Violence In Chicago

With many ways of transportation rolling the people of Chicago around, wheels “[strike] the pavement like rolling hammers-produc[ing] a constant thunder” (Larson 28) . By comparing the strikes the pavement takes to thunder, it becomes apparent the Black City is an overwhelming noisy place to be in. The audience is taken back because of the constant noise they would hear while walking down the streets or just being there. The immense amount of chaos going on contributes to Larson’s purpose of the negative connotation of the Black City. While the Black City takes on a chaotic role, the White City has an “inexhaustible dream of beauty” (Larson 252).

This picture taken by Barbara Davidson in Los Angeles on December 29,2010 depicts the true reality of the environment that the people in Los Angeles were living in. The photo informs audiences that many families were victims caught in the crossfire of the gang violence that erupted within the city. The victim in this picture is a young man still in high school shot and killed walking home after a shopping trip. The photographer uses pathos and appeals to the audience emotions by showing the sorrow and pain left behind by these acts of violence and complete disregard to human life and those affected in the aftermath. The context of this photo can be political and cultural in that the suspect of this picture was an undocumented immigrant teenager

One of Erik Larson’s main ways of building the black and white cities is through figurative language. Larson expresses that Chicago is “likened...to a human being with his skin removed”

In “it was a blighted, hellish place full of noise and dust and smoke and inhuman towers that blocked the sun and she hated it—hated especially this gloomy building and the ceaseless clamor of construction” (Larson 123), the black city is described through selective connotation and word choice. Larson creating an unpleasant mood by using such negative and degrading words such as “blighted,” “hellish,” and “inhuman” to describe Chicago, readers can envision a hateful and dull place. By placing “and” in front of the negative words: blighted, hellish, and inhuman and repeating “and” multiple times, the list of unappealing attributes of the city is elongated. Essentially, Chicago is envisioned in a worse way than if the negative adjectives were just listed one after another without the effect that “and” carries, emphasizing the hatred the character held towards

In Devil in the White City, by Erik Larson utilizes the idea of a “devil” during a time of when Chicago was prospering to showcase the evil lurking behind the mirage of wealth and beauty. The speaker is a third person omniscient narrator who has known about Burnham and Holmes life Chicago in the late-nineteenth century. The audience is intended for readers who enjoy non-fiction thriller novels or wants to know about the historical event from different viewpoints. The purpose is to entertain the audience but also teach them about the coexistence and balance of “good” and “evil” in one city. The subject is about Chicago during the Columbian Exposition, focusing on the juxtaposition of the lives of Burnham and Holmes. The tone shifts throughout the novel between every other chapter when there is a change in character since they have different thoughts and settings. Larson uses this to emphasize the universal themes of harmonization of polar opposites. He contrasts the two demeanors of Chicago, the white city was Burnham’s fair, also known a dream land. On the other hand, the black city is Holmes’ house of terror.

In doing so, the reader is forced to realise that Chicago is not all good, but also not all bad. The readers also receive a more broad view of Chicago, which allows them to make more broad judgements. Larson doesn’t want the city to be viewed in only one way, he wants to portray a more realistic view of the city. I believe his dichotomy is successful, as we see one set of characters trying to promote a positive image of Chicago, and the other set of character’s destroying

In the novel The Devil in the White City, Author Erik Larson uses imagery, irony, and juxtaposition to parallel the good and evil sides of the city of Chicago during the 1893 World’s Fair. Larson takes a more upbeat, joyous tone while following the story of Burnham and the architects designing the World Fair, but the tone turns much darker when perspectives change and we follow the plot of H.H. Holmes, America’s first known serial killer. Using rhetorical devices like imagery, diction, and syntax, Larson is able to paint a picture of Chicago from both the good and evil side, setting a more serious and ominous tone for the novel.

So, The various texts we have read about Chicago i believe it showed Chicago to be an bad and good city. I also think that in the text the author came from different background so they had different point of views. I also think it could have been the side of town there was on because that could be and major factor in an person's point of view. I say that because in “Sister Carrie” the author really talked about Chicago being

In the poem it says on the first stanza in line one and two “Here on the edge of hell stands Harlem”. What part of Harlem? It doesn’t say. In the poem “The Weary blues” It states in stanza two, line one “Down on Lenox Avenue”. Now Lenox is a street in Harlem.

1. “The White City had drawn men and protected them; the Black City now welcomed them back, on the eye of winter, with filth, starvation, and violence” (pg 323). During the World’s Fair, Chicago was a truly wonderful place. At first, all the people were distracted by the actual fair, but after everyone had dispersed, the White City returned to the Black City it normally was. All of the success that the head architects and Chicago’s people believed the fair had achieved didn’t leave a lasting imprint on the city. The fair ended, the magic faded, and The Black City swallowed the White City whole.

In this essay I will be comparing two poems which show connections between people and the places in which they live. The two poems I will be comparing and contrasting are “Blessing” by imtiaz Dharker and “Island Man” by Grace Nichols. Both of these poets express their feelings through these poems. Grace Nichols allocates her experiences of how people feel when separated from the environment and place they lived in for such a long period of time. On the contrary Imtiaz Dharker uses the poem “Blessing” to convey the importance of water for less fortunate people. From both of the poems I have chosen I can see that the poets have written about something they feel is important. The reason why I have chosen these two poems is because both of the

With the leading number of gangs in the country, Los Angeles is thought of as the gang capital of the world. Employing gang suppression strategies that take distinct forms, from anti-gang injunctions to high rate of incarcerations, the City of Angels has failed to live up to its angelic name. Known instead for its demonic gang activity and police suppression efforts, Los Angeles has taken over media headlines as one of the most dangerous places to subsist. Representing a worrisome issue for residents, visitors, city government officials, as well as urban planners, gang violence has rapidly become a threat to public safety. Although current-day gang culture has eased off on the violence, it continues to be one of the greatest planning challenges

In low income areas and large cities, gang violence is a major problem. Gang violence in Chicago is reaching alarming proportions. Day by day they are increasing rapidly. None of the solutions work effectively to eliminate gangs. However police departments and other government officials are trying their best to provide the same security as other areas in chicago. Thousands of innocent people are dying each year from these ill mannered thugs. In today’s societies gang activity is everywhere, whether it includes violence, drugs, death or any illegal activity. There are several aspects which are causing these violent activities. In past years the police department and the mayor designed different strategies to stop this violence. From my perspective better education and scholarships are the only way to reduce gangs and other illegal activities.

In "Chicago," published in 1916, has accepted the world around him and acknowledges that although he is not a part of what he has witnessed, he is complacent with the alienating properties Chicago is able to provide and finds comfort in being lost within the large city. The narrator begins by describing Chicago as "Hog Butcher for the World,/Tool maker, Stacker of Wheat,/ Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;/Stormy, husky, brawling,/City of the Big Shoulders" to explain how industrialization has come to define the city ("Chicago" 1-5). The narrator then proceeds to describe his observations of individuals who live on the fringe of society, "painted women under the gas lamps luring

As Chauncey Depew says, “Chicago is like the man who marries a woman with a ready-made family of twelve; the trouble [has] just begun.” (Larson 34).