inventions

The Fact that the 1839 World Fair was held in the White City of Chicago was a monumental achievement in  its self, however it was the construction and the process in which the Fair was ran became part of its legacy.
First and fore most the 600 acres that was the fair, made the equivalency of 150 miles of exhibits and other attractions. The World Fair in Chicago is what one could compare to Disney land or Disneyworld, moreso as both of them combined. The huge music halls and the 2000 toilets would make the amusement parks of today, a heaven sent attraction in itself.
But first the construction of these building was very advanced. Such modern ideas as air conditioning was placed in most of the buildings, one might believe it to be an inconceivable idea in such a time, but that wasnt the only remarkable technological breakthrough. Although incandencent lighting wasnt unheard of, Thomas Edison had the capability to wire the massive buildings with the incandecent lighting throughout the fair. Even before Edison installed the lighting, the task of painting the buildings would take years to do by brush. The air compressor enabled painters to paint each building exponentially faster than by brush.
Attractions broke records. The Ferris Wheel made its first appearance at the fair and was a breakthrough. The modern two seat ride was then able to accommodate far more, being that each box was the size of a small house. It was the center of the fair, as far as the eye could see, the wheel could be seen in the Chicago skyline.

The fair provided guests a chance to see new inventions that nobody had ever dreamed of. They brought in inventions as a way to top the Eiffel Tower in Paris because they needed a way to compete with it without building a tower that tops Eiffel because that would take little creative thinking.The Fair brought in a new way for people to preceive cities. Most would picture dirty streets, graffiti, fog, and they'd imagine police sirens going off in every directions. However, after the fair and seeing how Chicago was changed from the fair and all the new buildings, they saw how beautiful cities can be if changed and were looked after. Cities were now thought of as "A commonplace to new ideas of architectual beauty and nobility." Most buildings and structures all had something unique about them that provided more diversity to the city, which would then appeal to a more diverse population. Chicagoans took pride in the magnificent fair, it was an outstanding accomplishment that drew in 26 million visitors. The visitors were also very partial to the new snack foods that fair go-ers came upon through out the fair. The molasses covered popped corn kernels became very popular, but were not considered as cracker-jacks until the 1900’s. The drinking popularity that was once considered taboo grew as well. Since the water in Chicago seemed to be a daily life risk, beer became the drink of life and most every fair-goer became a beer connoisseur.  

More is More

So when it comes down to being the best of the best, one must sometimes go to all measures, and pull out all the stops, add all the garnishes, dot every I and cross every T to be considered the best. When it came down to the decision of the which United States city would host the World Fair, Chicago the up-and-coming city, had to prove that it was certainly better than the epitomic city of New York. Sure the battle for the fair was between 4 US cities, (New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., and St. Louis) but who in there right mind would pick the United States capital, although the central of our democratic government, the example of the checks and balance system, as the place of fantasy that the world would flock to? Plus St. Louis was although the archway of the Mississippi River, not exactly the most well known city and wasn’t the prime place of consideration anyways.
The battle was on between the White City and the Big Apple to get the once in-a-lifetime chance of being the host city. The polls were the most competitive. People sat outside the Chicago tribune waiting for each new update. Chicago would pull away in the voting polls then New York would catch up once again. The ongoing poll battle had the city at a standstill as people would leave there cars and police would disregard the traffic, and the murders in progress , to sit and wait in front of the Tribune Window. As the somber faced reporter man, slowly painted the post of the most recent poll results with paste, the city stood in anticipation, and tension that could be cut with a butter knife. Finally the Chicago was able to gain the majority vote. New York City would have to wait for their next chance, as Chicago was voted to be the new host city of the World Fair.
Now that Chicago was the new home of the World Fair, they had the new task to prove to the world that they could accommodate such a spectacular event, and not turn the World Fair into a County Fair. The technology that went into the creation of the World Fair not only proved that Chicago was an up-and-rising city but that it was more than the agricultural slaughter house. The utilization of new technology such as the air-compressed strategy to painting the huge building that would accommodate the fair, and the idea of air conditioning, that our school did not even fully grasp until the 1990’s proved that it was a city of not only technological and agricultural advancement but the a host of cultural advancements. Although some ideas of new and foreign culture proved to be too appaling to some living in Chicago at the time, Chicago broke the record of the most people to gather in a one day. Shattering the three hundred thousand and something record boasted by the Parisians, Chicago’s World Fair accommodated over seven hundred thousand people in one day.

