The Penalty of Death

A Deba.te Aboat the Deatb Penalty I{. L. MENCKEN H(enry) L(ouis) Mencken (f880-f956) was born in Baltimore, Maryland. After graduating from Brookllm Polytechnic Instirute at the time of sixteen, he decided to forgo a college education for a plan of private study and a career in journalism. He joined the Bah.irnore Marning Herald. as a reporter and by and by worked for the Sun Syndicate. Although he maintained his conracr with these Baltimore papers throughout his career, he became engaged in many other publishing projects-as literary adviser to Alfred A. Knopf; as co-editor with George Jean Nathan o{ Tlte Srnart Ser; and then, seraral years later, as co-founder (with Nathan) of Tlte Awerican Mwcwy. Menckens own writing ranges &om inforrnative cultural Lttstory (The Atnerican. Langaage, 1 9 I 9 ) to ourrageous iconoclasm (the essays rhar filled six volumes aptly titled Prejwd.i,ces, L9l9-1927) to several(prenominal) volumes of engaging autobiography. Although critics in his time considered him a radical, conremporary readers find virtu solelyy of his opinions conseryative. In *The Penalty of Death, taken &om the anthology ,4 Mencken Chre*ornathy (L949), Mencken tries ro refute the two cornmon arguments against outstanding penalty by arguing that the execution of criminais satisfies the basic homosexual need for revenge.

473 474 CHAPTBR 7 PERSUASION AND ARGUMENT Tbe Pennlty of Deoth to wit: o ARGUMnvrs against capital punishment that issue from uplifters, two are commonly heard some often, F THE 1. That hangrng a man (or frying him or assail him) is a dreadful business, degrading to those who have to do it and disgustful to those who have to witness it. 2. That it is useless, for ir does not deter others from the identical crime. it seems to me, is plainly too All it says, in brief, is that the rvork of the hangman is unpleasant. Granted. But compute it isl It may be quite necessary ro society for all thar. There are, indeed, many other jobs that are... If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Ordercustompaper.com

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