In Defense Of Women Mencken Analysis

A persistent and important societal criticism pertains to the comparability of males and females intellect, and which sex show higher intellect. In Mencken’s essay In Defense of Women, Mencken critiques the societal consensus that males intelligence often overshadows the intelligence females possess and display. Throughout the essay Mencken’s word choices strike the reader as important by describing the lack of male intellect present and describing the high magnitude that women’s intellect manifests. Notably, Mencken mentions that men do not often display skill in their intelligence as “ [this] notion is certainly supported by the familiar incompetency of first rate men for what are called practical concerns. One could not think of Aristotle

Mencken states that “ A woman wishes to mother a man simply because she sees into his helplessness, his need of an amiable environment, his touching self delusion”(Mencken 160). Mencken outlining that a woman can pinpoint the weak points of a male gives the reader the impression that women contain better observational skills which links to their status as the more intelligent sex. Furthermore, Mencken notes that “women rebel--often unconsciously, sometimes even submitting all the while--against the dull, mechanical tricks of the trade that the present organization of society compels them to practise for a living”(Mencken 162). Rebellion in many instances display the ability of people and groups to mobilize and assemble which takes certain levels of intellect and wisdom to pull off successfully. Thus, the fact women do this action often and unconsciously exhibits their effortless intellect. Accordingly, his word choices in which he describes the intellectual abilities of each sex importantly evince the validity of society’s views towards its view on the more intelligent sex, and divulge his