O, Remember, Remember

Section: Alma 62-Helaman 5

Helaman 2:8 servant of Helaman speaks to Kishkumen

Helaman 5:6 Lehi & Nephi recall the words which their father spake

Helaman 5:9, 10 Flashback to King Benjamin’s sermon and to Amulek’s speaking to Zeezrom

Helaman 5:26 Nephi and Lehi speak to the crowd while encircled by fire

Helaman 5:29, 32, 33 Voice of an angel crying repentence 3X

Helaman 5: 38-42 Dialogue between crowd and Aminidab

Helaman 5: 47 Voice from heaven declaring peace

Specific section analyzed: Helaman 5: 6,9-10

“Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good

O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world. And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.”

In this passage, Helaman begins by clearly stating that his purpose for addressing his audience (his sons, Nephi & Lehi) is for them to keep the commandments and declare the gospel.  He then establishes his credibility by alluding to earlier prophets and their words, beginning with a reference to Nephi & Lehi’s namesakes, and then continuing by paraphrasing King Benjamin and Amulek. Helaman focuses on the word “remember”, at one point repeating it, clearly pointing to the teachings of those who went before him. The focal point of what he asks his sons to look back and recall is the atonement of Jesus Christ, which was at this point still in the future.

The Story Must Change

Every summer my family and I take a vacation to our cabin in Michigan. It’s a tiny cabin that sits between two small lakes. I haven’t gone a single summer of my life without visiting this special spot.

Most of my strongest childhood memories come from these cabin trips. It’s a child’s dream come true; fishing, daydreaming, and exploring the thick woods and wild apple trees that surround the lakes.

A trip to the cabin would not be complete without my father’s retelling of his scary stories before bed each night. His most well known story is called, “The Great White Ape”.

The story is given differently each time, but the plot always remains: The weather is dark and stormy. We find a castle and enter to find a giant white ape in a cage with a sign that reads, “Do NOT touch the Great White Ape.” Well someone always ends up touching the Ape and chaos ensues. The Great White Ape breaks from the cage and chases us around the house until he catches us. Tension mounts and the end seems near— it’s in that moment that the Ape reaches out and taps us with one finger, saying, “Tag! You’re it.”

There are many reasons why this oral literary tradition has made such a profound impact upon me, but what always stunned me is the fact that the story always changed! When new brothers were born, new characters were added. Details about how we found the castle or how the Ape was first touched were also apt to change. And this is what made our tradition so special. I learned an important concept: art and literature adapt. It’s this aspect of change that makes life and storytelling so mystifying. There is always a new story to be told.

Safe Among the Indians

When I was a boy my father read to me at night from a curious history called Among the Shoshones. Elijah Wilson was a Mormon settler who, as a young boy, found himself adopted into an Indian tribe for many years. I don't even remember how. Not only did he survive, but he thrived. How cool was that! They didn't scalp him; they taught him and trained him up and adventure ensued. In one episode, he rode himself raw on a horse, and the Shoshones had him soak himself in the briny waters of the Great Salt Lake to heal him up. I'd tasted the water of the Great Salt Lake. I bet that stung.

You can "go native" as a reader, inhabiting the life of someone else. I've done it many times. Reading is an act of sympathy that takes you to the alien world that is someone else's experience. It doesn't have to be Indians or a wilderness frontier -- any imagined world makes you a foreigner, and a book gives you a travel visa. That can be dangerous. I still shake when thinking about that criminal autobiography I took off the shelf at Whitmore Library in Salt Lake City in which a murder was described. I wished I never read that.

Overall, I feel pretty safe about traveling the literary wilderness -- not because I'm an adult or any other reason. My safe travel through imagined worlds I credit to my father. I can still see his fingers smoothing the pages, inserting a bookmark after tucking me in, pulling up the green quilt my mother had tied in wooden frames set up in our living room. It's okay to go among the Indians when your father takes you on the journey.