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.