Showing posts with label Samuel the Lamanite. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Samuel the Lamanite. Show all posts

Saturday, October 4, 2014

You Don't Know Me, Don't Pretend That You Know Me

Assigned Section:
Helaman 13 -> 3 Nephi 4

Sections of Spoken Word:
Helaman chapters 13, 14, 15 (sermon)
Helaman 16:16 (dialogue amongst themselves)
Helaman 16:18-21 (dialogue amongst themselves)
3 Nephi 1:13-14 (dialogue from the Lord to Nephi)
3 Nephi 3:20-21 (dialogue between Gidgiddoni and the people)
3 Nephi 4:29-32 (the people crying out)

Selected Section:
Helaman 13:24-29

I chose this section specifically, as I noticed Samuel using a certain rhetorical technique that I've seen used before but thought would be interesting to analyze.

Throughout this short section, Samuel uses various "quotes" that suggest what the people may or may not say in certain situations. For example: "When ye talk, ye say, 'If our days had been in the days of our fathers of old, we would not have slain the prophets.'" In essence, "if someone says this, you will say this." He uses these hypothetical phrases to--in my estimation--appeal to the pathos, logos, and ethos of his audience, the wicked Nephites.

Sharing these little hypotheticals appeals to their ethos by showing the people that he has a greater knowledge of them than they might think. By directly pointing out things they've said or could have said he proves that he knows his audience and is ready to address them. I can only imagine some of the Nephites thinking, "oh boy I heard Craig saying that just the other day..." or "oh no he must've heard me saying that just the other day."

More obviously, these hypotheticals appeal to their pathos as the words strike the people right in their hearts. "You will say that he is a false prophet, and that he is a sinner, and of the devil, because he testifieth that your deeds are evil." He's essentially telling them that even if they did hear the word of God that they would deny it on account of their hypocrisy and evil.

Lastly, I feel that this technique might appeal to the logos of the audience, by providing them with some vague "examples" of things that have been said by them, assuming they're accurate statements.

By this account, Samuel the Lamanite was an expert speaker, which seems appropriate considering he had to talk on top of a wall to a large population of wicked, prideful people.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Wall Words

1. Form Analyzed
I chose to look at the language used by Samuel the Lamanite, particularly the use of repetition.

2. Passage Analyzed
I looked at the verses from Helaman chapter 13, verses 5 through 11.

3. Annotated Text


4. Breakdown / Listing of things found:
Samuel the Lamanite warns of some kind of destruction or loss in 6 different sentences, but also promises them with a way to be saved 5 different times.

5. Interpretation: 
Imagine being responsible for an entire peoples' salvation, through a one-time-only warning from the Lord. You'd want to make sure they got the message, right? Especially if you're on top of a wall trying to yell at them. In both his words and the Lord's words, Samuel explains that destruction awaits them unless they repent, and then repeats that idea a good handful of times. "Bad things are coming unless you repent...and unless you repent bad things will come." Also, by using both his words and the Lord's he provides the "two witnesses" that are required for these words to be established.

6. Connections / Questions:
Repetition appears all over the Book of Mormon, particularly as prophets explain things to the people. Words of Nephi (as Elijah pointed out in his blog post) and even Jesus Christ come to mind. I wonder if there's any pattern to the repetition, or is it just naturally given?