stsven pryatel(post1) the devil in the white city isvery in teresting book. the begining of the book was very slow but after it got going it became very interesting. i think one reason that the beginig was very slow was because it just tells about the background of the story and it sets the seen for the rest of the story. the Aouthor Erik Larson dose a very good jod in drawing the reader into the story and then once he has the readers attention he makes it hard for them to stop reading. one reason i chose this book because it seemed very interesting. i like to read books that are mystery books and that are genuine page turners. so far this book has lived up to my expectations. i think that one of the themes could be "work" because Erik Larson explains how Burnham and Root jobs work and what their jods are. he tells the readers how they got their jobs and how hard they worked for those jobs, and hwo hard they work to maintain thier jobs. i waould have to say that this is a good book and that it keeps pepole wanting more, and its hard to put down. this is a very interesting book and i would consider it a gunuine page turner. i feel that this book is a very great book and that it will catch the interest of anyone who picks it up. sorry that my first post was late but i will make the future posts on time.
Individual entry #1” I have read to page 50 and I have been introduced to Burnham and Root, but so far is their importance in this story unclear. The author also introduces H.H Holmes or Herman Webster Mudgett as his given name is. H.H Holmes is a doctor who I suspect is the killer in the story. It is pretty obvious that he is the killer with the example that he lied to some of his customers about where Mrs. Holton was, Mrs. Holton is a owner of a drugstore that H.H Holmes bought after her husband died. The author also tells about Chicago in the time period of the book, the competition for the fair and the some of the difficulties that was in the city at that time.
So far the book isn’t meeting my expectations at all because I was expecting a really interesting story about a killer in Chicago and so far this book is really slow to read. The author talks a lot of Chicago in the beginning and he makes it to a very boring book to read. Hopefully it picks up now when I am introduced to whom I suspect to be the killer in the story. The reason why I choose this book was that I like reading about murderers and books that is so interesting that you want to keep on reading. I don’t really feel that with this book so far.
It is really hard, in my opinion, to put a theme to this book since I haven’t read that much of it. I think that it could be the theme “Work”. Because the book talks a bit about Burnham and Root and their job as architects and how that works out for them.
Right now I don’t think it is a good book but it feels like it has potential to be a very good book. The reason why it isn’t that good is that it is a hard reading with a lot of complicated language that makes the story hard to follow with. Which doesn’t give it a flow like really good books does. I also think that the author might be building the story so it will start to pick up and be really good. But I don’t think that this book has the potential to be a book that people is talking about in ten years. I also don’t see any real cultural or social value in this book, nothing that the author wants to say with the book. Not so far but it has potential.
I have now read to page 150 in “The Devil In The White City”. Now in the book H.H Holmes is starting to really killing people. He is going out of control. He is killing people that isn’t good for him anymore. For an example first he makes a couple have an divorce and then when the wife gets pregnant with his child he kills her and her daughter from the previous marriage. The Architect Root dies and Burnham feels alone. Burnham also works really hard with the fair right now, but that doesn’t seem to matter because it seems like it is not going to be done in time, they are far behind their schedule.
I have to say that the book starts to more and more meet my expectations, because, like I said in my previous blog entry, I wanted a book that was exciting to read and this book is getting really exciting. The reason for that is mostly because of H.H Holmes. The author makes a really good job talking about him. When you read this book you always just want to go to the chapters with him in them.
The book becomes more like a theme over “work”. Everything is basically about work. The architects work with the fair, but also H.H Holmes life becomes more work related. For an example, he kills a lady and then sells her skeleton to a university because he makes a lot of money from it. Holmes doesn’t just seem like his only after killing people he obviously wants to make money too.
I am starting to enjoy this book more now, the last 100 pages that I have read only gets better and better, and I am really glad that I stayed with this book. The real page-turner with this book right now is Holmes he is definitely a character that makes some crazy things. I wouldn’t say right now that this book has any value and I wouldn’t say that it is going to be remembered in 10 years but if it is getting better the way it has the last 100 pages I wouldn’t say that it would be impossible.
Matt Stouffer (post 1) At this point in the book we see H. H. Holmes introduced in the a less dramatic way then I expected. He’s very persuasive and comes off as a nice guy. I’m almost upset that I know the type of person he becomes later in the book. We’re introduced to Daniel Burnham and his design firm, as well as some of the projects they’ve worked on. Burnham and Root just won the bid for the fair but we really haven’t seen their reactions yet. We’re also introduced to the Whitechapel organization. A strange conglomerate of news reporters who seem to have an obsession with murderers and the occult. I wonder if they will have an important role in the future.
