The Author's Writing Techniques in 'How to Live to Be 200' by Stephen Leacock

Name
Course
Tutor
Date
How to Live to Be 200 by Leacock Criticizes Health Fanatics
How to live to be 200 is a satirical essay by Stephen Leacock that humorously criticizes some extreme dietary and physical exercise that people undertake in anxiety to lead long healthy lives. Leacock employ’s satire in different approaches to elucidate on the orthodoxy of such extremes (Leacock). He uses the character of Mr. Juggins to draw attention to the depth which health manias may delve out of anxiety. He uses hyperbole, irony, satire, understatements, contrast, and reason to stress the need to establish a balance in their diet and physical exercise as an effort to lead healthy lives.
Leacock uses hyperbole after which he notes by parenthesizing notes occasionally. While addressing the extreme measures that health freaks often take to curb germs and bacilli, he personalizes bacilli by noting they do not tolerate being struck with a towel. He offers an alternative that one could be friendly to the bacteria by inviting them to lie down. He carries on with the hyperbole by explaining that he had a bacilli friend whom he used to invite to lie down on his feet, and he never knew a more affectionate companion. Further, he informs the reader that he is exaggerating, but carries on with the humor by noting that he was not sure of the deceased bacilli friend was Fido or Robert (Leacock). The personification of the bacilli in this text is a clear way of informing the reader that the text is satirical of the phobia associated with germs and bacilli.