Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting Audience Awareness In Multimodal Text Creation, Anthony Degenaro

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

Cla-Informed Self-Disclosure Of Language Learning In The Writing Center, Kristen Allen

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

Responding To Multilingual Learners’ Writing Through Interactive Group Portfolios, Hongye Zeng, Faith Thompson

Journal of Response to Writing

This teaching tip presents a strategy for teachers in all grade levels to use interactive portfolios to better document, scaffold, and assess individual multilingual student's writing progress in group writing tasks.

Re-Dress As Redress: Shakespeare’S Comedy Of Errors, Jane Foster Woodruff

Quidditas

DELNO C. WEST AWARD WINNER

Writing near the end of a century-long ‘explosion’ of Tudor theatre, Shakespeare benefitted from a variety of influences, both sacral and secular. Among his literary influences were the works of classical dramatists (Sophocles, Seneca, Plautus, and the like), who had used their plays to editorialize on contemporary societal issues. To this same end, in his early historical play Richard III Shakespeare chose to address a multiplicity of problematic themes, the most obvious being that, although Richard’s ambition and his lethality had been sufficient to win him a crown, they were insufficient to preserve it: power …

Understanding The Lamanite Mark, Clifford P. Jones

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The Book of Mormon describes a dark mark on the skin that distinguished people who rebelled against God and his laws from those who obeyed God. The Old Testament refers to a mark that fits this description and has nothing to do with natural skin color. The law of Moses prohibited the Lord’s covenant people from cutting sacrilegious marks (ancient tattoos) into their skin. The Bible simply calls these prohibited tattoos “marks” (Leviticus 19:28). This biblical meaning of the word mark, together with biblical meanings of other related words, helps us understand all Book of Mormon passages associated with the …

Centered On Christ: The Book Of Enos Possibly Structured Chiastically, Stephen Kent Ehat

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

The book of Enos is considered to be a short, one-chapter treatise on prayer, yet it is more. Close examination of its text reveals it to be a text structurally centered on Christ and the divine covenant. Enos seeks and obtains from Him a covenant to preserve the records of the Nephites for the salvation of the Lamanites. Enos prays not only for his own remission of sins but also for the salvation both of his own people, the Nephites, and also of the Lamanites. He yearns in faith that the Lord will preserve the records of his people for …

Pixelated Prophets: A History And Analysis Of Book-Of-Mormon-Themed Video Games, Geoffrey M. Draper

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Video games represent an innovative medium for entertainment and artistic expression with potential for fostering deeper engagement with religious texts such as the Book of Mormon. Over the past three decades, developers have produced dozens of video games based on the Book of Mormon. This paper provides a comprehensive history of these video games. We examine how these games use different genres, styles, and levels of scriptural fidelity to creative immersive and interactive experiences based on ancient stories and teachings. We also discuss the challenges and opportunities for developing and distributing Book-of-Mormon–themed video games in a competitive and changing market …

Nephi’S “Bountiful”: Contrasting Both Candidates, Warren P. Aston

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

In May 2022, George Potter published an article that makes the most comprehensive case to date that Khor Rori in southern Oman is the most likely location for the place “Bountiful” described by Nephi. However, despite its many positives, there are a number of reasons to question the suitability of Khor Rori and to favor the other major candidate for Bountiful, Khor Kharfot. I propose that a careful reading of Nephi’s account coupled with recent discoveries based on field work show Khor Kharfot to be a superior candidate meeting all criteria we can extract from the text. To support a …

Unavailable Genetic Evidence, Multiple Simultaneous Promised Lands, And Lamanites By Location? Possible Ramifications Of The Book Of Mormon Limited Geography Theory, Brian C. Hales

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

This paper is composed of three parts connected consecutively because their conclusions build upon each other. The first part investigates the transportation methods used in the Book of Mormon, concluding that horse and river travel contributed little and that foot travel dominated all journeying. The second part uses that conclusion to estimate the overall dimensions of the Promised Land by examining Alma the Elder’s journey from Nephi to Zarahemla. This exercise reaffirms the 200-by-500-mile size promoted by John L. Sorenson decades ago. The third part looks at four ramifications of this 100,000 square-mile Promised Land footprint when stamped upon a …

“Signals Of Transcendence”1, Daniel C. Peterson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Hints of a different and better world — sometimes dimly remembered, often intuited, and commonly hoped for — and of a glorious, mighty power behind the world in which we currently live, are all around us. They are not so powerful that they cannot be missed or even ignored, but they have been and remain present for those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and hearts to feel. As he always does, God has not left us without witnesses but he does not seek to compel. He loves us, but he also respects our agency

“A Mystery To The World”: A New Proposal For Isaiah 22:20-25, Spencer Kraus

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Isaiah’s oracle in Isaiah 22 regarding a man named Eliakim employs significant and unique language regarding a “nail in a sure place.” This language is accompanied by clear connections to the ancient temple, including the bestowal of sacred clothing and authority, offering additional significant context through which to understand this phrase. