Imagery In Devil In The White City

Words: 961

Pages: 4

Open Document

Murder is, and has been, one of the most inhumane acts in all of human history. For someone to commit such a crime, there must be something wrong with them. Erik Larson, author of the nonfiction book, Devil In The White City, uses a great deal of imagery throughout this novel. Larson also uses an excellent contrast between the two main characters, H.H Holmes and Dr Burnham. He uses imagery to create a contrast with the two different stories included. It helps contrast the story of H.H Holmes and Dr Burnham. It does a fantastic job developing not only the stories but the characters as well. Doing this makes the book a whole lot more interesting to read. Larson uses his vibrant details to create duality, not only in the characters, but in the overall themes of the book as well. These vast differences between Dr. H.H holmes and Burnham become even more striking through the pictures larson is able to paint. Larsen describes Burnham and Holmes similarly by using “charming,” (28) “beautiful,” (55) and “appealing” (93) to create the overall charisma and likability the 2 men share. In the Burnham …show more content…
The themes that exist side by side each other from beginning to end are incredibly difference and the duality that is seen is present on multiple different levels. The duality is first present in the imagery evoked by the title. By titling the book “The Devil in the White City” he is able to drive home the image of Holmes as the devil-like yet incredibly charismatic character he is and placing him so closely to the “white city” emphasizes the effect him and other criminals had on the fair. By referring to the world's fair as it's commonly used nickname, he brings to light the purity and rejuvenation the fair was projected to bring to the fair. Ultimately the title is a prime example of the prime imagery that Larson uses to spotlight the characters and plots of this compelling

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Devil In The White City

DITWC Rhetorical Analysis Essay The Devil in the White City, a novel by Erik Larson, references the Chicago World's fair. The Fair, known as The Columbian Exposition, takes place during a time of innovation: new inventions, new cultural experiences, new technological innovations, new social orders, and new murderers. Henry Gordon, H.S Campbell, Alexander Bond, and Alex E. Cook are all aliases for a man with the birth name of Herman Webster Mudgett. Mudgett, however, was most commonly known as Dr…

Words 1184 - Pages 5

The Devil In The White City Essay

“I was born with the devil in me. I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing” (Doctor H. H. Holmes, during his confession). H.H. Holmes is known today as America’s first serial killer and is estimated to have killed between 40-200 people, mostly women, during the World’s Fair of 1893. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, follows the story of murderer H.H. Holmes and his acquisitions of his victims, and the story of Daniel Burnham…

Words 1290 - Pages 6

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Devil In The White City By Erik Larson

In The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America, the author, Erik Larson, focuses around the idea that beauty can hide the ugliness within. Larson writes about the effects of dishonest work and by writing this book, attempts to drive society towards the right direction, towards honesty. In this writing piece, Larson uses different rhetorical strategies to achieve his purpose in encouraging society towards integrity. Larson includes the use of setting, imagery…

Words 924 - Pages 4

intellectual property theft Essay

was and is now outdated. Robert Gray warns the reader about the serious implications of change. This poem has quite a dark tone with the constant talk of shadows, smoke and the mention of the fires of hell, the devil and life after we are gone from this earth. "As in hell the devils might poke about through our souls, after scraps of appetite with which to stimulate themselves." It also seems to give a feeling of sadness at the things that are still to come. "knowing al that he does about us,…

Words 1871 - Pages 8

Essay on Conrad: Heart of Darkness

language, this short novel certainly makes its impact not primarily through direct statement but through imagery, metaphor and an air of accumulation and imprecision – as his narrator, Marlow, attempts slowly to define and to make sense of his remembered experiences in the Congo for the entertainment of his listeners on the Essex marshes. But the tale’s underlying imagery of light and darkness, white and black, light on dark, of darkness made visible, shining, glittering, glinting, gleaming, dark reflections…

Words 2162 - Pages 9

Lord Of The Flies

Lord of the Flies Major: Ralph- Ralph is the protagonist of the novel. He is the leader of the group. Responsible- Ralph is responsible for the failures of the group since he is chosen to be the leader. He tries his best on everything that could be done in order to get rescued from the island. Brave- Ralph is brave because he is willing to go on to the mountaintop even though he is scared. He also helps Piggy to get back his glasses and fight gainst the hunters by himself. Jack- Jack is Ralph's…

Words 2392 - Pages 10

A Note On Halloween

Title Heading To take advantage of this template’s design, use the Styles gallery on the Home tab. You can format your headings by using heading styles, or highlight important text using other styles, like Emphasis and Intense Quote. These styles come in formatted to look great and work together to help communicate your ideas. Go ahead and get started. Halloween From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the observance. For other uses, see Halloween…

Words 6822 - Pages 28

Essay on Sor 1 Notes

Religion and Belief Systems in Australia post-1945 1901-1945 religious makeup of population is hardly changed → predominately Anglo-Celtic Christian. 0.5 % profess non-Christian religions. Migration to Australia after WWII drastically alters religious landscape. Contemporary Aboriginal Spirituality Aboriginal Spirituality as determined by the Dreaming Kinship Complex network of relationships defining identity, rights, obligations. Defines and individuals place, role and responsibility in the…

Words 9982 - Pages 40

Essay on Gcse Re

event thought to be the fault of a particular group of people. An example of someone who fought for justice is Rosa Parks. Mrs. Parks was a seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama when, in December of 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger. Rosa Parks was physically tired, but no more than you or I after a long day's work. In fact, under other circumstances, she would have probably given up her seat willingly to a child or elderly person. But this time Parks was tired…

Words 5269 - Pages 22

Critical Thinking, Reading, And Writing

Long1 McGrawHill Chapter 1 Critical thinking, reading, and writing ● Most college work still requires an ability to understand and reflect intelligently on written texts, and subsequently, to respond in writing to them. Preponderance: the quality or fact of being greater in number, quantity, or importance. Learning the tools of critical reading and writing not only teaches you the “what” of an issue, but also helps you think about and respond intelligently to the relative strength of the…

Words 8037 - Pages 33