H. L. Mencken

H.L. Mencken, a prominent American essayist and social critic, said that people are better off being safe than being free. People do not want to have their freedom if they are not safe. The validity of this quote is one of great debate between people of our time. It is clear that it is a fair tradeoff to live in a safe society with little freedom, and it is more fair than having to live in a society with no safety and many freedom. Mencken is a social critic, meaning that he has many different opinions

world where freedom was non-existent. Everyone's actions and behaviors would coincide with one another, as if they were robots. Straying from the extremes, H. L. Mencken an American writer wrote that the average man would rather be safe than free. To completely understand his statement, you must look at a specific word. The average man. H. L. Mencken is right because people would rather have laws to protect themselves, people want to live comfortable lives, and the people who diverge from what society

H.L. Mencken expresses that the average man would rather be safe than free. However, by recounting history, it is evident that citizens are willing to risk their lives in order to possess freedom. Through advocacy and reform, society can advance and the quality of life will improve with the freedom of millions. As a result, while safety is important to the average man, it is crucial to fight for basic rights to endure a fair and just society for every individual. An early example of risking safety

because of the hundreds of ways people decided to worship. H.L. Mencken shows how extreme the differences in one religion can be, namely Christianity. by compares the towns of Dayton and Morgantown, using juxtaposition, sensory detail, and an anecdote to further his comparison. Dayton, Tennessee, while technically christian, has, “only two or three resident pastors managed to sustain themselves by their ghostly science” (Mencken). Thus, the residents of Dayton do not put much emphasis on strictly

In the 1880’s to 1990’s, the government had not yet reached a point at which they could proclaim the United States as safe. However, in our contemporary society, this is not the case, as a majority of the U.S. is considered safe. It is safe to say that, although, the people of other centuries viewed freedom as a trivial and considered their safety to be of utmost importance. This phenomena in the centuries happens to not apply in our current society. Therefore, H.L. Mencken’s statement about not

Today’s environment is full of chaos and sorrow and grief. Why people kill and assassinate is beyond me. H.L. Mencken wrote, "The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe." Most people would rather have safety than freedom. Safety comes before anything else. The average man would want to be safe from violence and harassment. Most people would say they want to be safe. Safety is always the first priority in a person’s survival kit. People want to be safe from enemies like

The “average man” in today’s society does want to be free, but would rather be safe and give up freedom than be suffering. For example, the security at an airport takes away a part of a person’s freedom; however, passengers do not argue with the security because it makes them feel safe. Many people in today’s society strive for financial stability because that can help make them free. H.L. Mencken’s simple quote can have a dramatic impact on a person because it can make an individual rethink

An American essayist and social critic, H. L. Mencken, once wrote that “The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” However, throughout the course of history the average man does not simply want safety - they want freedom. Freedom is the incorporation of all rights to life, which essentially includes safety. Freedom encompasses every natural right to man: “Life , Liberty, and Property”. Throughout history and in today’s society, people strive for these freedoms around the

Humanity thrives on a variety of fundamental aspects in society, however the way each aspect is perceived can be debated on which is more paramount. H. L. Mencken, an american essayist wrote, “ The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.” While this is considered correct for many people, it disregards the fighters and heroes who sacrifice their lives and safety for the freedom of others and the united states. The average person will naturally considered safety as a key

In The Hills of Zion by H.L. Mencken, various stylistic devices and rhetorical strategies are used such as similes and imagery. Mencken uses similes in order to show how religion made the people of the hills fully convinced in their religious rituals. This can be seen when Mencken and a woman went to a religious gathering in which the priest spoke and ”Words spouted from his lips like bullets from a machine-gun”, and a woman “bent backward until she was like half a loop” in addition to “bouncing