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The Debate about Death Penalty

Introduction

The paper is discussing the death penalty in contrast of the two articles “The Pennlty of Death” by Mencken and “Execution” by Anna Quindlen. However, the focus will be on the argument made by both the authors that the death penalty should be removed in the society or the death penalty should get over. However, death penalty, capital punishment or execution is a cause death or murder of a convicted by the State. It is a punishment for the crime established in the legislation. Moreover, the crimes for which this penalty got applied repeatedly termed capital offenses. Furthermore, the death penalty is a very debatable topic but Mencken and Quindlen focuses on the approach which is against and favor of death penalty. They provide several arguments; such as, Quindlen works upon the case of Ted and thinks about the death penalty case associated with him. Thus, Quindlen states, “In a rational, completely cerebral way, I think the killing of one human being as punishment for the killing of another makes no sense and is inherently immoral” (Quindlen, 480). On the contrary, Mencken highlights on the duty of the hangman in the initial scenario and then provides the other evidence associated with the death penalty (Mencken, 473-478).

Discussion

The death penalty is the very negation of the most fundamental human right, to live, as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and gets regarded as the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. However, Mencken argues in his article that should not be given death penalty on normal crimes. However, Quindlen, who is death penalty opponent, argues that state-sanctioned killing is vicious and cruel, and that governments that put criminals to death are exercising a godlike authority. Moreover, Mencken highlights a notion from his experience that giving death penalty to the victims is like taking revenge from them for the crimes they attempted. In some cases Mencken tries to put an emphasize that death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment, to atone for the cruel and unusual fates of the prisoners. Quindlen says that the practice of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and she highlights that there is nothing more brutal than killing a six year like this and there is no equal punishment. Moreover, she highlights that death penalty is enough and the criminals should be treated the way they treat the ...