Ana's Final Essay: Audience?

For whom should LDS authors write?

LDS authors’ writings should be able to incorporate the general audience. Their works should be written in a way where people who are not of the LDS faith can understand. If they only write to an LDS audience, in a way only they can understand, the author is limited in their audience and who they are able to market to.  

Based on the topic, sometimes the author’s work should only be written for an LDS audience. If the topic isn’t sensitive or pertains to LDS culture, then it would be wise to expand the work’s audience to both members and non-members, and write it in such a way they all can understand the content and story—even if it is a sort of allegory for members.

When the author writes to both a non-LDS and LDS community, they are able to, not only increase their sales, but their books have the possibility to become more popular, as well as the fact that they belong to a certain faith—ex. Shannon Hale, Stephany Meyer, or Orson Scott Card. However, when the general audience discovers the author’s faith, sometimes they think what the author writes is a representation of the author’s faith. This was especially true with Stephany Meyer’s the Twilight series and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game (as well as his Seventh Son).

Depending on the genre or the author’s humor, the LDS culture can sometimes (or often) slip into their writing. This can affect their audience, as only about half the audience may get some of the things they’ll read. Also, depending on how and where the author was raised, they might not be able to cater to the audience they want because they’re only used to a certain culture. This scenario is especially true for genres such as realistic fiction, non-fiction, and less so for science fiction and fantasy (ex. Seventh Son, even though it’s based on Joseph Smith, the book written in a way that even people who know nothing about Church history can get into the story). However, even some LDS fiction that isn’t in the realms of sf/f can be enjoyed by any person—for example, Martine Leavitt’s My Book of Life by Angel, as it was written about a sensitive topic that not too many people think about too often, without including lines that only members would understand.

Homespun and Angel Feathers covered a lot of LDS topics, and it was published for an LDS audience, yet some of the poems included were written in a way any person would laugh at (for example, “The Guys I didn’t Marry”, which was focused less on the LDS culture, but more about her personal life with relationships. Darlene Young’s poetry collection won’t get a lot of traffic, not only because of the publisher, but also because it’s poetry, so it doesn’t always have to do with the topic; sometimes it’s the type of writing (like poetry). Because she had to write it for an LDS audience, it decreases the chances of being read even more.

The best type of LDS writing is writing that can be understood by anyone (such as Orson Scott Card’s Seventh Son).

Jer3miah

Before I began watching Jer3miah, I had an image in my head of what I thought the series was going to be like—the actual series was nothing like I thought it would be. To admit, I was very confused at first, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. I wondered if its goal was doing a more in-depth adaptation of Joseph Smith, but then after he received the box and was given three “commandments”, I realized their goal wasn’t so much of an identical story of Joseph Smith, but more of what the review suggested about focusing on LDS themes. During the video, when Jeremiah is going to the place no one was supposed to know about, throughout the scene, I thought about some of the struggles Joseph Smith had to go through. Then there was the encounter with the man, and I paralleled it with Nephi, when he has to slay Laban—the video even quoted Isaiah 55, when the Lord talks about how our ways are not His—the experience would’ve been very traumatic to Nephi as it was something he had never done nor thought about doing; the video portrayed it very different than current Church videos portray the experience with Nephi. Another aspect I found interesting is after Claire and Jeremiah get kidnapped: in the following episode, it references Abraham’s trial, which I didn’t connect until after it was brought up. I find it interesting that the series was able to make modern-day parallels with scripture stories (even though some of them are a little farfetched.

Mormon Drama: Morrison's "Adam and Eve"

Davey Morrison’s Adam and Eve puts a little spin on what came after Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden. Many people don’t think about Adam and Eve’s reaction, instead, all of the attention is placed on the moment Adam and Eve partook of the fruit.

Morrison give deep thought on how they would’ve reacted during the first few hours after they were driven out. The experience was new for them, so they had to figure everything out on their own. One aspect of life that was new to them was romance. Morrison described the romance between Adam and Eve perfectly. Before being cast out, they didn’t really understand their relationship as they would’ve after partaking of the fruit. For example, when Adam tries to hold Eve’s hand, she doesn’t like it at first, but tells him that it felt good and didn’t know why. That type of connection would feel foreign to them, as they were in a state of innocence in Eden. Adam wants to keep trying that type of affection, as it also feels good to him and he believes it can comfort her.

One thing I found interesting is how Adam wants to get right into fulfilling the next commandment (multiply and replenish the earth), and Eve is hesitant. She wants to figure things out first. I think that sort of comparison is a very humanly trait, especially when it comes to creating families. Both spouses need to be on board in order to have success in their newly-formed family.

Another aspect of Morrison’s story that through me for a loop was how Eve knew what a “pet” was right away. Her understanding the nature of predators wasn’t that shocking, but it was interesting that she immediately wanted a pet, when Adam and Eve were still trying to figure things out.

   

Morrison also added humor into the story, which made it more relatable. Adam and Eve would tease one another in several places (such as the word “apple”, which Eve found to be funny). Morrison’s type of humor that he gives to the couple is similar to the way I tease members of my family, so I found myself laughing throughout the piece.

Adam and Eve is a play that can help people understand what Adam and Eve would have experienced after being driving out of their paradise. It helps us relate to them on a different level.

Our own Avatars

In the film Avatar, there is a tree called the Tree of Souls. The tree has a spiritual connection, as it deals with ancestors. In Mormon culture, ancestors play a huge role (as we focus on families being eternal). The film makes illustrates the tree as large and bright, drawing the audience’s attention to it. The tree fills the entire screen, so there is no way the audience can miss it, and it enables significance. Then, when we hear the ancestors, it’s happy (there’s laughter and happy tones), which allows the audience to also think about their own memories of their ancestors.

A theme I also found in the film, which the essay touched on, is the Plan of Salvation. Something that stuck out to me from the very beginning of the film is that Jake Sully came to the planet from a different one (earth) so he could basically have a second chance. Something the article brought up that I didn’t think of before, though, is the connection of how our bodies are avatars of our spirits. In the film, Jake is able to use “his” legs in the other world, of which was restricted in earth. Another aspect of avatars which the article brought up was technological avatars we use on a regular basis through social media. I had never connected those to the meaning of avatar, but it definitely makes sense after reading the article. The “avatars” we use regularly through social media aren’t us, but they are somewhat linked to us.

Playing Mom

A Personal Essay by Ana Hirschi

“What you do to children matters. And they might never forget.” 

—Toni Morrison

Three children might never know how much of an impact they left. They became children I learned to love, despite their difficult times. I especially came to love the three-year-old, as I spent the most time with him.

Maxwell, the three-year-old, and I instantly had a connection. He had enough energy to run five miles without taking a break. I wouldn’t be surprised if in one hour, he ran five miles inside the house. 

He would reach up to grab my hand whenever he wanted to go somewhere. “Ana, come.” He would say. Even though he always went places alone in the house, as long as I was there, he needed me to go with him.

Ana's Revision Plan

1. Some of the titles I’m working with are: “Playing Mom #2”or “The Art of Playing Mom.” Something I am planning on revising are personal thoughts. I set up a detailed character sketch, but I need to include my own thoughts, reactions, etc.  My hope is that it will help it become more balanced and help the audience engage with the story more.
2. Because I already have sturdy character development, I want to see if I can help the story flow more, instead of abrupt transitions in the essay. I might include more dialogue in some areas to help the audience see what I’m thinking, as well as how I’m engaging with the other character(s).
3. I’m also planning on dividing the essay into sections for the various scenes, which will be indicated by asterisk scene breaks. I also want to include multiple (and appealing) pictures that draws the audience in visually. My current image would be good to include in the middle of the essay, but not to have it be the first one they see. I’m planning on getting a stock photo (due to privacy) of children, or something of that nature.

Ana's Essay Draft: Finding Love for Another's Children

“What you do to children matters. And they might never forget.”

—Toni Morrison

I never knew watching three children during summer would have such an impact on me, but it did. They became children I learned to love, despite their difficult times. I especially came to love the three-year-old, as I spent the most time with him. (He only had to go to preschool once a week.)

Maxwell, the three-year-old, and I instantly had a connection. He had enough energy to run five miles without taking a break. I wouldn’t be surprised if in one hour, he ran five miles inside the house.

He would reach up to grab my hand whenever he wanted to go somewhere. “Ana, come.” He would say. Even though he always went places alone in the house, as long as I was there, he needed me to go with him.

After a while of watching him, he started asking, “Mom, can you play –.” As my time with Maxwell was coming to a close, he started calling me mom, and his older brother had to correct him. Maxwell would respond, “She’s my second mom.” All I could do was smile, even though I knew the truth. It was hard to correct him—after all, he was only three.

In August, Arizona was in the middle of monsoon season. It would rain in the middle of the day, even though the day started out with few clouds in the sky. Maxwell loved the rain. Even more, he loved to play in the muddy puddles.

Nothing can compare to the smell of rain after an Arizona rainstorm. Many people don’t think rain has a smell, but rain does have a smell in Arizona. Sometimes I miss the smell of a yard after it’s been mowed, but, after monsoon season, I desire the smell of rain once more.

Because of the uneven levels of dirt in Maxwell’s backyard, his huge mud puddles were waiting for us. He had a tiny Step 2 water table that was always filled with water. That was one of the reasons he loved the rain so much.

On an afternoon, after the rainstorm had stopped, he pulled my hand in the direction of the back door, to signal it was time to play outside. He told me to gather rocks (his attempt was to gather all the boulders I could carry, but I thought it was safer to look for pebbles instead). After gathering close to ten, Maxwell would throw them into his water table, turning the rainwater into a dark-colored mess. He would place his hands in the water, until they touched the bottom, and would ask me, “Can you see my hands?” I would tell him no most of the time. After a while, I began to tell him yes. Frustrated, he would shake his head and bang one of his hands on his forehead. Then he would move his hands around in the water to see if there was another position that would make his hands “disappear.”

When he was sick of the muddy water, he would ask me to fill it up again with the hose. To his request, I told him to play in the water he already had at his disposal. When I didn’t do what he wanted, he decided to play in the muddy puddles in different areas of the yard. “As long as you only get your hands wet,” I would tell him. However, being the three-year-old that he was, he decided to go big or go home. The next thing I knew, I had to change him out of his now-mucky clothes. Even though I tried to keep the house as clean as possible, he left a trail of footprints on the hardwood floor before I had time to come back with a clean outfit.

My time with the children was coming to a close. Maxwell had a keen sense of sound. During one particular evening, when Maxwell’s dad was returning from work, and as Maxwell heard the front door beginning to unlock, he placed his paw patrol figurines down, next to his giant PJ Masks house (which he referred to as “PJ Maxwell”) he would frequently play with. As soon as the toys were out of his lap, he bolted to the door to throw himself onto his dad.

His dad would tell the kids to say goodbye to me before I would leave. On one occasion, Maxwell cried, “Ana, don’t go! We still have to play!” To spend more time with me, he asked his dad if they could get “the packages,” which he was obsessed with; In other words, the mail. Their mailbox was on the way to my house—I would walk home, if the weather was bright and sunny, as I only lived a block away. With a smile on his face, Maxwell not only got to spend a little more time with me, but also peek into the mailbox. He hoped he could walk farther, so he could come home with me, but his dad had to redirection him.

After I left to attend school at BYU, I received a text from Maxwell’s dad, telling me how much Maxwell missed me. At the moment, all I could think about was how much I missed him to. I couldn’t believe a three-year-old still remembered his playmate.

Ana's Essay Plan

REFLECT: Two of the exercises that have been beneficial for my prewriting has been the character sketches and the quotes. After doing the character sketches, I thought a lot about what I wanted to write about, and my original idea got discarded as I was exploring.

SELECT: I was really passionate about my original idea, but, after doing the character sketches, I want to focus on the children I watched full-time over the summer, as I have a wider range details, seeing them from an outside perspective. It’s also more recent than my original idea, so the details are still fresh in my head.

COMMENT: I liked how Hoiland used imagery—both literally and in a literary sense—in her writing. I don’t know if I’ll end up using it, but I do want to play around with imagery (in an art sense) as I write the essay. She also wasn’t afraid to talk about sensitive topics, which is another thing I want to play around with in my essay.

PLAN: I want to talk about my personal experience of watching someone else’s children day after day, and how it has impacted me, and the affects it had on the children, from what I saw. I want to portray the differences between the kids and how that affected me, focusing specifically on one of them. I have several ideas I want to incorporate into my essay.   

Ana's Incorporating Quotes

“I hope you do not let anyone else's expectations direct the course of your life.”
―Julianne Donaldson, Edenbrooke

No one around me should determine where my life goes. There have been numerous times in my life where I have changed what I wanted to do or say because of what someone else thought—but that shouldn’t be how life works. I have found when I write down my goals and dreams on paper, it’s easier for me to follow through with them no matter how others respond.    

I have learned, in order to make the most out of life, I need to change my perspective during certain parts of my life:

 “You can often change your circumstances by changing your attitude.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

During the hardest parts of my life, I have learned to smile and laugh about it. As I do, years later, I look back and am astonished I was able to go through what I did. Looking at the positive in circumstances always makes me happier. There is always something I can be happy about, even when my world is falling apart.

Sometimes I need to laugh in order to make myself feel better during the hard times. After all, “If you can laugh in the face of adversity, you’re bullet-proof,” as Ricky Gervais says. Laughing not only is good for the brain, it also helps to calm my situations. No matter what I’m going through day by day, laughing makes everything seem easier and prepares me to take on the challenges that come my way. Sometimes people ask why I’m always happy. What they don’t know sometimes is that I’m not always happy; what they see is how I react.

Ana's Martine Leavitt / Hoiland Response

As I was reading My Book of Life by Angel, I thought it was interesting that throughout the book she would bring up Milton’s Paradise Lost, as well as some biblical imagery. Before the interview, I thought that had contributed to the form (as Paradise Lost is an epic poem, and Angel seemed to enjoy him a lot); however, she brought up that the form provided a distance between the story and he readers (as she’s broken, and writing to herself, it gives her voice). As I was reading, I found myself cringing in certain parts because of the struggles, and feeling sad for Angel. She didn’t make it graphic as she could’ve, so I wasn’t focused with the specifics, but, instead, Angel’s perception and feelings were present for me. I also liked, going back to the interview, that through poetry, she was able to tell the truth in the way she presented her story.  

In One Hundred Birds Taught Me to Fly, on pg. 70, her mission companion tells her “we are not here to save them, we are only here to minister to them.” Throughout the first 1/3 of the book she contemplates saving and what it means to be “lost.” As she does so, she is vulnerable, as she talks about her own family and some of the people she met throughout her life (for example, marriage, divorce, and death). That vulnerability helps shape her character and the story.

Ana's Bold Essaying Response

As I wrote about my topic I chose for my private writing, I noticed I kept thinking about concerns and questions I had with my topic. I was able to dig deep into a topic that isn’t talked about frequently. I realized that sometimes it takes writing about concerns in order to crack what my thoughts really are. It helped me develop concrete opinions and questions about what I was writing about. At first, I had to reflect on what I actually thought on the topic, then, once I started writing, more and more thoughts appeared; it was definitely a challenge at the beginning, then became easier. There were times when I thought about a question I had, or an idea I wanted to explore, and then the direction I had originally anticipated went an entirely different route. When I dealt on my newly-found ideas, my writing seemed to flow a lot more naturally. It goes to show that sometimes I don’t recognize how much of an opinion I actually have about a topic.

Ana's Sketch Reflecting Belief

As soon as Mary walks through our front door, the only comment she can make is, “Your family has a lot of musical instruments! Do you all play?”

“Kind of. Everyone in my family can play the piano at least, but then we each have our other instruments we lean towards.” The stack of instruments in the corner of our living room, full of strings and woodwinds, gave away the fact that our family was musically inclined. We were that family who was always asked to give all of the musical numbers in sacrament meeting during church when they wanted one, but didn’t know who else to call. We knew there were other people, but they never came forward and admitted it in public. If someone didn’t play at least the piano or sing in the choir, they felt like an outcast. My mom had this rule in our family: you had to take piano lessons for at least five years growing up, then you were allowed to quit, or move on to another instrument. My brother quit, while I started learning the violin.   

The moment we moved to a new place, it was always the same situation—as soon as the word was out that we could play and sing, the following Sunday we were doing a musical number in church.

Ana's Character Sketches

1. Maxwell effortlessly crawled on top of his changing table. “Watch this!” He yelled as he jumped routinely onto the floor, avoiding any Paw Patrol figurines that covered it. Within five seconds, he was already in position for his next attempt. “Catch me now!” Before I could get ready for his flight, he was already in the air. I stumbled forward to catch him before he landed on the ground.

2. “Okay, guess who’s in my algebra class?” Rebekkah sprinted through the front door, and without even attempting to slow down, she began again, “Amanda! She even tried to talk to me. Apparently, she forgot that we weren’t friends anymore.” They had an on-off friendship since fourth grade—middle school did nothing to help remedy their friendship.  

3. The aroma of wet dog filled the white Honda after a recent lake trip. Nothing could separate Laura from her German shepherd “Gabbilious” (or who everyone else referred to as Gabby). She had always told everyone that no dogs would be allowed in the house because of the hair—it all changed with Gabby. Soon dog hair started appearing in the bed, which surprised us all, as Gabby was Laura’s fourth dog.

Three Scenes from Ana's Life

1. The mid-winter snow glazed the sidewalk as I carefully placed one foot in front of the other. My eyes were abnormally spinning. All I could tell myself is, you only need to make it to the next bench, and then you can sit and rest for a few minutes. My only problem: I had statistics in a few minutes. So with every bench, I would keep walking, despite the ringing in my head.

2. Spending a pleasurable morning with a visiting scholar, viewing paintings and touring the campus, I couldn’t imagine my day any better. Then I received an email. Applying for an abundant amount of jobs, I couldn’t even remember what they were anymore. But being a Research Assistant for Maxwell Institute was one I was eager to be called into an interview for.

3. The delicate bug buzzes along the grass as its rear end is the only thing illuminating its surroundings. We watch with awe as another, then another, fly to greet its companion. They are unaware of the buildings and cars around them, and only focus on the small field they’ve claimed as theirs.  

Ana's General Conference Analysis

Gary E. Stevenson began his talk with two personal stories about his children—one about their black Labrador, while the other was about a skunk. In the first story, Elder Stevenson talked about how his son wanted to paint their dog like the movie (“101 Dalmatians”). Because most people are familiar with the movie or story, they were immediately able to paint the picture in their head of what was running through his son’s head, and what was going on. It helped me personally, when I already had a concrete image in my head of what was going on, before Elder Stevenson arrived to the conclusion of his story.

He was also able to bring humor into his personal stories, with the dialogue taking place and the setting. As his sons became more real to the audience, they were able to relate to the story more, and were able to arrive to the point he was trying to make faster. For example, the sons thought the skunk was a black cat. That response showed the boys’ experience level with the animal, and later laid the foundation for a parallel Elder Stevenson was tying the skunk to. When there is humor within the personal experience, I find myself more likely to be engaged with the speaker.     

Ana's Literary Journal Exercise

September 22, 2019

Journal Entry: This morning I did my communion report for English 385—so I went to the Provo Community Congregational United Church of Christ. I came a little early, and it turns out, the first person I met was from Hawaii, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was visiting there for his niece’s baby baptism—we talked until church stated. Everyone was friendly. There were three baptisms that day. The only song they sang that I knew was “I Need Thee Every Hour,” but at least I knew one!

Variation 1:

--Hawaiian LDS member: friend to me at the Provo Community Congregational United Church of Christ (met when I came early)

            --Reverend Cupples: talked about sacrament of baptism, had three baptisms

Variation 2:

 I went to a church I had never went to before, and even though it was unfamiliar to me, I ended up learning a lot, and got to witness three baptisms. I even got to meet new people. It turned out to be a great Sunday despite my nervousness.

Variation 3:

“Help me figure out how to write this assignment.” It’s what was going through my head. Reverend Cupples and several members of the congregation helped my visit be an enjoyable experience. There was even a part when Reverend Cupples was talking about being children of God (with the baptisms taking place), which was great, as that was a theme I kept hearing throughout the week.

Variation 4:

The first person I happened to meet wore a plain red tie with a white shirt—matching with his son. At first I thought I blended in well when I also observed the wife and aunt (who were dressed up in floral dresses, similar to me), but then the father started to talking, and when he started to ask me about BYU—he told me he was a member of The Church. So the cat was out of the bag, and he explained to me he was only there for a baptism taking place.   

Variation 5:

How is it that the first person I meet turned out to be of the same religion as me when I did my communion assignment? Why do they do infant baptism vs. our child baptism? Why do they only participate in baptism in so often? How was I so fortunate to be able to have them sing at least one song I knew (“I Need Thee Every Hour”)?

