Unit-3-The-Politician

ThePolitician–H.L.Mencken1III.ThePoliticianAbouttheauthorMenchen----Mencken,H(enry)L(ouis),1880–1956,Americanauthor;b.Baltimore.Hewasajournalist,notablyonBaltimore’sSunpapers(1906–56).HeandGeorgeJeanNATNANeditedtheSmartSet(1914–23)andstarted(1924)theAmericanMercury,whichMenckenaloneedited(1925–33).Hisascorbiccriticalessays,aimedmainlyatthecomplacentbourgeoisie,werecollectedinPrejudices(6vol.,1919–27).Healsowrotemanyothercriticalandautobiographicalworks.Inphilology,hecompiledthemonumentalTheAmericanLanguage(1919;4thed.,1936;supplements).MenckenwasacentralfigureinAmericanintellectuallifeduringthe1920’s.HelaunchedthemostcuttingattacksofanywriteragainstAmerica’smiddleclassculture.Heinventedtheword‘booboisie’,combiningthetwowords‘bourgeoisie’and‘booby’(anawkward,foolishperson).Incaustic(hurtful;intentionallyunkind)wittyessays,hederidedtheinstitutionswhichsupportedthemiddleclass.Heenjoyedcontroversyandtriedtoarousehisantagonistswithhisdirect,devastatingattacks.Hehatednarrow-mindedreligionandcommercialism,andhedidnotsupportdemocracybecauseheconsideredthemassestooignorantandgreedytoexerciseitwisely,declaringthatAmericanswere‘themosttimorous,sniveling,poltroonish[i.e.cowardly],ignominiousmobofserfsandgoose-steppersevergatheredunderoneflag…”.Hejeeredatthechurches,businessandthegovernment.Mencken’sessayswerereceivedwithdelightorhorror,dependingonthereader’spointofview,hewasalsohighlyrespectedforhisliterarycriticismandheexertedapowerfulinfluenceonAmericanliterature.Menckenwasalsoaleadingscholarinthefieldoflanguage.HismonumentalbookTheAmericanLanguageisconsideredanoutstandingworkofphilosophy.Init,heexaminedthedevelopmentoftheEnglishlanguageinAmerica,contrastingEnglishandAmericanexpressionsandusages,explainingtheoriginsofmanyAmericanidioms,andtracingtheinfluenceofimmigrantlanguagesonAmericanEnglish.HemadealargecontributiontothestudyoflanguageandparticularlyencouragedscholarlystudyoftheAmericanbranchofEnglish.Menckenwrotewithverse,gustoandexaggeration.Hisexuberant,extravagantuseofthelanguagewassoamusingandstartlingthatevenhismostviolentlycriticalessaysbecameacceptabletohisreaders.HeemployedahugevocabularyandlikedtoinsertunusualorThePolitician–H.L.Mencken2unexpectedwords,forsurpriseorcomiceffect,intootherwisenormalsentences.Althoughhisstyleisoccasionallydifficulttoread,Menckenisstillconsideredoneofthebestandliveliestessayistsofthiscentury.________________________________Aboutthetextdamn----blameorstronglycriticizeNomatterwhatdecisionyoumake,you’redamnedifyoudoanddamnedifyoudon’t(=criticizedwhateveryoudecide).Theinquiryintothedisasterdamnsthecompanyforitslackofsafetyprecautions.uphillanddowndale----〖dated〗everywhereWherehaveyoubeen?We’vebeensearchinguphillanddowndaleforyou.rogue----〖dated〗adishonestorimmoralpersonHewasknownasbeingabitofaroguewhohadlefthiswifeandrunoffwithhissecretary.(Arogueisalsoapersonwhojokesandbehavesinawaywhichyoudonotapproveofbutwhomyoudonotwanttocriticizebecauseyoulikethemtoomuch:‘Whatanoldrogueyouare,’shesaid,blushing.Arogues’galleryisacollectionofphotographsofcriminalskeptbythepolice:(fig.)Heoccupiesaprominentpositionintherogues’galleryofthefinancialworld.)vagabond----〖olduseorliterary〗apersonwhohasnohomeandusuallynojob,andwhotravelsfromplacetoplace,esp.inthepast,onewhowasthoughttobeoflowworthAseriesoflawsin16thcenturyEnglandspecifiedhowidlevagabondsweretobedealtwith.fraud----apersonwhoisnotthattheyareclaimedThePolitician–H.L.Mencken3Hetoldpeoplethathewasaseriousandwell-knownmusician,buthewasafraudreally.scoundrel----〖datedorhumorous〗aperson,esp.aman,whotreatsotherpeopleverybadlyandhasnomoralprinciplesHe’sanabsolutescoundrel–hetookoutantiquevasetogetitvaluedandwehaven’tseenhimsince.‘Everymanoverfortyisascoundrel.’–GeorgeBernardShawinMaximsforRevolutionists,1903Ioftenexpecttoomuchofthem.----Ioftenrequirethemtosotoomuch(becauseIbelieveit’stheirdutytodothisorthat).lookto----expect(somebody)todo(something);hope(thatsomeonewilldosomething)Weshouldlooktotheeconomistsforadviceonhowtoovercomeinflation.Healwayslookstootherstostructureeverythingforhim.…thatistoolargeanorder----…that’satoobigrequest.enchant----haveamagiceffecton(someoneorsomething);fill(someone)withafeelingofgreatdelightTome,CentralParkhasanatmosphereofmystery,asifitwereenchantedwithfairies.Hercharismamanagedtoenchanttheaudience.theintellectuallyunderprivileged----thosewholackintelligenceandtheirownmind,andareconsequentlyeasytobeenchanted(thecommonAmericanPeople)crooner----asinger,esp.aman,whosingsslowlovesongstakeon----(something)develop/assumeanewappearanceorqualityHisvoicetookonanewnoteofuncertainty.Theword‘profession’istakingonanewmeaning.austere----plainandwithoutdecorationThePolitician–H.L.Mencken4Theroomwithitswhitewallsisbare,austereandbeautiful.Shehasanaustereeleganceinherplaingreyandblackclothes.respectability----kindofsocialacceptancebecauseofhavingagoodcharacterorappearanceorbehavinginawaythatisapprovedofThecountryhasrestoreditsdiplomaticrelationswithitsneighboursinanattempttogaininternationalrespectability.Herideasgainedrespectab