The Devil in the White City - Discussion Questions

'The Devil in the White City' - Discussion Questions The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson is a true story that takes place at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair. Spoiler Warning: These book club discussion questions reveal important details about the story. Finish the book before reading on. Why do you think Erik Larson chose to tell Burnham and Holmes stories together? How did the juxtaposition affect the narrative? Do you think they worked well together or would you have preferred to read about just Holmes or just Burnham?What did you learn about architecture? What do you think the fair contributed to the architectural landscape in the United States?How did the Chicago Worlds Fair change Chicago? America? The world? Discuss some of the inventions and ideas that were introduced at the fair that still impact life today.How was Holmes able to get away with so many murders without becoming suspect? Were you surprised by how easy it was for him to commit crimes without being caught?What ultimately led to Holmes capture and the discovery of his crime? Was this inevitable?How did Holmes hotel contrast with the buildings of the Worlds Fair? Can architecture reflect goodness or evil, or are buildings neutral until used?How did the White City contract with Chicago, the Black Cit y? What do you think of Holmes claim that he was the devil? Can people be inherently evil? How would you explain his strange allure and cold-hearted behavior?Burnham, Olmsted, Ferris and Holmes were all visionaries in their own ways. Discuss what drove each of these men, whether they were ever truly satisfied, and how their lives ultimately ended.Rate The Devil in the White City on a scale of 1 to 5.

The Serial Comma is OK with Me

The Serial Comma is OK with Me The Serial Comma is OK with Me The Serial Comma is OK with Me By Maeve Maddox After a lifetime of being wishy-washy about the serial comma, I’ve reached a decision: I’m going to use it all the time. Such a momentous decision is, of course, a deeply personal matter. The pros and cons are widely, frequently, and hotly debated. Here is some information that may enable you to make the decision for yourself, if you haven’t already done so. serial comma: (also Oxford comma) n. a comma used after the penultimate item in a list of three or more items, before and or or (e.g. an Italian painter, sculptor, and architect). Penguin Writer’s Manual. Oxford comma: n. [after the preferred use of such a comma to avoid ambiguity in the house style of Oxford University Press] a comma immediately preceding the conjunction in a list of items. OED Some writers call the Oxford comma the â€Å"Harvard comma.† Heres a sentence with a serial comma: The Three Stooges are Larry, Moe, and Curly. Here it is without a serial comma: The Three Stooges are Larry, Moe and Curly. PRO serial comma The Chicago Manual of Style (2009) When a conjunction joins the last two elements in a series, a comma- known as the serial or series comma or the Oxford comma- should appear before the conjunction. Chicago strongly recommends this widely practiced usage, blessed by Fowler and other authorities 6.19 The Elements of Style (2000) In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last. The stated rule seems ambiguous to me, but the examples that follow it are clear: red, white, and blue gold, silver, or copper Gregg Reference Manual (1993) When three or more items are listed in a series, and the last item is preceded by and, or, or nor, place a comma before the conjunction as well as between the other items. CON serial comma   AP Stylebook (2009) Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series: The flag is red, white and blue. He would nominate Tom, Dick or Harry. AP does allow a comma before and when ambiguity would result without one: Put a comma before the concluding conjunction in a series, however, if an integral element of the series requires a conjunction: I had orange juice, toast, and ham and eggs for breakfast. Penguin Guide to Punctuation (1997) Note also that it is not usual in British usage to put a listing comma before the word and or or itself (though American usage regularly puts one there.) So, in British usage, it is not usual to write The Three Musketeers were Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. On the fence regarding the serial comma Penguin Writer’s Manual (2002) It is becoming more common in British English (and is usual in American English) to place a comma before the and that precedes the final item in a simple list (numbers one, two, three, and four). Fowler’s Modern English Usage (1965) In promoting the use of the serial comma, CMOS observes that the usage is â€Å"blessed by Fowler† among other authorities. However, when I looked up the topic in Fowler (1965 edition) I found this remark, which seems neutral at best: The more usual way of punctuating such an enumeration as was used as an example in the preceding section is French, German, Italian and Spanish; the commas between French and German and German and Italian take the place of ands; there is no comma after Italian because, with and, it would be otiose [having no practical function; redundant; superfluous]. There are, however, some who favour putting one there, arguing that, since it may sometimes be needed to avoid ambiguity it may as well be used always for the sake of uniformity. So there you have it. My choice is to travel the path of otiosity for the sake of uniformity. What’s yours? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Apply to, Apply for, and Apply withComma Before ButWhile vs. Whilst