Textual Echoes from Jacob, 1 Textual Echoes from Jacob Introduction Jacob is a powerful figure in the Book of Mormon; he wrote 15,000 words of its text, placing him only behind Mormon, Nephi, Alma, and Moroni in terms of the number of words written.1 John Tanner notednotes, “Jacob's style is unique among Book of Mormon authors. He simply sounds different. He used a more personal vocabulary than most and took a more intimate approach to his audience.”2 Tanner focused focuses on specific words that are predominately used by Jacob in the Book of Mormon. “For example, half the book's references to anxiety occur in Jacob, and over two-thirds of
Comment [K1]: Many writers use the literary present to talk about writer’s works, even if the book was published long ago. You can use this technique if you feel it helps your paper.
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the references to grieve and tender (or their derivatives), as well as shame, are Jacob's. He is the only person to have used delicate, contempt, and lonesome. Likewise, he is the only Book of Mormon author to have employed wound in reference to emotions; and he never used it, as everyone else did, to describe a physical injury. Similarly, Jacob used pierce or its variants frequently (four of the ten instances in the Book of Mormon), and he used it exclusively in a spiritual sense. Such evidence suggests an author who lived close to his emotions and who knew how to express those emotions.”3 However, Tvedtnes pointed points out that Jacob’s literary style may have been influenced by Lehi. He statedstates, “An examination of Jacob's two sermons and his treatise show that he was clearly influenced by the admonitions addressed to him by his father Lehi in 2
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This figure includes words that Jacob attributes to others (e.g. Isaiah and Zenos). John S. Tanner, “Jacob and His Descendants as Authors,” in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, Ed. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991) –need page ref 3 John S. Tanner, “Jacob and His Descendants as Authors,” in Rediscovering the Book of Mormon, Ed. John L. Sorenson and Melvin J. Thorne (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991). need page ref. 2
Comment [K2]: I would suggest putting this quote as a block quote because of its length.