Personal Response: “How to Live to be 200” by Stephen Leacock

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As Francis Bacon once said, “A healthy body is a guest chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison” (Quote World). In his quote, Bacon explains how people should relieve their stress in order to live a healthy life. By the use of this quote, it is used to represent how people should not be obsessed with their health habits. Henceforth, should people be captivated with their health habits? In Stephen Leacock’s essay, “How to Live to be 200”, Leacock’s arguments are compelling because he develops a sarcastic tone by making satirical statements, and uses rhetorical devices, allowing readers to draw personal connections.
In Leacock’s essay his arguments are valid because he conclusively ridicules the facts of how people should not be overly obsessed in being healthy. For instance, Leacock argues, “And after all their fuss they present incur some simple old fashion illness and die like anybody else” (13). Based on this example, Leacock implies that it is not guaranteed people will live a longer life even though if they remain physically healthy. As a result, this portrays how people should just live and enjoy life normally because everyone is going to pass away one day.
Next, another reason Leacock’s arguments are adequate is due to the sarcastic tone that he establishes. For instance, Leacock states, “And just one word about fresh air and exercise. Don’t bother with either of them . . . don’t keep using your lungs all the time” (27). Based on this example, a sarcastic tone is established because we all know that we need fresh air and our lungs to function in order to survive. By the use of this sarcastic tone, it is used to criticize the idea of how people should not spend the majority of their lives doing useless activities.
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...to a heart disease. Based on this example, this relates to Leacock’s essay because it is used to interpret how no matter how healthy an individual is they are not always guaranteed that they will live a longer life. Therefore, although it is important to remain healthy, it is also important to value our lives by doing things that we enjoy.
In conclusion, Leacock’s arguments are powerful through his use of rhetorical devices such as the anecdote which allows the readers to develop personal connections. Furthermore, the use of a sarcastic tone not only helps entertain the readers, but also helps expose the wrong of how the people within the society should not be overly obsessed about being healthy. Overall, in Leacock’s essay, by the use of rhetorical devices it allows him to establish a satirical tone which concedes his arguments to be influential within his essay.

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