Connecting Through Form

            It was a great experience in sharing and reading my personal essay with my girlfriend, as it provided good feedback on some things I could work on, but as well as strengthen our relationship together. Some of the changes that I made after I read it out loud once again and hearing some of the feedback she gave I think really improved the overall strength of the essay. Not really any major changes to the essay, but small tweaks here and there on words and phrases that help the flow of the essay and improve the description in the essay.

            Like I said before, the experience of sharing my own writing with my girlfriend was a very positive one. Let alone the feedback she gave, I was able to express a mission memory in a whole new form that allowed her to connect to it in a different way. Instead of telling her a story by memory, I let the words of this personal essay bring her into a small portion of my mission. She was able to see another view, angle, perspective of my experiences in Africa through my writing. I don’t share my writing with anyone in my personal life, so I was little nervous when reading this to her. But she greatly appreciated it, and this opened up questions and discussion on some other parts of my mission that we had never talked about before. This experience showed me that writing is just another form of how we can express ourselves to our audience and others. Sometimes, like writing in different styles, communicating through formal essays instead or tweets or texts, we can have a better personal connection with someone and connect with a multitude of people.

Written For Who?

1. Form Analyzed

In this passage I analyzed characters and the audiences (primary and secondary) that are being referred to.

2. Passage Analyzed

My analysis comes from 3 Nephi 27:23-27.

"Write the things which ye have seen and heard, save it be those which are forbidden. Write the works of this people, which shall be, even as hath been written, of that which hath been. For behold, out of the books which have been written, and which shall be written, shall this people be judged, for by them shall their works be known unto men. And behold, all the things are written by the Father; therefore out of the books which shall be written shall the world be judged. And knew ye that ye shall be judges of this people, according to the judgment which I shall give unto you, which shall be just. Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am."

3. Annotated Text

4. Breakdown/Listing of things found:

In this section there are 8 different names: ye (the Apostles), this people (the Nephites/Lamanites), men (all people), judges (the Apostles), I am (Jesus), the Father, the world. The primary audience is the

Apostles and the secondary audience is the world, or the reader himself.

5. Interpretation:

This passage of the Book of Mormon is powerful because of the way it ties the reader in with the people of the Book of Mormon, and then ties them to Deity. The Apostles (primary audience) are commanded by Jesus Christ to write down everything seen and heard, which are the Father’s words, which the people of the whole world (the reader; secondary audience) will be judged from. This is an especially compelling form of literature because of the way it focuses on the reader himself as a character within the literature.

6. Connnections/Questions:

The big question in my mind is whether or not this section causes everyone to feel compelled as their own character within the passage. Does the form of the passage cause this role of the reader (the secondary audience) to be felt in all people or do feelings vary? What causes this connect or disconnect in the reader?  

Do Your Best, God Will Do The Rest

I’ve always been impressed by someone who can step up to the podium at a sacrament meeting and successfully walk the line between reading straight off their prepared talk and rambling about random tangents that are in no way related to the subject.

I am one of those people who is constantly correcting people’s grammar in my mind. There are days when I realized that I spent the entire fifteen minutes someone was talking, simply editing their work and not reaping any benefits from what they were saying. It is for this reason in particular that I value form and organization in public speaking.

When someone has a really well phrased speech, and then they have stories to keep me interested, and then they bring things to my attention that I had never really thought of, that is when I get the most out of a talk.

My last bishop in my home singles ward was the perfect example. He spoke recently about a variety of struggles that he has observed during his time of being the bishop of a YSA ward. His points were solid, but there wasn’t much that I hadn’t already heard time and time again.

Why then was I still riveted? What made his delivery of the topic so relieving compared to others?

Style. Tone. Form.

First off, he was confident in what he was saying. There was no “umm”-ing or hesitancy.

Secondly, he didn’t lecture us, but he wasn’t giving us a feel good talk either. He was being real.

Third, his form was impeccable. He gave stories and metaphors that we could relate to on a personal level. He had order in his talk, but it was not rigid structure. 

That is the fine line that I believe we must follow. We must do our best and bring what we have prepared and then we must be willing to let the Holy Ghost direct us and influence those in attendance.