For today, my group and i were to have read to page 150 in, The Devil in the White City. Personally, the book had really gained my interest as i read on. At first i found it to be slow but now its pace is really picking up. Holmes, the "Cleckley psychopath"(88 Larson) of our story has developed his methods by which he uses to kill and do away with his victims. His construction of his new hotel, meant to attract guest during the festival, is conducted the same time as the festival creation itself. Throughout the chapters that i have read today, there is a constant pattern of, a chapter about Holmes followed by a chapter about Burnham and the festival development. Both of which experience troubles as well as breakthroughs than fuel further development. Although faced with difficult obstacles such as the death of a fellow architect, Root, or the ever-present concern of not being able to meet the deadline, Burnham continues to work hard for a goal that everyday seems further from his grasp. While Holmes, with the development of his hotel, and especially his kiln fit for any human carcass, becoming closer to completion, seems to be showing signs of more thought out and ingenious methods to take the lives of his victims. He is taken the steps from a regular killer to a cleckley psychopath. By his unique and skillful displays of cunning his enemies and victims into a false sense of security, at this point it seems near impossible for Holmes to be stopped. And all the while more and more people around him are going missing. Now after my first individual post i believe this book is infact reaching my expectations. Although I'm still finding the chapters about Burnham and the cities development for the upcoming festival to be slow and unappealing, once i begin to read a chapter about Holmes, i can not put my book down until i've finished the chapter. I expected a fast read that would constantly gain my attention and, depending on what the chapters contains, this book has provided me with my expectations. Unlike before, when my interest was only slightly sparked, i am excited to read what will happen next. Two common themes i've noticed while reading were, work, and good and evil. Burnham and Holmes both work and have workers help work towards a final goal. While Burnham's goal is of much greater importance and nobility, both men still show a consistency of dedication towards what they wish to build and achieve. Where as, at the same time, Burnham could be view upon as a symbol of goodness and Holmes, of evil. Burnham represents the good that is developing in Chicago at that time. He is working t make the city a better place. While at the same time crime is escalating, and people like Holmes are taking advantage of what people like Burnham are doing for personal gain. After continuing reading my book i believe that is of high quality and will without a doubt stand the test of time. It is unique and engaging and, as an added bonus, is also based upon true events. After the first few chapters the book becomes a real page turner to the point where i personally couldn't put it down till i finished my required reading. Because this book is about an important time in Chicago's history it is of great social value to all those wanting to learn and, in a way, experience what happened when Chicago won the right to host the festival that was meant to match if not surpass the display of France's Eiffel tower.
Steven Pryatel Post#2 we had to read up to page 150. the book has really picked up and now in cant put it down. we have seen the killer and his methods that he uses to dispose of his victims. Holmes is constructing a new hotel in the city to attract people during the festival. Through out the book there is a pattern of the chapters, they alternate between Holmes and Burnham. These chapters explain how they go through the construction process and there troubles and triumphs they experience. Burnham did loose his pattern and fellow architect, but he still works hard every day to reach a goal that seems almost impossible to reach alone. in the Holmes chapters we see how he is finishing the construction of his new hotel and how he thinking of new methods for taking the lives of his victims. Holmes is so cunning and he is such a trickster that it seem almost impossible to stop him. The book for the most part has lived up to my expectations. However i still find the chapter with Burnham to not be as interesting as those with Holmes. Some themes that keep reoccurring are work, good, and evil. This is a very great book and it will live up to the test of time.
The biggest challenge for the Chicago fair now seems to be how they will have a more spectacular thing at their fair than Paris had. The question is how they could out do the Eiffel tower. A new young architect seems to have the answer to that, he wants to build a big wheel that spins and has people in boxes around it. The fair also seemed pretty desperate to have something that would be better than the Paris fair too because when they asked this young architect if he wanted the job, he said a ridiculous amount of money that was the same salary as the president of United States had. Holmes seems to start killing in what looks like a pattern, he makes a girl get attracted to him and then asks them to marry him, after that he kills them, it has happened quite a few times.
Like I said in my latest blog, I like this book more and more and it is really true. I don’t really know what the reason for that is but I am starting to really enjoy it. I have also said that I picked this book because I wanted to read about murders, with Holmes in the book you really get a lot of murders. But I also get to read about the fair and I kind of like reading about that, obviously not as much as I like to read the chapters about Holmes but I don’t mind it.
This book feels like it’s a “work” theme rather than a “class” theme, mainly because of the fair has a lot to do with work. But the book certainly has to do with class to but not as much as it has to do with work.
I am really starting to enjoy this book, it’s a big difference compared to the first 50 pages to say the least. I really do start to think that this book could sand the test of time. It has really developed in my mind and as it is right now I could see people still talk about this book in 5 years.
Steven Pryatel(post#3)The question for Burnham and more importantly for chicago is how are they going to out do the eiffel tower? A toung and new architect comes to Burnham with an idea that might just work. his idea is to build a big spining wheel with boxes that could fit lots of people in it. so basicaly he wants to build a huge faris wheel, so people could see the fair and the city. the young architect requested a large amount for the job to be done. Burnahm and his firm paid him what he asked for, so in way it looks as if they are desperate to beat paris. we start to see a pattern with the victims of Holmes. he gets really close to a girl asks her to marry him and then they "go missing" slash he killes them. still the chapters are split between Holems and Burnham. the onse with holmes are very intersting and they are what has kept me reading this book. however the once with Burnham are a little bit interesting because we see how they built the fair and I think this is very cool. we still se the clash between good and evil with Burnham and Holmes. The one main theme that is constant is Work because of all the work that goes into the fair. this book did not start out very good but it has lived up to my expectations. I wanted to read a page turner and this seemed like a very intesting book, and infact it has turned out to bee a page turner. I can see people talking about this book years from now.
