Figurative Language In Erik Larsons Devil In The White City

A Tale of Two Cities Serbian poet, Dejan Stojanovic, once stated, â€Å"Devil and God – two sides of the same face.† When looking at Chicago during the Columbian Exposition, there were two sides of Chicago known as the white city and the black city. The white city was the fairgrounds where the World Fair occurred. The black city, however, is the rest of Chicago where the crime, poverty, disease, and filth was represented. Erik Larson constructs the black and white city in Devil in the White City by incorporating figurative language, imagery, and juxtaposition. One of Erik Larson’s main ways of building the black and white cities is through figurative language. Larson expresses that Chicago is â€Å"likened...to a human being with his skin removed†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Using descriptive diction such as â€Å"eerie† and â€Å"swamp† readers can imagine an unpleasant city rustling with filth and crime. Larson exposes that Chicago had â€Å"auras of mosquitoes† in its midst. Readers automatically see Chicago as a filthy and troublesome town when they associate it with mosquitoes. This view of Chicago created by Larson further achieves his purpose to show the downside of Chicago during the time the World Fair was being constructed and attended. When the World Fair was finished, Larson described the nights, â€Å"the lamps that laced every building and walkway produced the most elaborate demonstration of electric illumination ever attempted† (254). Larson says the lamps â€Å"laced† the w alkways in the white city which allows readers to picture the city in a whimsical way. The feeling of the word â€Å"laced† sits with readers in a positive way. Thus, Larson can achieve the purpose of forcing readers to see the white city in a luxurious fashion. Also, Larson mentions that the lighting was â€Å"elaborate.† Readers see the white city as a sophisticated and lavish place rather than how they see the black city. Larson again is able to persuade readers into believing the magic of the white city. Larson calls upon imagery to construct the two sides of Chicago. Larson deploys juxtaposition to build the two views of Chicago. LarsonShow MoreRelatedA Of The White City By Erik Larson1426 Words   |  6 PagesA Devil in the White City, written by Erik Larson, is a novel to remember. Not only does this book entice the ideas and a theme of â€Å"good† and â€Å"evil†, but Erik Larson, a former staff writer in the Wall Street Journal, also tied in his torical events that occurred during the Chicago World Fair of 1893. The purpose of the book, that entices a combination of historical events and other fictional opinions, is to inform the audience of the historical content that occurred in the past and to â€Å"fill in the