The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson by Daniel Clare https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal Week 3 discussion en-us 2018-01-22 19:34:48 UTC 2018-02-02 16:50:06 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Lightdecrease.png Kendall Henretta - B2 https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225587924 1) How often does Holmes contact his "family"/How often does he contact them?
2) What would have changed if Anna had acted on her suspicions?
3) How did the building of the fair affect the environment?
4) What will Prendergrast once he realizes Harrison won't contact him?
5) Why does he send letters to Trude and not to Harrison? What roles will they play?
6) How did labor unions affect the progress of the fair?
7) Will Olmsted have more health problems that could be an obstacle in the future?
8) When will the fair be completely finished after opening day?
9) Will there be more future safety concerns about the new Ferris Wheel? How will the wind and other factors affect it?
10) How will the citizens react when the fair has to be taken down?
11) How will Burnham end up paying for the rest of the fair?
12) Will anyone ever connect the dots between Holmes and his often "disappearing" wives?]]> 2018-01-29 12:55:30 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225587924 Emily Bugg- B3 https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225588306 1) Why do you think Burnham keeps innovating the fair even though tradegy after tradegy continue to occur? 
2) Why does Holmes keep Minnie around after he inherits her fortune, as if she was important to him? 
3)What importance does the passage on page 323 serve for the progression of the novel? 
4) What was the overall hate crime that Pendergast committed on the mayor and what significance does it have? 
5) At the end of the section, we find out that Holmes killed hundreds of people without much suspicion, how is this significant to the further development of his persona? 
6) How does the repetition of situational irony in each chapter build suspicion and anticipation throughout this section. Ex: pg. 245
7) Holmes is revealed to have preferences when he kills, what are they? 
8) Do the preferences show how he really is in a deeper aspect. 
9) What general effect does the repetition of abstract diction have on the flow of the novel? ex: pg.259
10) Why would Holmes take Minnie and her sister to the fair, if his intentions were only malice after they get back, even when he "enjoyed" their company? ]]> 2018-01-29 12:56:39 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225588306 B2-Callie Wolff cheeseisgreat596 https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225588436 -pg. 235, Imagery- "Bertha Palmer's diamonds radiated."
pg.239, Metaphor -"The scene burst on me with beauty of a rose."
pg. 243, Simile- "Like a cocooned prey."
pg. 244, Imagery- "He was neat..."
pg. 244 Imagery- "The palace was gloomy. Always gloomy."
pg. 245 Colloquial, "Kodak Fiends."
pg. 246 Short Chapter for significance.
pg. 249, Simile "Like a frightened child going by a graveyard.
pg. 249 Metaphor, "Rhetorical Small Pox."
pg.307 Imagery/Direct Characterization " She was almost childlike, save for her sharp features."
Reflection: Erik Larson uses the motif of Holmes blue eyes to symbolize Holmes' manipulation via his appearance. Larson also uses many similes and metaphors to develop emotional appeals to a subject. Similes are often used to help direct characterization, so the reader has a directed attitude towards characters. Larson also develops suspense through simple sentences before Holmes murders, allowing for the reader to predict what will happen. Larson uses imagery to let the reader get a sense of the time period and atmosphere, also done via slang form the 1980s.]]> 2018-01-29 12:57:00 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225588436 B3- Taylor Thomas https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225589244 https://docs.google.com/document/d/125NYHNpbipE8bCQktOITqLMghJ3Gfc6z0KItX-y4n4k/edit?usp=sharing ]]> 2018-01-29 12:59:06 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225589244 b2- katherine https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225589434 ethos- quotes he pulled from actual people involved is effective because it adds real dialogue and authenticity. (ex:page 212)
simile: page 257 compares hurting girls to the scent of a fresh cut hyacinth adds emphasis to holmes's feelings and also a dark irony because the example is so innocent and sweet and compared to what holmes is doing. 
Page 278: foreshadowing that the fires Burnham was not informed about will be a huge dilemma later on to increase interest and add drama in the writing.]]> 2018-01-29 12:59:40 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225589434 Hannah Kepple- B3 https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225593099  
Logos: “On Tuesday, May 2, only ten thousand people came to jackson park, a rate of attendance that, if continued, would guarantee the fair a place in history as one of the greatest failures of all time.” pg. 239 
  • This statistic / fact is used to emphasize the severity of the situation. If more people don’t attend the fair, then it will be ultimately be deemed as a failure and disgrace the people of America. 
Pathos: “He liked being near enough to hear the approach of death in the rising panic of his victims. This was when his quest for possession entered its most satisfying phase.” pg.257
  • This passage shows you the inner workings of Holmes’s mind and fills you with an instant fear and sick understanding of this man’s madness.
Ethos: “That he often smelled vaguely of chemicals- that in fact the building as a whole often had a medicinal odor- bothered no one. He was, after all, a physician, and his building had a pharmacy on the ground floor.” pg. 245
  • Holmes smells like chemicals because he is constantly murdering people and cleaning up the mess, but he is able to elude people into thinking that it’s because he is a physician. His “credibility” in the medical field leaves people unquestioning and unaffected by the odor of chemicals. 
]]> 2018-01-29 13:09:44 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225593099 B2-Kenzie Campbell https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225600982 This painting depicts Burnham and John Root's widow riding around in one of the electric boats from the fair... It's supposed to show how dream-like and magical the fair is to all it's visitors. John Root's wife says, "I think I should never willingly cease drifting in 
that dreamland."]]> 2018-01-29 13:28:35 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225600982 B1- Elaina Angle https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225609443  
  1. Why did Erik Larson choose to write the story from two different perspectives?
  2. How was Holmes able to murder so many people without people becoming suspicious? 
  3. Do you think that Holmes was inherently evil? 