After my previous entry, i began where Burnham has yet to discover any structure ideas that could surpass that of the Eiffel Tower. This is a disastrous time for Burnham as well as Chicago, the crime rate is rising and workers are being laid off when they're in need. Soon after, a young Pittsburgh engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris, proposes a idea of, "vertically revolving wheel 250' in dia"(185 Larson). After having his previous submission denied his idea is accepted and construction on the wheel begins. Although time is running out, people begin to give up hope, and weather conditions are brutal for the workers. Meanwhile, upon the return of Benjamin Pitezel, Holme's assistance, from Dwight, Holmes is told of a lovely women whom Pitezel met, Emeline Cigrand. Holme's invites her to work for him and soon the two become what seems like an ideal couple. Emeline becomes close with the Lawrences, other residents of the building, and accepts Holme's offer to get married. Although before the wedding can take place, she mysteriously vanishes and word of her marriage to another, Robert Phelps, arises. Mrs. Lawrence knew that something was out of place with Holmes, that perhaps rumors were true, though neither she or her husband ever went to the police. And Emeline's family suspected she simply passed on in Europe. Whereas in reality, the name Phelps was an alias that Pitezel has used, Emeline's corpse was sent to Charles Chappell and a few weeks later to LaSalle Medical College of Chicago, "and that something peculiar has occurred in the room-sized vault in Holme's building, a phenomenon that when finally discovered by police three years later would defy scientific explanation(197 Larson). At this point i am slowing beginning to become more interested in Burnhams side of the story, because i am interested in the creation of the ferris wheel i stood by almost four years ago now. This book is definitely a fast read for me now which i am glad for. Although i still believe Holme's chapters are far more interesting, the book as a whole is getting better in my personal opinion. I still see a common theme of good and evil and work. though i haven't read too much further than before so there is a chance that another has yet to emerge. I can not wait to continue, though for now I'm off to bed.
This last group session went well. We spent a lot of time talking about the way the book was written. We were very 50/50 if we liked how the chapters went back and forth between Holmes and Burnham. Ashleii and I liked it, its nice to break up the action and killing with the building of the fair. Steve and Alex were only interested in the Holmes chapters, for obvious reasons. The other thing that we brought up was the use of pictures in the book. I found the picture in the beginning of the book, the one of all the fair architects, to be very useful; it was nice to put a face to the names. The other pictures in the book are several of the construction of the buildings, a layout of the fair grounds, a portrait of Holmes, and the view of the fair from the lake.
Matt Stouffer, Blog 2 The more I read the more we learn about H.H. Holmes and Burnham. We see how Burnham is well respected by many people in Chicago. We see him pick his landscaping coordinator who at first is apprehensive to taking the job. After thinking it over and seeing the possibilities of the whole world seeing his work he decides to do it. He sees Burnham as someone who can lead and is the best choice for making the fair become reality. As this is going on, Holmes makes his first move on Chicago. He takes over a city drug store after the own ‘went to vistit family in California and liked it so much she didn’t want to come back.’ Holmes is really showing his true side. The more that we learn about his personal life, we see that he is nothing more then a cold blood killer. I’m interested to see how he evolves as a character, as he becomes more sinister and evil. What I’m wondering right now is how Holmes and Burnham will interact, how in such a large place as Chicago these two seemingly different characters will meet.
I am done with the book now, and I have to say that I really enjoyed the last third of the book. Holmes got prosecuted for murder on Pitezel and three of his kids. He also got accused for other murders but the murders that the police could prove were enough for a death sentence. People later was speculating how many persons that Holmes actually killed, and they were talking about as many as 200, but that is a fact that we will never find out. The fair also turned out to be pretty successful. It beat the record for attendance on one day set by the Paris fair. Even though some really weird stuff happened it was still successful I would say.
Now when I can look back at the book since I’m done with it I think it was meeting my expectations however it took a good 100 pages for it to be really good. I still don’t think though that the book is as good as I might thought it would be.
I would still definitely say that the theme of the book is work, because everything is depended on how much work someone puts into whatever it might be in this book. Because if Burnham didn’t have all these workers who didn’t have a job or of Burnham and his coworkers didn’t put down as much work as they did, there wouldn’t have been a fair in Chicago. It is also the same with Holmes it took a lot of work and planning for him to build his big house, especially since he did all the architecture himself. I really enjoyed this book especially the last third of the book. I can even say that I enjoyed reading the last chapter about how much work the author actually put in to this book. He had to find every fact by himself and then make a story that was worth telling to people is really impressive. Looking back when I first started reading the book I thought that it was just a boring book that didn’t really have a purpose, but now when I can see what the author was trying to do, I can see that I had to describe Chicago the way he did. Because it is such difference between the Chicago we know now and the Chicago back then. I don’t think that people are still talking about this book in ten years, they might be talking about it in five but I can’t really see that it would stand the test of time. But whether that is true or not I dint know. All I know is that I enjoyed reading this true story about the fair that changed America.
