Monday, February 18, 2013
Part One: Frozen Music
The gilded age. This concept is shown vastly through the first section of the book through the introduction of the city of Chicago. Chicago depicts the gilded age through its expansion of industrialization and growth of urbanization, while crime and unjust acts of the world continues to spread. America shifted from a rural country to an innovative and modern nation and through the constant changes of the world, America is developing to reveal its abilities of becoming a dominant world power (which is quite crucial because the shift of power from the East is shown immensely). Overall, with Chicago becoming the city to be the new location of the World Fair, America is given a great opportunity to show its authority. The World Fair displays "dominance/power" and with this chance, the Western hemisphere is rising up as a crucial representative of new power and furthermore represents the gilded age of America.
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I agree completely of what you stated in that America is changing rapidly into a more modern nation as well as the ability to become a dominant world power. Also to tag along with the notion of change, Chicago describes that term to its fullest extent. When Chicago was selected to be the host of the 1893 World Fair, they immediately created a company, the World's Columbian Exposition Company, to develop the fair. The fair was to be a celebration of the 400-year anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America. Chicago explodes in celebration of its victory. Chicago shows how they changed with the circumstance. I absolutely agree with you that the World Fair displays "dominance/power" because Americans wants to show the world that they can compete socially, economically, and politically. The Gilded Age is described as its shiny and glittery on the top but corruption on the bottom which foreshadows what may happen as the book progresses because the World Fair is described as this famous, proclaiming figure but underneath there is death and danger that waits.
ReplyDeleteI liked how Erik Larson used images like animal corpses polluting the water system and the air pollution from the factories to show the underlying problems hidden by the economic prosperity and industrialization. Also, when Holmes realizes that he can take advantage of the smog to prey on his victim really conveys the negative effects of the industrialization during the Gilded Age.
ReplyDeleteAlso, another point which I thought was interesting as I was reading was just the fact that Chicago was the city chosen for this most momentous occasion; in the back of my mind I wondered why New York was not picked, nor Washington D.C.. New York has always been extolled to the highest of levels, while Washington D.C. is imperative because it is the nation's capital. Furthermore, both cities are located in the East; so, why was a city in the West chosen over these? The book states that Chicago was clearly seen as a "secondary, backwater city that preferred butchered hogs to Beethoven". Does this symbolize the changing relationship between the East & the West perhaps? Is the industrialization and wealth of the West finally up to par with the East?
ReplyDeleteWell, I think that with the World Fair being put in Chicago, it shows that the West is fully capable of what the East has been able to do for many years. Also, the opportunity proves to the East the importance of the West as well because of how much the West is continuing to prosper and urbanize. Lastly, the location of the Fair further reveals how America is starting to unify more and foreshadows the growth of national pride, especially because the transfer of power to the Western hemisphere of the world provides great emphasis on the improvements and advancements of America, and how regional sectionalism is diminishing.
DeleteI found it interesting that throughout the first part, the main motivation behind the fair was to beat the last one in Paris and to show that they are just as important and prosperous as the European and Asian countries. However just the fact that they could compete is quite amazing given the U.S. was barely 100 years old at that time. Just look at Engand who really didn't have much power compared to Spain until the mid 1500s. This competition of industrialization and wealth between the U.S. and basically everyone else really shows how far the then colonists were able to come.
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