Angel vs. Demons in the White City

The ambitious spirit, no matter what age, will hope and strive that one day, they too, can leave an impact on the time they are given in this world. Good thing for Mr. Burnham and Mr. Holmes, both men were able to contribute to the history of the White City of Chicago. However, how can one say if the achievements of one or either man, would give him a title of honorable recognition, or infamy?
Sometimes it can be so easy to look at something and only see it as what one perceives it to be, not as what it truly is. On the outside, one perceives can perceive doctors to be white-coated heroes, saving the lives of many and helping those in dire need. An architect the builder of the American Dream.
Burnham, as stated before, used his short time on this earth to establish himself in society, make a name for himself, and create innovative new architectural works. He got married, built a corporation from the ground up with his life-long partner, and led the very important job of supervising the construction of the Columbian Exposition. The weight of the country rested on him and he prevailed through it; he embodied the American dream of picking yourself up by the bootstraps and the can-do attitude of the time.
Holmes on the other hand kept himself under the radar, yet made a name for himself (which often changed), With his credentials and vast amount of knowledge of both ethical and inconceivable medical practices. He moved to Chicago and established a pharmacy which expanded and became very profitable. Dr. was his title, respectable in the untrained eye, but behind the reclusive façade he was the nightmare, terror, the Devil in the White City. His use of his success that most Americans dream to achieve, a doctor, a business owner, one of high education, was used as an act of maliciousness and inconceivable evil. But on the outside, in his appearance, he was looked upon as just another successful American Dream.
The essential difference between these men is their use of talents. Burnham used his talent and expertise to design and build large edifices; Holmes used his keen nature and good looks to design and carefully execute murderous acts. Also, there title and attitudes were different. Burnham was a high-profile, respected, famous architect who was proud of his accomplishments; Holmes keeps his work off the record and under the table. When juxtaposed, they are very similar in their successes, but when further inspected, the light and dark, good and evil are revealed.
They are also very alike in ways. Both men take pride in their work. Of course, it is a different kind of pride. Burnham can look at the buildings he has designed and know he built it well to the right specifications; Holmes--whose work is with the disappearance of people instead of the constructing buildings--takes pride in how much he can get away with; he also takes pride in how well he prepares for his murders, he is proud of himself with designing his new building equipped with sound-proof rooms and incinerators to do his deeds. The men are also alike in their blue eyes; at the beginning of the novel, the coroner points out Holmes is an ambitious man. If such men are as ambitious in the eyes of their audience, does that make them successful or infamous? What one can conclude is that there is much more behind the eyes of the blue eyed, and the loopholes of the what we perceive to be the American Dream.

Stars for Sarcasm!

Satire is a form of literary genre or form. When you use satire vices, follies, or abuses are held up to ridicule. Satire isn't just to create humor in writing but to also create social criticism using wit as a weapon.
Satire isn't something that has come out recently, its been around for an extremely long time. One of the earliest examples of satire is The Satire of the Trades. It is an Egyptian writing from the beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C. The readers of this text were students, tired of studying. It argues that their lot as scribes is useful, and their lot far superior to that of ordinary men. Some scholars thought the text was supposed to be serious but this was the beginning of satire.
In Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”, he uses his satirical writing style to discuss the issue in his home country of Ireland in the early 1700s of famine, poverty, and too many people. His audience is mainly the people of Ireland, but mostly the government that is not oblivious to the issue, but choosing not to oblige the problem. He proposes many different resolutions in his writing, trying to persuade the government to make a call to action to help solve the problem of starvation and help reduce the oversized population of the homeless. Nobody seems to be trying to help the problem in Ireland, so in a sarcastic and satirical tone, Swift writes an essay, trying to get people to realize something needs to be fixed. In his essay he proposes that in order to reduce the population, people should start to eat their babies ranging from one to two years old. The proposal is absurd and disturbing, but it’s just drastic enough to catch the attention of the government and might actually make them do something about the situation. Swift makes this proposal because even though it is wrong on many levels to eat a baby, the child would provide food for those who are hungry and also limit the number of mouths that will later on become hungry and want to be fed.
One of the satirical political minds of today has also swept a nation with addressing the serious matters at hand as well as laugh in their faces. Bill Maher: Real Time is the epitome of political satire for the reason of having reason behind his sarcasm. The shows panel of speakers are some of the most educated people in America, talking about real issues, however Maher is able to reach the average Americans through a way that we can understand best, sarcasm. Not only is Maher getting a point across but one can also learn something in the hour-long HBO process.
The Daily Show and the Colbert Report are two very similar shows. They talk about politics and what all is going on the in world today. They discuss idiotic issues that our country as well as other nations believe to be extremely important when in reality, they are minor issues compared to everything else going on in the world. Their sense of humor is similar, it could be described as dry, sarcastic, or satirical. On air, they take light of the issues that need to be resolved not to be offensive, just to provide some comedic relief when tension rises. I like watching this show because they always make fun of Sarah Palin and they used to always make fun of George Bush, not like it’s hard to do either of those. I just love how they recognized how idiotic both politicians were and how stupid they sounded when they spoke. They made fun of the fact that Sarah Palin’s daughter became pregnant by the age of 16, is that really what we want to look up to as a nation? I highly doubt it.