I am finally finished with the book, and it did indeed turn out to be a very good book. the trial with holems and his conviction was very interesting. they found enough evidance for some the mureders the he commited to give him the death sentance.the fair on the other hand did turn out to be very sucsessful. the did out do the efile tower with the big wheel, and they beat the most attendance for one day from the fair in paris. like i have said countless times before the book did start off very slow, however it did pick up and once it gopt going it was very hard to put down. one of the main themes in this book would definatly have to be work. this is because Burnham and his workers put so much time and effort into building the things for the fair, so it could be a better fair then that of the one in paris. in the end it did turn out to be by far a way better fair. however if they did not show passion for thier work then i feel that they would not have net thier dead-lines for the fair, and there would be no fair. Holmes also had to do alot of work in builing and planning his killings. he had to work extra hard because he did all of the work by himself, so no one would know what exactly he was building. the author himself had to a great deal of work in finding all the facts for this book. this book was very interesting and i now understand why the author had to describe how chicago was back than, its because it is completly different than how it is now. this was a GREAT book, even though it took awhile to get there. i can see people talking about this book for years to come.
Since my last blog a lot has happened in The Devil in the White City. There have been many ups, but just as many downs for our main hero Daniel Burnham. Burnham was able to not only get all of the east coast architects, but work on the fair began. Burnham received a huge blow when Root, his partner for years, died while Burnham was down the hall. Root’s death caused Burnham to go into a depression, only delaying the fair, that much longer. The only thing that kept him going though was his determination to make his and roots dream come true. While all this is going on Holmes continues his killing. He upgraded his hotel with a kiln to dispose of his victims. One passage that kept me on the edge of my seat was when Holmes had one of his tenants, Ned, step into his air and sound tight chamber. I thought for sure that we’d never hear from Ned again but I guess that Holmes saw more use for Ned alive then dead. Not long after this Ned left his wife and their daughter, the marriage between them was no longer working, no thanks to Holmes’s help. I’m interested in seeing what he has planned for them. I still have a lot to read and can’t wait to see the characters develop more as time goes on.
Ashleii Kono ((Ind 4)): From where i last left off, the fair was still in development and Holmes had recently taken another victim's life. After finishing my required reading, as well as the book, i've learned that a lot happens after where i left off when i last put the book down. To summarize the main events, Burnham and others finish the fair on time, even when negative weather and personal obstacles stood in the way. I recall it being stated that at one point about ten thousand men were working together to make the fair a reality. Opening day was a huge success, and the exhibition as a hole ran on for weeks and weeks. The ferris wheel turned out to be a great success, at first observers were skeptical but after tests and time when the wind arose, people loved it so much that couples would request to become wed at the very top. In the end the city of Chicago's exhibition had victoriously out Eiffeled Eiffel. Although after many who used to maintain Chicago during the preparation and fair had returned home, the city went back to the poor condition it originally was. Meanwhile with Holmes, many continued to mysteriously vanish and as always he remained sincere but clueless towards those close to the missing. During the time of the fair, Holmes becomes close with two women, who happen to be sisters, Minnie and Anna (Nannie). He took the two to the fair and it's fireworks, and all seemed to be going well. Although after being tracked down by detective Geyer, Holmes was thrown in prison where he wrote many letters and memoirs about his doings. While Holmes does so, Geyer finds more and more bodies of Holme's victims. In the end, Holmes appeared to be inhumanely unaffected by all the events that had taken place and was found guilty for the murders of, Benjamin Pitezel, Howard Pitezel, Allice and Nellie. Though it was stated that Holmes was suspected to have killed up to two hundred people. Many are baffled with the Chicago Police's negligence with Holmes, while Holmes continued on with his murders and, "feel that he was a god in disguise"(388 Larson). After finishing, i believe that the book did in fact end up meeting my expectations and in some areas surpassing them. I originally chose the book to read about the murders in the city of Chicago, but ended up learning about Chicago's history and how it had happened. I read of all the hard work put into the fair, what the city of Chicago was like, What it took to get to where it had, etc. Although i did not always find the chapters about the construction and development of the fair to be engaging it did pick up rather quickly. And any chapter about Holmes, even his trials, always made me want to read more. I am definitally gonig to stick with my two themes or good and bad, as well as work. Because both were displayed throughout the entire book, wheather it was seen in Burnham and his men striving to meet their deadline no matter what it took, the crime within Chicago city, or Holmes inhumane actions, these themes could be spotted with relative ease. The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson was a outstanding book, it had a lot of historical information as well as an engaging flow. I still believe it will stand the test of time.
This is one of the two parts of the group entry. It is pretty hard to write a group entry because we are in such different spots of the book. But all of us basically understood that Holmes is going to get accused for murder on a huge amount of people so we talked a bit about the trial and how that would look like to have a trial in during that time period. Since it must be so much harder to prove that someone is actually guilty.
Today Alex and i had agreed to split our group entry. We started by talking about where everyone was and what were key things that happened. Steve had mentioned the trial of Holmes and i believe it was Alex who said that Holmes was suspected to have kileld roughly 200 people. I shared what i had read up to by that point, basically about how the fair was still in development and Holmes was still killing for the thrill and feeling of power. Stouffer and i were at the same spot while Alex and Steve had finished.
