I need 5 literay devices used in The Devil in the White City and I'm having trouble finding some, I understand flashbacks, but that's about all I have.
Symbol: The ‘White City’ represents the American dream and the glory of the country’s accomplishments. So much pressure was put on the architects of the fair to make it glorious because of what it represents; the fair had to be a shining spectacle in order to prove that America was as cultured and glorious as Paris. Furthermore, the color white as the choice for the buildings emphasizes America's purity, perfection, and harmony.
Simile: “For now, the tension was subtle, a vibration, like the inaudible cry of overstressed steel” (30). This simile likens the tension between two architecture firms (Burnham/Root and Adler/Sullivan) to the tension of metal in tall structures. By comparing these two things, it plays on the theme of architecture and shows the pressure that the men are under.
Metaphor: A metaphor is used to describe Burnham’s magnetic personality. “Burnham was handsome, tall, and strong, with vivid blue eyes, all of which drew clients and friends to him the way a lens gathers light” (26). It puts his ability to become successful as an architect in perspective.
Imagery: Descriptions of the White City use light to convey a sense of wonder. The fact that it is called the ‘White’ City is what first brings this imagery into play. Many of the buildings on the fairgrounds are described as white, and great emphasis is put on the many new electric lighting fixtures lighting the biggest exhibitions and streets of the fair. This imagery connects to the symbolism of the fair representing hope and new beginnings for Chicago.
Situational Irony: There is irony in the disparity between what is intended through the creation of the Chicago World’s Fair and what happens. The ‘White City’ is meant to be the shining example of how cosmopolitan and worldly Chicago has become, but ends up providing an opportunity for one of the worst serial killers in American history. In Part III the author says that “the exposition revealed to its early visitors a vision of what a city could be and ought to be." However, "There are hundreds of people who went to Chicago to see the Fair and were never heard from again."
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