  4. Is Holmes using his murders as a way to make money? Or does he just like to kill? 
  5. How did the chicago world's fair impact chicago?
  6. How did Holmes’ hotel reflect his personality 
  7. What lasting ideas and inventions came from the chicago world’s fair 
  8. Why does no one notice that only women go missing 
  9. What makes the book so easy to read? 
  10. Why didn’t the families of victims come to chicago to help look for their children 
]]> 2018-01-29 13:46:36 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225609443 Leia B-1 https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225609885 The fair is nearing opening and battleships to buffalo bill accessories from around the world start arriving. To prepare, Chicago starts to clean up and elects the blue-eyed Carter Harrison as mayor. At the construction site, the carpenters go on strike. Burnham manages to win them back, but this brief time of hope is squashed by heavy rains. Olmstead returns, but bad delivery and the rain delay his work even more so.  Olmstead works through the night to beautify the grounds before the opening day parade, and fortunately, the parade was a success. Unfortunately, the Ferris wheel was incomplete, along with many of the other exhibitions which detracted from the effect. Then came the stock market crash, which discouraged visitors who had little to spend, which means the fair has little patronage. Not only that, the neighboring Wild West Show diverts many visitors. As the fair progresses and the grounds are cleaned up, reporters begin sending out good reports of the fair, increasing visitors. A little later, Ferris’ wheel is completed and works in the ensuing test. After which The Infanta of Spain visits, only to snub the snobs of Chicago. People wait to go to the fair due to its unfinished state, leading to worries about paying off the fair. Due to faulty building the ironically named Ice building catches on fire. Then the Ferris wheel supports its first paying passengers without breaking. Later on, a storm comes that rips up the balloons, but the Ferris wheel barely even moves. The Ice building once was set ablaze the day after, killing sixteen people. It attracted the morbidly curious, boosting admissions to 100,000. The fair is still in debt, leading it to appoint the board of Retrenchment committees to control spending. The board members resign after facing down the multiple committees and losing. In the meantime, immigrant Prendergast is immersed in delusions of glory once Harrison is elected and Holmes invites the sister of his current lover Minnie over. He had also had opened his world fair hotel and was filled it with young single women who had a tendency to mysteriously disappear. He also moved to a different flat with Minnie. Minnie’s sister Anna arrives, only to be charmed by Holmes. Holmes offers to pay for all of Annas needs and pay her way through a German art school should she wish it. He then locks her in his vault and gasses her to death. Minnie soon “mysteriously disappears” and Holmes moves on to a young woman called Georgiana Yoke. ]]> 2018-01-29 13:47:19 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225609885 Hannah Teague - B3 https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225620269 On May 1, 1893, the World’s Fair in Chicago opened its doors to the public. Five-hundred thousand people are in attendance on opening day, but only ten thousand the second. There is already a fear of financial failure. Guests begin to arrive at Holmes’ World’s Fair Hotel. Most of the guests are young women that Holmes finds “intoxicating”. Minnie begins to become jealous of all the women Holmes is spending time with so, he buys her a flat. She believes this is a good sign but really, he is just trying to get rid of her. While people are in awe of the Fair, women who were staying in the hotel began to disappear. The police never suspect Holmes, even though the hotel always smells of chemicals and gas. Holmes continues to carry on with his killings, filling the rooms with gas and sneaking in at night, chloroforming the women in their sleep. He then sends their bodies off to Chappell, feeling no remorse for his actions. During this time, Minnies sister, Anna Comes to town who Holmes is immediately infatuated with. He begins spending time with the two sisters, taking them around the fair and exploring all it has to offer. While Holmes is busy with the girls, Olmsted and Burnham are trying to brainstorm ideas such as “skipping and dancing masquerades with tambourines” to raise attendance. During all the madness, a cold storage building caught fire. Burnham was never informed of the incident even though the insurance agents had ruled it unsafe and hazardous. Meanwhile, outside of the fairs gates, Mayor Harrison was elected for his fifth term in office. When he had won, a man named Pendergast believed it was his time to be on Harrison's cabinet. Harrison amused the mans idea and gave him false hope. After waiting and waiting, Pendergast got fed up. He felt betrayed by Mayor Harrison, so he took matters into his own hands. He took Harrisons life and them turned himself over to the police. With all of the city wrapped up in the mayor's death,  Holmes saw an opportunity to keep killing. He invited Anna into the hotel where he does his classic routine of locking girls in the chamber and then killing then with chloroform. He then proceeded to call her cousin Minnie to come meet her at the hotel, where he did the same thing to her. He then sent their bodies off to Chappell and also sent a crate of their dresses to Mr. Pitezels wife, Carrie. On july 10th, the rest of the cold storage building finally caught fire. Fitzpatrick, the chief fire man, and his men walk into the building, inevitably walking into their death beds. The building broke beneath their feet as the men jumped out the windows to their deaths. Burnham was charged with criminal negligence even though he had no previous knowledge that the building was unsafe. After things from the fire settled down, Holmes became infatuated with yet another girl, Georgiana Yoke. He asked her to marry him during the fair one night. Shortly after the engagement, the fair begins to come to a close. October 9th is named Chicago Day and more people attend the fair than any other day of peaceable importance in history, prior to 1893. The closer the fair comes to ending, the more questions begin to arise with Holmes. It is learned that Holmes owes more than fifty thousand dollars and arrest is being considered. Before anyone can catch him, he takes Georgiana and Pitezel to Texas to take advantage of Minnies uncles land. He also takes out a ten thousand dollar life insurance policy out on Pitezel, which is never a good sign. After he leaves, the fair is closed and its first buildings are burned down, all while questions arise about the disappearing women. It is not until 1894 that a detective finally catches on to who Holmes really is. 