17 comments:
stsven pryatel(post1) the devil in the white city isvery in teresting book. the begining of the book was very slow but after it got going it became very interesting. i think one reason that the beginig was very slow was because it just tells about the background of the story and it sets the seen for the rest of the story. the Aouthor Erik Larson dose a very good jod in drawing the reader into the story and then once he has the readers attention he makes it hard for them to stop reading. one reason i chose this book because it seemed very interesting. i like to read books that are mystery books and that are genuine page turners. so far this book has lived up to my expectations. i think that one of the themes could be "work" because Erik Larson explains how Burnham and Root jobs work and what their jods are. he tells the readers how they got their jobs and how hard they worked for those jobs, and hwo hard they work to maintain thier jobs. i waould have to say that this is a good book and that it keeps pepole wanting more, and its hard to put down. this is a very interesting book and i would consider it a gunuine page turner. i feel that this book is a very great book and that it will catch the interest of anyone who picks it up. sorry that my first post was late but i will make the future posts on time.
Individual entry #1”
I have read to page 50 and I have been introduced to Burnham and Root, but so far is their importance in this story unclear. The author also introduces H.H Holmes or Herman Webster Mudgett as his given name is. H.H Holmes is a doctor who I suspect is the killer in the story. It is pretty obvious that he is the killer with the example that he lied to some of his customers about where Mrs. Holton was, Mrs. Holton is a owner of a drugstore that H.H Holmes bought after her husband died. The author also tells about Chicago in the time period of the book, the competition for the fair and the some of the difficulties that was in the city at that time.
So far the book isn’t meeting my expectations at all because I was expecting a really interesting story about a killer in Chicago and so far this book is really slow to read. The author talks a lot of Chicago in the beginning and he makes it to a very boring book to read. Hopefully it picks up now when I am introduced to whom I suspect to be the killer in the story. The reason why I choose this book was that I like reading about murderers and books that is so interesting that you want to keep on reading. I don’t really feel that with this book so far.
It is really hard, in my opinion, to put a theme to this book since I haven’t read that much of it. I think that it could be the theme “Work”. Because the book talks a bit about Burnham and Root and their job as architects and how that works out for them.
Right now I don’t think it is a good book but it feels like it has potential to be a very good book. The reason why it isn’t that good is that it is a hard reading with a lot of complicated language that makes the story hard to follow with. Which doesn’t give it a flow like really good books does. I also think that the author might be building the story so it will start to pick up and be really good. But I don’t think that this book has the potential to be a book that people is talking about in ten years. I also don’t see any real cultural or social value in this book, nothing that the author wants to say with the book. Not so far but it has potential.
October 10, 2008 6:55 PM
Individual blog entry # 2
I have now read to page 150 in “The Devil In The White City”. Now in the book H.H Holmes is starting to really killing people. He is going out of control. He is killing people that isn’t good for him anymore. For an example first he makes a couple have an divorce and then when the wife gets pregnant with his child he kills her and her daughter from the previous marriage. The Architect Root dies and Burnham feels alone. Burnham also works really hard with the fair right now, but that doesn’t seem to matter because it seems like it is not going to be done in time, they are far behind their schedule.
I have to say that the book starts to more and more meet my expectations, because, like I said in my previous blog entry, I wanted a book that was exciting to read and this book is getting really exciting. The reason for that is mostly because of H.H Holmes. The author makes a really good job talking about him. When you read this book you always just want to go to the chapters with him in them.
The book becomes more like a theme over “work”. Everything is basically about work. The architects work with the fair, but also H.H Holmes life becomes more work related. For an example, he kills a lady and then sells her skeleton to a university because he makes a lot of money from it. Holmes doesn’t just seem like his only after killing people he obviously wants to make money too.
I am starting to enjoy this book more now, the last 100 pages that I have read only gets better and better, and I am really glad that I stayed with this book. The real page-turner with this book right now is Holmes he is definitely a character that makes some crazy things. I wouldn’t say right now that this book has any value and I wouldn’t say that it is going to be remembered in 10 years but if it is getting better the way it has the last 100 pages I wouldn’t say that it would be impossible.
Matt Stouffer (post 1)
At this point in the book we see H. H. Holmes introduced in the a less dramatic way then I expected. He’s very persuasive and comes off as a nice guy. I’m almost upset that I know the type of person he becomes later in the book. We’re introduced to Daniel Burnham and his design firm, as well as some of the projects they’ve worked on. Burnham and Root just won the bid for the fair but we really haven’t seen their reactions yet. We’re also introduced to the Whitechapel organization. A strange conglomerate of news reporters who seem to have an obsession with murderers and the occult. I wonder if they will have an important role in the future.
