Michaela’s Comments (group member since Oct 27, 2015)

Michaela’s comments from the Last but not Least group.

Explain how the narrators childhood is different from others and predict how this will play a role later on in the book.

Larson appeals to pathos when he reads Holmes' journal. Holmes states "I was born with the devil in me,' [Holmes] wrote. 'I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing." By including this it makes the reader feel that Holmes couldn't help himself and it was not his doing that caused these urges to kill. When he says this the appeal to pathos and the emotional effect of sympathy is clearly present.

Erik Larson's note at the beginning of the book is served to compare the two main characters in the book. The contrast between them is a constant throughout the whole book yet their similarities are also shown in the note. He also uses the note to tell the reader that his book is not fiction even though it seems quite impossible at times to be.

In the prologue Chicago is said to be the "White City" because of the enchanting characteristics during the fair. It was a complete success and completely changed Chicago. But by the end of the prologue Larson foreshadows to how "darkness too had touched the fair" speaking about the struggles to create this fair. Many men were hurt and killed and a mass murderer was let loose. As well in the first chapter, called "The Black City" shows how people, mainly young women, were very easily kidnapped, which also foreshadows the murders during the fair. "It was so easy to disappear, so easy to deny knowledge". It was the perfect place for a mass murder spree to take place because of the hustle and bustle of the city.

Throughout the beginning of the book Larson constantly talks about the patriotism in America. When France had the worlds fair it was deemed as the best it could ever be. But Americans felt that "this humiliation could not be allowed to stand. Americans pride in its growing power... had fanned patriotism to a new intensity." He also shows the patriotism within each state. The constant battle between Chicago and Philadelphia on who had the most populous city. This constant power struggle shows that the fair would be great because of the need to be the best in the world. This patriotism also allows the reader to know how the citizens felt and how competitive they were to be the best of the best.

The constant reference to Burnham's foot is a symbol to death. This is proven when the author talks about how the "pain reminded him [Burnham] daily that his time on the planet was nearing its end" (Larson 3). It is also brought up when the architect reminisces all of the architects that are dead showing the reminder to him that his time would come soon. The pain is annoying that he wishes would just go away or take him "This prolonging of a man's life doesn't interest me when he's done his work and has done it pretty well" (Larson 3). It annoys him especially it prevents him from enjoying things like the architecture in the grand staircase. So the meaning of the aching foot is how death is waiting.