Boss
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Julie DeJesus
English 160
Mr. Cycholl
Critical Review Final Draft
Major Daley had attributes of both a villain and a hero. Although Major Richard J. Daley is a complex hero, in Mike Royko’s Boss the story is told as an epic because he has the features of a traditional hero, but Royko also highlights the questionable actions Daley made as the cities Major. Part of Mike Royko’s story is accredited to legend and myth because when the same stories are told time after time from different sources, the assumption can be made that not all of it is going to be entirely true. In many parts of the book, Royko is repeating conversations Daley had with others. This adds on to the theme of the book being a Chicago epic and showing the story as questionable to the reader’s eye. There is no doubt that Major Daley helped Chicago grow as a city but how far did he go to do it. Major Daley help construct many landmarks of Chicago, which was seen as heroic, but with his power he supplemented to corruption and the segregation of the city. Royko shows Major Daley as a product of Chicago because it’s true that Daley did not start corruption but he did add to it.
Similar to the image of Daley is Frank Lucas in the film American Gangster, a heroin drug dealer from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country from the Far South East Asia. Frank Lucas does not seem like the typical hero for the people of Manhattan, just as Daley doesn’t seem so either, with Chicago’s reputation with corrupt Politian’s. But Frank Lucas, parallel to Daley, was a complex character, who always gave back to his community even if the money he made was corrupt. The film shows there are two sides to the American dream which can relate to Daley’s accomplishments as the major of Chicago for twenty years. One side is what Daley thinks is best for the people and the other side is what Daley thinks is bests for him as a politician. Franks Lucas’s intentions were not to hurt anyone but if it was...
English 160
Mr. Cycholl
Critical Review Final Draft
Major Daley had attributes of both a villain and a hero. Although Major Richard J. Daley is a complex hero, in Mike Royko’s Boss the story is told as an epic because he has the features of a traditional hero, but Royko also highlights the questionable actions Daley made as the cities Major. Part of Mike Royko’s story is accredited to legend and myth because when the same stories are told time after time from different sources, the assumption can be made that not all of it is going to be entirely true. In many parts of the book, Royko is repeating conversations Daley had with others. This adds on to the theme of the book being a Chicago epic and showing the story as questionable to the reader’s eye. There is no doubt that Major Daley helped Chicago grow as a city but how far did he go to do it. Major Daley help construct many landmarks of Chicago, which was seen as heroic, but with his power he supplemented to corruption and the segregation of the city. Royko shows Major Daley as a product of Chicago because it’s true that Daley did not start corruption but he did add to it.
Similar to the image of Daley is Frank Lucas in the film American Gangster, a heroin drug dealer from Manhattan, who is smuggling the drug into the country from the Far South East Asia. Frank Lucas does not seem like the typical hero for the people of Manhattan, just as Daley doesn’t seem so either, with Chicago’s reputation with corrupt Politian’s. But Frank Lucas, parallel to Daley, was a complex character, who always gave back to his community even if the money he made was corrupt. The film shows there are two sides to the American dream which can relate to Daley’s accomplishments as the major of Chicago for twenty years. One side is what Daley thinks is best for the people and the other side is what Daley thinks is bests for him as a politician. Franks Lucas’s intentions were not to hurt anyone but if it was...