Ashleii Kono: Individual Entry #2
For today, my group and i were to have read to page 150 in, The Devil in the White City. Personally, the book had really gained my interest as i read on. At first i found it to be slow but now its pace is really picking up. Holmes, the "Cleckley psychopath"(88 Larson) of our story has developed his methods by which he uses to kill and do away with his victims. His construction of his new hotel, meant to attract guest during the festival, is conducted the same time as the festival creation itself. Throughout the chapters that i have read today, there is a constant pattern of, a chapter about Holmes followed by a chapter about Burnham and the festival development. Both of which experience troubles as well as breakthroughs than fuel further development. Although faced with difficult obstacles such as the death of a fellow architect, Root, or the ever-present concern of not being able to meet the deadline, Burnham continues to work hard for a goal that everyday seems further from his grasp. While Holmes, with the development of his hotel, and especially his kiln fit for any human carcass, becoming closer to completion, seems to be showing signs of more thought out and ingenious methods to take the lives of his victims. He is taken the steps from a regular killer to a cleckley psychopath. By his unique and skillful displays of cunning his enemies and victims into a false sense of security, at this point it seems near impossible for Holmes to be stopped. And all the while more and more people around him are going missing. Now after my first individual post i believe this book is infact reaching my expectations. Although I'm still finding the chapters about Burnham and the cities development for the upcoming festival to be slow and unappealing, once i begin to read a chapter about Holmes, i can not put my book down until i've finished the chapter. I expected a fast read that would constantly gain my attention and, depending on what the chapters contains, this book has provided me with my expectations. Unlike before, when my interest was only slightly sparked, i am excited to read what will happen next. Two common themes i've noticed while reading were, work, and good and evil. Burnham and Holmes both work and have workers help work towards a final goal. While Burnham's goal is of much greater importance and nobility, both men still show a consistency of dedication towards what they wish to build and achieve. Where as, at the same time, Burnham could be view upon as a symbol of goodness and Holmes, of evil. Burnham represents the good that is developing in Chicago at that time. He is working t make the city a better place. While at the same time crime is escalating, and people like Holmes are taking advantage of what people like Burnham are doing for personal gain.
After continuing reading my book i believe that is of high quality and will without a doubt stand the test of time. It is unique and engaging and, as an added bonus, is also based upon true events. After the first few chapters the book becomes a real page turner to the point where i personally couldn't put it down till i finished my required reading. Because this book is about an important time in Chicago's history it is of great social value to all those wanting to learn and, in a way, experience what happened when Chicago won the right to host the festival that was meant to match if not surpass the display of France's Eiffel tower.
Steven Pryatel Post#2 we had to read up to page 150. the book has really picked up and now in cant put it down. we have seen the killer and his methods that he uses to dispose of his victims. Holmes is constructing a new hotel in the city to attract people during the festival. Through out the book there is a pattern of the chapters, they alternate between Holmes and Burnham. These chapters explain how they go through the construction process and there troubles and triumphs they experience. Burnham did loose his pattern and fellow architect, but he still works hard every day to reach a goal that seems almost impossible to reach alone. in the Holmes chapters we see how he is finishing the construction of his new hotel and how he thinking of new methods for taking the lives of his victims. Holmes is so cunning and he is such a trickster that it seem almost impossible to stop him. The book for the most part has lived up to my expectations. However i still find the chapter with Burnham to not be as interesting as those with Holmes. Some themes that keep reoccurring are work, good, and evil. This is a very great book and it will live up to the test of time.
Individual blog entry #3
The biggest challenge for the Chicago fair now seems to be how they will have a more spectacular thing at their fair than Paris had. The question is how they could out do the Eiffel tower. A new young architect seems to have the answer to that, he wants to build a big wheel that spins and has people in boxes around it. The fair also seemed pretty desperate to have something that would be better than the Paris fair too because when they asked this young architect if he wanted the job, he said a ridiculous amount of money that was the same salary as the president of United States had. Holmes seems to start killing in what looks like a pattern, he makes a girl get attracted to him and then asks them to marry him, after that he kills them, it has happened quite a few times.
Like I said in my latest blog, I like this book more and more and it is really true. I don’t really know what the reason for that is but I am starting to really enjoy it. I have also said that I picked this book because I wanted to read about murders, with Holmes in the book you really get a lot of murders. But I also get to read about the fair and I kind of like reading about that, obviously not as much as I like to read the chapters about Holmes but I don’t mind it.
This book feels like it’s a “work” theme rather than a “class” theme, mainly because of the fair has a lot to do with work. But the book certainly has to do with class to but not as much as it has to do with work.
I am really starting to enjoy this book, it’s a big difference compared to the first 50 pages to say the least. I really do start to think that this book could sand the test of time. It has really developed in my mind and as it is right now I could see people still talk about this book in 5 years.
Steven Pryatel(post#3)The question for Burnham and more importantly for chicago is how are they going to out do the eiffel tower? A toung and new architect comes to Burnham with an idea that might just work. his idea is to build a big spining wheel with boxes that could fit lots of people in it. so basicaly he wants to build a huge faris wheel, so people could see the fair and the city. the young architect requested a large amount for the job to be done. Burnahm and his firm paid him what he asked for, so in way it looks as if they are desperate to beat paris. we start to see a pattern with the victims of Holmes. he gets really close to a girl asks her to marry him and then they "go missing" slash he killes them. still the chapters are split between Holems and Burnham. the onse with holmes are very intersting and they are what has kept me reading this book. however the once with Burnham are a little bit interesting because we see how they built the fair and I think this is very cool. we still se the clash between good and evil with Burnham and Holmes. The one main theme that is constant is Work because of all the work that goes into the fair. this book did not start out very good but it has lived up to my expectations. I wanted to read a page turner and this seemed like a very intesting book, and infact it has turned out to bee a page turner. I can see people talking about this book years from now.