]]> 2018-01-29 14:05:17 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225620269 B1- Mia Bradshaw https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225628494 Passages:
  • Pg 227 
  • Pg 230
  • Pg 210
  • Pg 239
  • Pg 249
  • Pg 256/257 

The author uses lots of repetition at the beginning of sentences. The purpose of this is to create emphasis of what is happening and to make the reader really think about what and how that author is saying what he is saying. Larson uses the symbol of Holmes blue eyes to show the how inviting they are and how manipulative he is. Larson also uses lots of similes to show the characterization of Holmes and to help create imagery for the reader to visualize what is happening.


]]> 2018-01-29 14:18:25 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225628494 McKinley B2 https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225667747 The fair is well underway. Ferris has finally completed his wheel and the people love it. However, the lands are still pretty bare, much to Olmstead's distaste and it is often covered with litter. Daily attendance is slowly rising but it is not up to the hopes of the executive board. 

Holmes has acquired a new wife, Minnie. She is a rich young girl from Boston. She has many assets that Holmes quickly transfers to his name. Minnie asks her sister Anna to visit in hopes to change her opinion of Holmes. Anna travels to Chicago and Holmes showers her with gifts and happily pays for multiple days at the fair. 

However, toward the end of the reading, Holmes kills Anna and it is heavily suggested that he kills Minnie]]> 2018-01-29 15:18:41 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225667747 B3- Griffin Honea https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225754388 Page 200 is an excellent example of how the author uses euphemisms to describe Holmes's rather horrific crimes and process of acquiring victims in a non-graphic manner. By calling the victims "acquisitions" the description is both less explicit and more creepy.
Figurative language is used throughout the novel to enhance the historical narrative. on page 215 provides a good example, reading "The notion came to Prendergast initially as a glimmer, like the first sunlight to strike the masonic tower" This use of imagery helps the reader imagine the situation described, even though it is a fabrication with no historical evidence to back it up.
(P.S. based on what everyone else posted it seems I may have misunderstood the desired format. The above are both good examples of writing styles used frequently throughout the book.)]]> 2018-01-29 17:39:49 UTC https://padlet.com/daniel_clare/nomulu6fjtal/wish/225754388