A good example or a parody is the song “Girls Just Want to Have Lunch” by Weird Al Yankovic, which is a parody of the song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. Following is an excerpt of Al’s song:
Some girls like to buy new shoes
And others like drivin' trucks and wearing tattoos
There's only one thing that they all like a bunch
Oh, girls, they want to have lunch...
I know how to keep a woman satisfied
When I whip out my Diner's Card their eyes get so wide
They're always in the mood for something to munch
Oh, girls, they want to have lunch...
Satire can also be used to teach. Writing satire requires looking at a topic from a different point of view, and similarly those at whom it is directed are forced to view themselves from a new perspective also. We must be vigilant however because while it can be a valid and powerful tool for levity and change, if it is not written with clear thought, it can also ridicule and harm. However, this latter use often backfires, and is easily seen through as cheap sensationalism. Good satire then is generally used for its comedic value though when properly and thoughtfully applied it can be a powerful tool for change. The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club. It claims a national print circulation of 690,000 and says 61 percent of its web site readers are between 18 and 44 years old.[ Since 2007, the organization has been publishing satirical news audios and videos online, as the "Onion News Network".

The Onion's articles comment on current events, both real and fictional. It parodies such traditional newspaper features as editorials, man-on-the-street interviews, and stock quotes on a traditional newspaper layout with an AP-style editorial voice. Much of its humor depends on presenting everyday events as newsworthy and by playing on commonly used phrases, as in the headline, "Drugs Win Drug War."

A parody is also called a spoof, and is used to make fun or mock someone or something by imitating them in a funny or satirical way. Parody is found in literature, movies, and song.

A Hero?

 Ernest Hemingway believed that a brave hero exhibits "grace under pressure."
But how does one consider what heroism and what is just bron?
       The Sun Also Rises, is a book filled with fallacies. Hemingway's depicted motif of the Parisian 1920's consisted of false morals, relations, and desires. Throughout the book, one can find themselves as a witness to a fake world, built on the physical importance rather than the intimate value. Too often, one can find characters, such as Jake Barnes, possessing the great obsession to have everything he does not. He believes that he is inadequate. Unable to win the heart of the one he loves, Lady Brett, he often shows hostility towards Cohn, the ideal macho man, and often listens to the words of Harvey Stone, who values brandy, more than love and money.
.       Lady Brett, the rather 'loose' cannon, who every man desires, and soon wants to forget. Her non-chalant sexual relation developed from the abuse and fear she supposedly experienced from her first marriage. Now she lives to drain each man of their masculinity, which also becomes the curtain that hides her fear of being alone.
      Cohn, the supposed war veteran, the knock-out boxer, and yet the pompous wannabe. He built this glamour of a macho life back in America, but fears that he can not live up to the hype. In order to prove his self worth, he tries to exhibit a unbreakable persona, that really comes forward as a man with no moral value, as he often tries to better himself by trying to be superior than those around him.
      These characters convey Hemingway's idea behind the destructiveness of sex, excessive drinking and relationships based on false pretences.
     However there is a hero among this all...
        Pedro Romero, a nineteen-year old bull-fighter, is what one would call an aficionado. He serves as the character who completely contrasts every character throughout the book. Romero possesses pride and dignity towards his actions as an individual and a bullfighter. His passion to bullfight gives him a purpose to live rather than the other characters who walk aimlessly through the "Lost Generation." After Cohn, lashes out at Romero, he has the grace to restict himself, preserving not only his pride, but the pride and tradition of a bullfighter. Romero is the ideal man, who stands for pride, dignity, passion and honest.
       What makes a hero?
        Unlike fairy tales, a hero is not a prince who saves the damsel in distress, and lives happily ever after.A hero lives for a purpose and is not quick to overlook the gifts we receive everyday. A hero is one who cherishes everyday, every laugh, every drink, and every breath. A hero is one who takes pride in the life they live, the place they call home, and the work they sweat over. A true hero is a person who does not live for themselves and their own selfish wants. They are not worried about the way some may see them as inadequate, unmanly, or alone. The hero will live to serve their way of life and those who are in it. A true hero is honest. They neither lie to the people the hate, the people they love, nor themselves. They live for a purpose and are not ashamed of it. Most of all, heroes are the people who believe they are just like everyone else. They believe that there is no one below them, or anyone above them. They do not think twice about lending a helping hand to not only the people they know, but the strangers that come their way. For the rest of us who often forget what a true hero is, we do not have to look aimlessly about our lives, nor do we have to prove that they we are worthy of their help. The true heroes are the people who have helped us grow; who have taught us to cherish every moment and to live it to the fullest. Heroes teach us to find honesty within ourselves as well as others, to know that we are worth while. They are the ones who teach us to be  driven to do whatever is needed to make our passion a reality. They are our cause to be better, so that we to can be a true aficionado.

