The Penalty of Death
Jeremy Weaver
Dr. Nellie Haddad
English 102
Feb 26, 2012 9:55 pm
Cover Letter
1) What is your purpose in writing this essay? In your response, explore the deeper meaning of this question. The goal is not just to complete the assignment but instead to convey a message. What do you plan to accomplish with this essay? What do you hope the reader takes away from this argument?
In this article, H.L. Mencken portrays his message with the intent to give prisoners that were sentenced to the death penalty an option of an appeal. He references that in the old days, you were sentenced and it was immediately carried out by hanging or beheading. Although he makes this statement, he also says it’s cruel to leave a prisoner waiting to die.
2) What did you learn from completing this assignment? Did you experience a new understanding of the topic? Did you change your perspective after completing the essay?
I changed my perspective on this article after writing in the forum for week three. I realize now that the writer wasn’t pushing for the sentence to be carried out immediately. Instead, his intention was to help people who were sentenced to the death penalty. I was for carrying out the sentence immediately before reading his article.
3) What difficulties did you encounter during the writing or editing phases of the assignment?
I enjoy reading over my writing a few times to see where I needed corrections. In the previous assignment, I wrote about my experiences with writing. I feel that I am a decent writer.
4) What did you enjoy about this assignment?
I personally enjoy editing. I do this at my job regularly. Because I am a TSgt, I am responsible for reviewing and editing all of the troop’s annual reports. We call them EPRs. If I had to, I would rather edit than write.
5) Which essay did you chose from the "Classic American Arguments" section in your textbook? Why did you choose it?
I chose “The Penalty of Death” by H.L. Mencken. I chose this article because I had
Dr. Nellie Haddad
English 102
Feb 26, 2012 9:55 pm
Cover Letter
1) What is your purpose in writing this essay? In your response, explore the deeper meaning of this question. The goal is not just to complete the assignment but instead to convey a message. What do you plan to accomplish with this essay? What do you hope the reader takes away from this argument?
In this article, H.L. Mencken portrays his message with the intent to give prisoners that were sentenced to the death penalty an option of an appeal. He references that in the old days, you were sentenced and it was immediately carried out by hanging or beheading. Although he makes this statement, he also says it’s cruel to leave a prisoner waiting to die.
2) What did you learn from completing this assignment? Did you experience a new understanding of the topic? Did you change your perspective after completing the essay?
I changed my perspective on this article after writing in the forum for week three. I realize now that the writer wasn’t pushing for the sentence to be carried out immediately. Instead, his intention was to help people who were sentenced to the death penalty. I was for carrying out the sentence immediately before reading his article.
3) What difficulties did you encounter during the writing or editing phases of the assignment?
I enjoy reading over my writing a few times to see where I needed corrections. In the previous assignment, I wrote about my experiences with writing. I feel that I am a decent writer.
4) What did you enjoy about this assignment?
I personally enjoy editing. I do this at my job regularly. Because I am a TSgt, I am responsible for reviewing and editing all of the troop’s annual reports. We call them EPRs. If I had to, I would rather edit than write.
5) Which essay did you chose from the "Classic American Arguments" section in your textbook? Why did you choose it?
I chose “The Penalty of Death” by H.L. Mencken. I chose this article because I had
Cited: Mencken, H.L. “The Penalty of Death” Classic American Arguments. Phillips, Harry and Patricia Bostian. The Purposeful Argument: A Practical Guide. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012 (524- 526)