Mencken uses many descriptions to show readers his points of view. Mencken uses literal and figurative descriptions to better understand what he is trying to convey. A figurative description is, according to Mencken, “A schoolboy, disliking his teacher, places a thumbtack on the teaching chair; the teacher jumps and the boy laughs. It's catharsis. By using this figurative description, the author describes the feelings we experience as catharsis instead of using revenge. Mencken writes that those who want capital punishment really want "the peace of mind that comes with feeling that the scores are settled." Until they obtain this satisfaction, they are in a state of emotional tension. Using a literal description, Mencken states: "After all, each of us must die sooner or later, and a murderer, it must be supposed, is one who makes this sad fact the cornerstone of his metaphysics." But it is one thing to die, and another to lie for many months, even years, under the shadow of death. Mencken argues here that the real objection to capital punishment lies in "our brutal American habit of postponing it so long." Mencken uses description to allow the reader to experience his points of view throughout the essay. When Mencken uses the figurative description of the schoolboy and the teacher, it implies release, or catharsis, and not revenge. Tapping into our natural human