Ashleii Kono #3
After my previous entry, i began where Burnham has yet to discover any structure ideas that could surpass that of the Eiffel Tower. This is a disastrous time for Burnham as well as Chicago, the crime rate is rising and workers are being laid off when they're in need. Soon after, a young Pittsburgh engineer, George Washington Gale Ferris, proposes a idea of, "vertically revolving wheel 250' in dia"(185 Larson). After having his previous submission denied his idea is accepted and construction on the wheel begins. Although time is running out, people begin to give up hope, and weather conditions are brutal for the workers. Meanwhile, upon the return of Benjamin Pitezel, Holme's assistance, from Dwight, Holmes is told of a lovely women whom Pitezel met, Emeline Cigrand. Holme's invites her to work for him and soon the two become what seems like an ideal couple. Emeline becomes close with the Lawrences, other residents of the building, and accepts Holme's offer to get married. Although before the wedding can take place, she mysteriously vanishes and word of her marriage to another, Robert Phelps, arises. Mrs. Lawrence knew that something was out of place with Holmes, that perhaps rumors were true, though neither she or her husband ever went to the police. And Emeline's family suspected she simply passed on in Europe. Whereas in reality, the name Phelps was an alias that Pitezel has used, Emeline's corpse was sent to Charles Chappell and a few weeks later to LaSalle Medical College of Chicago, "and that something peculiar has occurred in the room-sized vault in Holme's building, a phenomenon that when finally discovered by police three years later would defy scientific explanation(197 Larson). At this point i am slowing beginning to become more interested in Burnhams side of the story, because i am interested in the creation of the ferris wheel i stood by almost four years ago now. This book is definitely a fast read for me now which i am glad for. Although i still believe Holme's chapters are far more interesting, the book as a whole is getting better in my personal opinion. I still see a common theme of good and evil and work. though i haven't read too much further than before so there is a chance that another has yet to emerge. I can not wait to continue, though for now I'm off to bed.
Group Blog 2
This last group session went well. We spent a lot of time talking about the way the book was written. We were very 50/50 if we liked how the chapters went back and forth between Holmes and Burnham. Ashleii and I liked it, its nice to break up the action and killing with the building of the fair. Steve and Alex were only interested in the Holmes chapters, for obvious reasons. The other thing that we brought up was the use of pictures in the book. I found the picture in the beginning of the book, the one of all the fair architects, to be very useful; it was nice to put a face to the names. The other pictures in the book are several of the construction of the buildings, a layout of the fair grounds, a portrait of Holmes, and the view of the fair from the lake.
Matt Stouffer, Blog 2
The more I read the more we learn about H.H. Holmes and Burnham. We see how Burnham is well respected by many people in Chicago. We see him pick his landscaping coordinator who at first is apprehensive to taking the job. After thinking it over and seeing the possibilities of the whole world seeing his work he decides to do it. He sees Burnham as someone who can lead and is the best choice for making the fair become reality. As this is going on, Holmes makes his first move on Chicago. He takes over a city drug store after the own ‘went to vistit family in California and liked it so much she didn’t want to come back.’ Holmes is really showing his true side. The more that we learn about his personal life, we see that he is nothing more then a cold blood killer. I’m interested to see how he evolves as a character, as he becomes more sinister and evil. What I’m wondering right now is how Holmes and Burnham will interact, how in such a large place as Chicago these two seemingly different characters will meet.
Individual entry #4
I am done with the book now, and I have to say that I really enjoyed the last third of the book. Holmes got prosecuted for murder on Pitezel and three of his kids. He also got accused for other murders but the murders that the police could prove were enough for a death sentence. People later was speculating how many persons that Holmes actually killed, and they were talking about as many as 200, but that is a fact that we will never find out. The fair also turned out to be pretty successful. It beat the record for attendance on one day set by the Paris fair. Even though some really weird stuff happened it was still successful I would say.
Now when I can look back at the book since I’m done with it I think it was meeting my expectations however it took a good 100 pages for it to be really good. I still don’t think though that the book is as good as I might thought it would be.
I would still definitely say that the theme of the book is work, because everything is depended on how much work someone puts into whatever it might be in this book. Because if Burnham didn’t have all these workers who didn’t have a job or of Burnham and his coworkers didn’t put down as much work as they did, there wouldn’t have been a fair in Chicago. It is also the same with Holmes it took a lot of work and planning for him to build his big house, especially since he did all the architecture himself.
I really enjoyed this book especially the last third of the book. I can even say that I enjoyed reading the last chapter about how much work the author actually put in to this book. He had to find every fact by himself and then make a story that was worth telling to people is really impressive. Looking back when I first started reading the book I thought that it was just a boring book that didn’t really have a purpose, but now when I can see what the author was trying to do, I can see that I had to describe Chicago the way he did. Because it is such difference between the Chicago we know now and the Chicago back then. I don’t think that people are still talking about this book in ten years, they might be talking about it in five but I can’t really see that it would stand the test of time. But whether that is true or not I dint know. All I know is that I enjoyed reading this true story about the fair that changed America.
