Comparison and Contrast of The Penalty of Death and The Unquiet Death of Robert Harris
In his essay, “The Penalty of Death,” H. ... Mencken wholeheartedly supported the death penalty. In contrast, an essay entitled, “The Unquiet Death of Robert Harris”, written by Michael Kroll has the opposite opinion on the same issue. ... The purpose of both essays is to persuade the public; while Mencken’s is pro death penalty, Kroll’s is anti death penalty. ... All this really implies is that he is pro death penalty. ... He shares a personal view of his friend, Robert Harris’s, long journey to the gas chamber. ... The entirety of Kroll’s essay is spent describing the horrific details of the day his friend was put to death. ... In paragraph eight of “The Penalty of Death”, Mencken states, “That wait (for execution), I believe, is horribly cruel. I have seen more than one man sitting in the death house, and I don’t want to see any more.