Finding Your Place Among the Stars

Every person no matter their religion must at some point go through some sort of rite of passage. Mormons are no different. Part of being human is questioning things around us and trying to find our place in the universe. Kyle in Will Wonder’s Never Cease is a perfect example of this occurring in young people which I feel was very accurately portrayed since I was able to connect with and relate to his thoughts and experiences.

Right off the bat Thayer has names, and not titles which would be more expected, flying around for anyone and everything. The most startling of which is that Kyle even thinks of his parents by their first names. This shows that he feels out of place, or isn’t quite sure where he fits in and at times he feels others don’t give him enough credit for what he knows and what he is capable of. He is smart enough not to actually call them by their first names to their faces, but you can tell a lot about who someone really is when you can get in their head which is a advantage of works of fiction.

However is all of this truly fiction? I feel that despite the fact that the actual events of this story never happened, all of the other aspects have elements of truth in them that we can all connect with on different levels. Whether Thayer had similar experiences, had them form from his imagination, or has had others share their similar experiences with him, the feelings and thoughts that are discussed and felt as a result in this novel are real to any human being, especially during our coming of age phase. So despite Thayer having Kyle in a Mormon culture, with lots of discussions surrounding Mormon life, I feel that this larger theme of coming of age is more of a universal human experience and not one that is mutually exclusive to Mormons or even Mormon teenage boys.

Alma the Judge

1.  Form Analyzed:

I decided that I would look at Characters as I was reading through my section of the Book of Mormon. The knowledge of What the name was and why they mattered in this part of the Book of Mormon.

2.  Passage Analyzed:

My assigned section (Alma 1-7) has one of few characters mentioned throughout my section, but I am going to be focusing on the first few chapters.

 3.   Annotated Text:

4.  Breakdown / Listing of things found:

Multiple accounts of scenes including Alma, from why he is who he is to what he does.

·         King Mosiah dies (Alma 1:1)

·         Alma is reign over the people or is in the judgment seat now (Alma 1:2)

·         Alma judges a case by who and what happened and why(Alma 1:2-21)

·         Peace is restored then the next event comes into play. The fifth year of the reign of the judges (Alma 1:21-2:5)

·         Alma is the judge over the Nephite and Amalici goes to war with Alma(2:8-3:1)

 5. Interpretation:

Following through the plots and settings throughout the chapters of Alma I noticed that the character  Alma at the beginning was looked up to exceedingly over his great characteristics or quality that made him somebody or something recognizable through the readings I had done (Alma 1:2).I noticed that people would go against and fall away from him many times during the reading(Alma 1:7-23 and Alma 2-3). Others were introduced and were told who they were and why they mattered (like the man who was prideful in Alma 1:5, Gideon Alma 1:7 orAmalici Alma 2:1-5). Each individual were noticed why they were there, who they were, and their own characteristics.

 6. Connections / Questions:

I wonder if in each different stories or plots the characters were so in depth recognized and announced to you? The different stories might be similar in the Book of Mormon I wonder if they go to the same length to introducing each character?

Iniquity is to Bondage, as Conversion is to Freedom.

1.  Form Analyzed:

As I began reading, I decided that I would look at plot, (which, in this section, is highly intertwined with setting and characters), specifically the recurring pattern of bondage and freedom. 

2.  Passage Analyzed:

My assigned section (Mosiah 15-24) has recurring plot schemes all through it to which I will refer, but I will focus more on chapters 22-24)

 3.   Annotated Text:

4.  Breakdown / Listing of things found:

The accounts of the people in the time of Mosiah includes a series of scenes and characters being enslaved, or fleeing to liberty:

·      Alma flees into the wilderness with his followers (Mosiah 18:31-35; Mosiah 23)

·      The people of Noah (later known as the people of Limhi) were enslaved by the Lamanites (Mosiah 19:9-15)

·      Daughters of the Lamanites are taken captive by the priests of King Noah (Mosiah 20:1-6)

·      Ammon and his brethren are bound and cast into prison by the people of Limhi (Mosiah 21:18-23)

·      The people of Limhi escape from the Lamanites and flee to the land of Zarahemla where they join Mosiah’s people (Mosiah 22:8-15)

·      Alma and his followers are enslaved by the Lamanite army that was pursuing the people of Limhi (Mosiah 23:25-39)

·      Alma and his people flee from the Lamanites to the land of Zarahemla where they also join Mosiah’s people (Mosiah 24:18-25)

 5. Interpretation:

As I tried to follow the plot, I realized that there were so many different scenes with so many different characters, intertwining at the same time, that Mormon had to take side stories and make flashbacks in order to convey all of the information.  Once all of the side stories of captivity and freedom were resolved, the Nephite people are all reunited in the Land of Zarahemla, and the general story could therefore proceed.  To illustrate this picture, I would note that Mosiah chapter 7 takes place around 121 B.C. and Mosiah 25 begins around 120 B.C., just one year later.  But a lot of plot development occurs in this short time: The prophet Alma became converted and the church was started at the Waters of Mormon, and the people of Limhi were converted as well, which sets up the missionary work chapters that are to follow. 

 6. Connections / Questions:

How often does the pattern of bondage to freedom help characters in the Book of Mormon become converted to the Lord?  Was it accident that an army chasing one group of people stumbled upon and overtook another group of people?  Each group placed under bondage was forced to be patient and humble before the Lord could deliver them.  A recurring theme developed in the plot.  Is the pride cycle so apparent in other parts of the Book of Mormon?  And is conversion to the Lord always so linked to liberty?

Assignment: Book of Mormon Literary and Rhetorical Analysis

Collectively, my students will read the entire Book of Mormon in the next two days, each focusing on about 22 pages of text. Rather than taking a strictly religious approach, we will do a literary and rhetorical analysis. 

Why literary and rhetorical analysis?
The purpose of performing this sort of analysis is that students will better appreciate the literary nature of their faith and its central scripture. They will improve their understanding of the scripture by recognizing genres, patterns, and the persuasive nature of Book of Mormon writings. And as students compare their findings, we will collectively identify larger themes and forms at work across the book as a whole.

How does one perform literary or rhetorical analysis?
In general we will be looking for the "how" to shed light on the "what": identifying form in the writing or speaking and then considering how this form affects the meaning or impact of that communication. First look at form, then interpret its influence. The pattern is simple. Start with concepts of form out of literary and rhetorical terminology, find them, and decide what the use of that form does.

Instructions
Follow this pattern to do an initial attempt at analyzing for form:

1. Review your lecture notes, class recordings, or this list of Literary and Rhetorical Terminology
2. Select one these kinds of literary or rhetorical form
3. Find examples of this form within part of your assigned segment and mark them.
4. Create a post of 200-300 words showing your annotations and drawing conclusions about that one aspect of form that you used. Use the headings and follow the pattern of the example, below.
5. Before posting, check other students' posts to see if they used the same literary or rhetorical concept. If they have, then in the final section ("Questions and Connections" --see example), mention their post(s) and link to it/them, commenting on your similar or different approaches.

Three example analyses follow: