Content Category
Literary Criticism
Abstract/Description
In the Book of Mormon, the word wrestle, a distinctive and aggressive verb, is found in only two places: Enos 1:2 and Alma 8:10. Using that word to discuss prayer is a bold statement about one’s relationship to God and points to other similarities between the chapters, such as analogous beginnings, strikingly similar diction, allo-repetition, and various parallelisms. These similarities suggest that Mormon borrowed the word “wrestle” from Enos’ autobiographical account to create a connection between the two messengers of God and their stories. That connection is strengthened by the similarities, while the varying conclusions and other subtle changes in diction highlights the Lord’s respect for agency.
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Origin of Submission
as part of a class
Faculty Involvement
Kylie Turley
Wrestling with Agency
In the Book of Mormon, the word wrestle, a distinctive and aggressive verb, is found in only two places: Enos 1:2 and Alma 8:10. Using that word to discuss prayer is a bold statement about one’s relationship to God and points to other similarities between the chapters, such as analogous beginnings, strikingly similar diction, allo-repetition, and various parallelisms. These similarities suggest that Mormon borrowed the word “wrestle” from Enos’ autobiographical account to create a connection between the two messengers of God and their stories. That connection is strengthened by the similarities, while the varying conclusions and other subtle changes in diction highlights the Lord’s respect for agency.