what is injustice?

In the Turgenev text, one could skim through, and here, the story of a young man on his last journey, would seem somewhat melancholic, however to truly see what Turgenev is really trying to conveys lies deep within the text. In the beginning paragraphs he begins to introduce this story as a part of his Parisian experience. Sure, one may think of Paris and instantly fall upon the thought of love in the springtime underneath the Eiffel tower, but Turgenev feels such remorse for the cultural experience he would never forget. A beheading, a rightful way for a serial murder to die. However, its the intricate stories of those who carry out such a task that could make one question; what moral lie behind the the executioner of pure hands, the mayor who does what the people want? Is it "social justice" for a town to congregate around the execution of a "child?" Is it just to watch the lame dog in agony? Should it be right to let the dog suffer knowing that the only thing it has left to look forward to is a long drawn out death? The dog represent the dehumanization they forced upon Tropmann before his execution. They strip him of his clothes and cut off his hair, which could be a reminder of biblical times. When Samson's hair is cut, he loses all his power, he is captured and chained to the pilars of the temple of the Phillistines. He calls out to God to ask him for a last gift of strength so that he could pull the pillars down, to kill the Phillistine so that the Israelites.Much like Samson, Tropmann had the chance to take his own life, but for some reason he lets them take him to the stands. Turgenev dehumanizes the mob of people, much like the Phillistines who were seen as biblical mob. They become sea urchins in a dirty, unorderly wave. Turgenev definitely expresses great guilt for not only Tropmann,but himself. He believes that such a sight is a sin. He believes that you still possess the blood on your hands when you know, that eventhough one has taken a life, taking his life is also a burden, not to be seen as glamorous nor heroic. He knows that doing what the majority wants is not necessarily what is just. In the last moments before Tropmann's death, he fights for the last moment of his life. During this time Turgenev is rendered helpless by his emotion towards Tropmann, to where he almost faints. In the last moments of Samson's life, God grants him the strength to pull down the pillars of the temple, killing the Phillistines and freeing the Israelites from bondage, but not without taking his own life. Before this Samson gave into temptation, where he lost his god-given strength, but redeemed himself in his last moment of life. When Tropmann struggles in the stands, was it for his own selfish desire to live, or was it the last act to show what humanity had become, in the hope to free the immoral souls of the crowd, from the bondage of what they believed was socially just? As the crowd dispursed we can see nothing has changed. The Philistines did not die, but Turgenev, was an Israelite freed from the bondage, by the sinner who gave his life in the hope to save others, for reconciliation of the ones he took . By writing the story of Tropmann's execution, Turgenev works towards the penance of himself as well as Tropmann, by asking us: what is truly injust?

blog 15

In the reading "About Men" Elirich uses formal, reverent, and tones of admiration to convey her attitude towards the Wyoming Cowboys. She formally addresses them as men of solitude that have yet to find the words to describe their character of compassion and selflessness. Tender hearted towards the animals, quirky and quiet around the women, they have the ability to fend for themselves in the rolling hills, and let themselves be care for by their wives. They witness and appreciate every rising and setting sun across the Wyoming plains, but has not found the words to fit the such sight. In all, she shatteres the stereotype of the macho, trigger happy, lone ranger, to reveal the calloused hands of a softhearted shepherd.