I am finally finished with the book, and it did indeed turn out to be a very good book. the trial with holems and his conviction was very interesting. they found enough evidance for some the mureders the he commited to give him the death sentance.the fair on the other hand did turn out to be very sucsessful. the did out do the efile tower with the big wheel, and they beat the most attendance for one day from the fair in paris. like i have said countless times before the book did start off very slow, however it did pick up and once it gopt going it was very hard to put down. one of the main themes in this book would definatly have to be work. this is because Burnham and his workers put so much time and effort into building the things for the fair, so it could be a better fair then that of the one in paris. in the end it did turn out to be by far a way better fair. however if they did not show passion for thier work then i feel that they would not have net thier dead-lines for the fair, and there would be no fair. Holmes also had to do alot of work in builing and planning his killings. he had to work extra hard because he did all of the work by himself, so no one would know what exactly he was building. the author himself had to a great deal of work in finding all the facts for this book. this book was very interesting and i now understand why the author had to describe how chicago was back than, its because it is completly different than how it is now. this was a GREAT book, even though it took awhile to get there. i can see people talking about this book for years to come.
Matt Stouffer # 4
Since my last blog a lot has happened in The Devil in the White City. There have been many ups, but just as many downs for our main hero Daniel Burnham. Burnham was able to not only get all of the east coast architects, but work on the fair began. Burnham received a huge blow when Root, his partner for years, died while Burnham was down the hall. Root’s death caused Burnham to go into a depression, only delaying the fair, that much longer. The only thing that kept him going though was his determination to make his and roots dream come true. While all this is going on Holmes continues his killing. He upgraded his hotel with a kiln to dispose of his victims. One passage that kept me on the edge of my seat was when Holmes had one of his tenants, Ned, step into his air and sound tight chamber. I thought for sure that we’d never hear from Ned again but I guess that Holmes saw more use for Ned alive then dead. Not long after this Ned left his wife and their daughter, the marriage between them was no longer working, no thanks to Holmes’s help. I’m interested in seeing what he has planned for them. I still have a lot to read and can’t wait to see the characters develop more as time goes on.
Ashleii Kono ((Ind 4)):
From where i last left off, the fair was still in development and Holmes had recently taken another victim's life. After finishing my required reading, as well as the book, i've learned that a lot happens after where i left off when i last put the book down. To summarize the main events, Burnham and others finish the fair on time, even when negative weather and personal obstacles stood in the way. I recall it being stated that at one point about ten thousand men were working together to make the fair a reality. Opening day was a huge success, and the exhibition as a hole ran on for weeks and weeks. The ferris wheel turned out to
be a great success, at first observers were skeptical but after tests and time when the wind arose, people loved it so much that couples would request to become wed at the very top. In the end the city of Chicago's exhibition had victoriously out Eiffeled Eiffel. Although after many who used to maintain Chicago during the preparation and fair had returned home, the city went back to the poor condition it originally was. Meanwhile with Holmes, many continued to mysteriously vanish and as always he remained sincere but clueless towards those close to the missing. During the time of the fair, Holmes becomes close with two women, who happen to be sisters, Minnie and Anna (Nannie). He took the two to the fair and it's fireworks, and all seemed to be going well. Although after being tracked down by detective Geyer, Holmes was thrown in prison where he wrote many letters and memoirs about his doings. While Holmes does so, Geyer finds more and more bodies of Holme's victims. In the end, Holmes appeared to be inhumanely unaffected by all the events that had taken place and was found guilty for the murders of, Benjamin Pitezel, Howard Pitezel, Allice and Nellie. Though it was stated that Holmes was suspected to have killed up to two hundred people. Many are baffled with the Chicago Police's negligence with Holmes, while Holmes continued on with his murders and, "feel that he was a god in disguise"(388 Larson).
After finishing, i believe that the book did in fact end up meeting my expectations and in some areas surpassing them. I originally chose the book to read about the murders in the city of Chicago, but ended up learning about Chicago's history and how it had happened. I read of all the hard work put into the fair, what the city of Chicago was like, What it took to get to where it had, etc. Although i did not always find the chapters about the construction and development of the fair to be engaging it did pick up rather quickly. And any chapter about Holmes, even his trials, always made me want to read more.
I am definitally gonig to stick with my two themes or good and bad, as well as work. Because both were displayed throughout the entire book, wheather it was seen in Burnham and his men striving to meet their deadline no matter what it took, the crime within Chicago city, or Holmes inhumane actions, these themes could be spotted with relative ease.
The Devil in the White City by Eric Larson was a outstanding book, it had a lot of historical information as well as an engaging flow. I still believe it will stand the test of time.
Group entry #3
This is one of the two parts of the group entry. It is pretty hard to write a group entry because we are in such different spots of the book. But all of us basically understood that Holmes is going to get accused for murder on a huge amount of people so we talked a bit about the trial and how that would look like to have a trial in during that time period. Since it must be so much harder to prove that someone is actually guilty.
Ashleii - group post
Today Alex and i had agreed to split our group entry. We started by talking about where everyone was and what were key things that happened. Steve had mentioned the trial of Holmes and i believe it was Alex who said that Holmes was suspected to have kileld roughly 200 people. I shared what i had read up to by that point, basically about how the fair was still in development and Holmes was still killing for the thrill and feeling of power. Stouffer and i were at the same spot while Alex and Steve had finished.
Post a Comment