Death Penalty Essays

Although I believe that neither Kroll nor Mencken is entirely opposed to the death penalty, they each had very different purposes for their essays and went about expressing their messages in completely different ways. I was more moved by Kroll's argument even though I am usually more influenced by essays like Mencken's that use logos as the primary mode of persuasion. The main aspect of Kroll's essay that won me over was his use of personal experience.  My personal bias led me to side with Kroll because I, too, think the death penalty is cruel. He focused in on his audience by nailing the pathos appeal. When he said, "When they brought Robert in, he was grim-faced, tired and ashen," it clearly speaks to the emotions of everyone. On the other hand, Mencken repeatedly glossed over the real issue by treating it as if it wasn't worth his time to address counterarguments.