I decided to look at language and the specific words that Mormon
uses to grab the reader’s attention and make a point (or to teach a principle).
2. Passage Analyzed
I analyzed verses 34-36 of my assigned section (Helaman 6: 34-36).
3. Annotated Text
34 And thus we see that the Nephites did begin to dwindle
in unbelief, and grow in wickedness and abominations, while the Lamanites began
to grow exceedingly in the knowledge of their God; yea, they did begin to keep
his statutes and commandments, and to walk in truth and uprightness before him.
35 And thus we see that the Spirit of the Lord began to withdrawfrom
the Nephites, because of the wickedness and the hardness of their hearts.
36 And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spiritupon
the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe
in his words.
4. Breakdown / Listing of
things found:
- “And
thus we see” – A commonly used phrase
-
Plenty of unique and intriguing words
-
Language that distinguishes very well between good and evil
5. Interpretation
The diction of Mormon in this section is very formal, and
very well thought out. Mormon is
intentionally writing in such a way so as to bring the reader to a Gospel
discussion.
To be more specific, Mormon uses the phrase “And thus we
see…” often throughout the Book of Mormon, and it is a perfect and well thought
out way to tell the reader “Hey, I want to teach you something important so
listen up.” Mormon does a fantastic job
of using this phrase throughout the Book of Mormon to let the reader know an
important principle, and then, in between each use of this phrase, Mormon
eloquently teaches the reader what he wants to teach him or her. Mormon then uses another phrase, which in
this case and I think in most cases is “And it came to pass…” to go back to telling
the story.
6. Connections /
Questions
I noticed in Savannah K’s post titled “Zeezrom’s Pain” that
Savannah wrote about the descriptive diction of that section. I think Mormon used the approach I mentioned
above throughout his narration of the Book of Mormon.
I wonder if there are other phrases that I missed that
Mormon uses frequently in the Book of Mormon?
The language used throughout the Book of Mormon is quite confusinf to people, however certain phrases like "And Thus We See," it helps us to be able to understand better what the writer is trying to say. Its definitely a good thing to take note of these occasions.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it beautiful that Mormon used such language to get us to pay attention.
ReplyDeleteWe can see that it best to learn from the past, and not make the same mistakes, or we can also follow their example and pattern of doing good.
However, this makes me think though, why is it that even though Mormon is teaching us something very important, and almost too obvious, but yet we still struggle to do it. I'm taking a more spiritual springboard from this post...but even with such forceful diction, we don't change our ways.