When I use different approaches, I am able to focus on different details of the same story—details I may have overlooked in the writing process or didn’t think were that important at the time I was writing. For the variation of the asking questions, in specifically, it gets me thinking more about the event or about my ideals, which I can either answer on the spot, or come back to later, or never answer and have them there to open up to and reflect on. The list, for example, can be more as a way to get my thoughts down on paper without going too much in detail (the only reason why I have never liked this approach when it comes to journal writing—I love it for research paper outlines, creative writing drafts, etc.—is it’s more of a beginning stage for me, not a final product. 

Home Literature Aspects in Added Upon

When it comes to Home Literature, Orson Whitney talked about how literature was for learning, and some of what fell under the “best books” also included history, poetry, philosophy, etc. Literature must also be original and diverse, and a person should also feel what they write.

Something that Nephi Anderson did in Added Upon was include substantial amounts of poetry (such as Wordsworth). If, for some reason, you stumbled upon the book as a non-member, you would be able to see a familiar names within the poetry. The book was published in 1898, so it was after the early saints had struggled with a lot of moving from place to place, and were in Utah (however, they were still moving around after that), so that could have influenced Anderson’s writing and “feeling of what he wrote.” He also began the book with the story of the premortal existence, a story, as members of The Church, we are familiar with. People of other Christian faiths would also be able to recognize the event taking place, as the widely-known characters are either presented by name (ex. Lucifer), or easy to pick up on (ex. Father). He kept with the basic storyline, but included characters of his own to make the story more original.

Ana's Life-Altering Experience

• Ø  I had been having problems with my heath from the time I was about 11 or 12 years old—I just couldn’t explain what was going on.*
• Ø  When I was 17 years old, I had an ATV accident during a camping trip with family, and ended up running into a tree.
• Ø  My aunt, who was with me at the time, realized something was wrong, and knew I needed to get checked out.
• Ø  I ended up having to go to the hospital after the camping trip, and had to see specialist after specialist, and got tested. Eventually, I came to the hospital in Murray, UT that specialized in the care that I needed.
• Ø  After several tests and surgeries, I realized I would never be “normal” again, but I could try to learn how to live with the changes.
• Ø  Through it all, I was able to recognize how the Lord was working in it, even though there were times I couldn’t always see it—sometimes, I had to look back to see it.
• Ø  I realized that if it weren’t for that accident, I wouldn’t be where I am—it needed to happen—and luckily it happened in the secluded mountains

*Due to the highly sensitive content contained in this post, and the nature of this blog, this has been revised from its original form

Ana's Literary Analysis of the Book of Mormon

For my literary analysis, I decided to focus on 2 Nephi 9. I paid particular attention to the perspective, as it's mostly Jacob bearing his testimony and prophesying (but there are brief moments where the POV shifts to God). I also noticed how different characters (such as Lucifer) were introduced, or different parts of the Plan, as it plays a critical role in 2 Nephi 9. I was taking note of major themes as I annotated as well: remembrance, ordinances/covenants, repentance, avoiding sin, perfection, etc. If I were to do this exercise again, I think I would focus more on the symbolism, and how it is being used in the chapter.

The Book of Mormon as Literature

Grant Hardy mentions in the introduction that he uses headings to identify who is speaking and what about. This style is similar to different versions of the Bible (other than the KJV); I actually found this style helpful before actually getting into the book because of my experience with other versions of the Bible, so I was anxious to see how he used it with the Book of Mormon text. Why I find it helpful, for both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, is because the reader is able to identify the topic, the what, and the who. There are multiple places that may be difficult to understand in identifying who may be talking and when, due to how quickly the conversation is taking place.

A transition Hardy uses in 1 Nephi 2 that may not be one of the smoothest transitions is “Laman and Lemuel’s Murmurings” because the Book of Mormon was talking about Lehi before the transition, and it still is, however, the first line is “he” and it may make the reader question who “he” is.

One of my favorite things about the styles in this edition is the way Hardy uses the verbal phrasing. The way he puts into more of a poetic style, it helps the reader engage more with the text, as they can immediately look at the text and know when someone is speaking.

When it’s in the elongated format, I am able to naturally read it like a novel, which is something the older formats of the Book of Mormon are like, and it gives a different feel to the reader. Sometimes it’s easier to focus on the text, as I’m not looking for a specific thing, but then I end up stumbling on something anyways.