing the competition Paris displayed. This simple act of want, greed, and need for material popularity gained America arrogance not easily forgotten. Arrogance must be displayed in order to gain the superiority America strove for when wanting to build and construct a beautiful, amazing world exposition sure to draw in, capture, and shock tourists and business men from all over ready and willing to watch America sky rocket to stardom. The project was built purely for boasting and bragging rights, and to leave other nations behind in the metaphorical dust. The fair's amount of work and power required to function, of course will engender a darker, destructive parallel. Anything that takes this much work, with such a good outcome of course has to have a downside, or a downfall. THe whole novel contrasts the White City and the Black City, leaving a parallel of bad to go with the massive amounts off good that came out of the Fair. All good things have a bad side, including the magnificent World's Fair of the late 1800's; the work Burnham and the other architects put into it was incredible, while others like Holmes, were on cruel murdering sprees throughout the city, leaving a bad taste. The Fair was a fantastic event, all the while creating a bad effect.
Devil In The White City Blog 1
Extended Reflection Journal (BLOG) : In the note "Evils Imminent," Erik Larson writes "Beneath the gore and smoke and loam, this book is about the evanescence of life, and why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow" [xi]. What does the book reveal about "the ineluctable conflict between good and evil"? What is the essential difference between men like Daniel Burnham and Henry H. Holmes? Are they alike in any way?
In Larson's factual story of the world's fair, he compares the good and the bad of Chicago; the good being Burnham, and the bad being Holmes. The two men are compared in the story, living in the "gore and smoke and loam" of dirty, 1800's Chicago. Burnham loving architecture, and Holmes loving... murder? Holmes and Burnham couldn't be more different, yet alike at the same time. This short “note” helps readers to determine the main idea of conflict present within the novels context. Holmes and Burnham are full of passion and precision, pertaining to murder and architecture, respectively. Both men achieve greatness and fame through this precision and perfection of their skills, for good and bad. Burnham is a fantastic architect, while Holmes is a perfect cold blooded murderer. Both of the two men use their amazing skills to manipulate and earn what they want in life, and to live the way they would like to. Holmes builds his perfect, trustworthy character in order to cover up and fool others, but is a murderer deep down, killing all throughout Chicago and leaving no traces. He perfected his craft of killing, and fools all; he comes off as a perfectly trustworthy and honest man to all he meets. His precision only leads to easier murders and quieter deaths for the people of Chicago. Holmes is the epitome of evil in this White City. Burnham, on the other hand, is always striving for good - and making everything bigger and better. He uses his skills to make the fair, and his city a better, more beautiful place. Buurnham only wants to help and create and improve, unlike Holmes, ruthlessly murdering everywhere. Burnham strives for good, over evil, in his White City. According to Larson, both men are “unusually adept at their chosen skills," leaving room only for perfection among their skills. The two men are so different, yet so alike - they both put so much passion into everything they do. The two men never meet, yet are so connected through The World's Fair, such an important event in history. The men embody America of the late 1800's and the World's Fair, exactly the way America was. The contrast of the men is shown in Larson's writing throughout the story, with factual events and the differences of “Good and Evil, daylight and darkness, the White City and the Black." Larson shows similarities and differences in the two men when it comes to their passions and how much they put into what they do, but contrasts with their idea of perfection, and the extreme differences in their talents. WIth the two men constantly being compared throughout the book, Larson does a great job of showing "the ineluctable conflict between good and evil" and how truly differently similar the men are. While Burnham spends all his time "engaging the impossible," and Holmes "in the manufacture of sorrow", the two men both apply great care and precision to their talents and the work they do.
In Larson's factual story of the world's fair, he compares the good and the bad of Chicago; the good being Burnham, and the bad being Holmes. The two men are compared in the story, living in the "gore and smoke and loam" of dirty, 1800's Chicago. Burnham loving architecture, and Holmes loving... murder? Holmes and Burnham couldn't be more different, yet alike at the same time. This short “note” helps readers to determine the main idea of conflict present within the novels context. Holmes and Burnham are full of passion and precision, pertaining to murder and architecture, respectively. Both men achieve greatness and fame through this precision and perfection of their skills, for good and bad. Burnham is a fantastic architect, while Holmes is a perfect cold blooded murderer. Both of the two men use their amazing skills to manipulate and earn what they want in life, and to live the way they would like to. Holmes builds his perfect, trustworthy character in order to cover up and fool others, but is a murderer deep down, killing all throughout Chicago and leaving no traces. He perfected his craft of killing, and fools all; he comes off as a perfectly trustworthy and honest man to all he meets. His precision only leads to easier murders and quieter deaths for the people of Chicago. Holmes is the epitome of evil in this White City. Burnham, on the other hand, is always striving for good - and making everything bigger and better. He uses his skills to make the fair, and his city a better, more beautiful place. Buurnham only wants to help and create and improve, unlike Holmes, ruthlessly murdering everywhere. Burnham strives for good, over evil, in his White City. According to Larson, both men are “unusually adept at their chosen skills," leaving room only for perfection among their skills. The two men are so different, yet so alike - they both put so much passion into everything they do. The two men never meet, yet are so connected through The World's Fair, such an important event in history. The men embody America of the late 1800's and the World's Fair, exactly the way America was. The contrast of the men is shown in Larson's writing throughout the story, with factual events and the differences of “Good and Evil, daylight and darkness, the White City and the Black." Larson shows similarities and differences in the two men when it comes to their passions and how much they put into what they do, but contrasts with their idea of perfection, and the extreme differences in their talents. WIth the two men constantly being compared throughout the book, Larson does a great job of showing "the ineluctable conflict between good and evil" and how truly differently similar the men are. While Burnham spends all his time "engaging the impossible," and Holmes "in the manufacture of sorrow", the two men both apply great care and precision to their talents and the work they do.
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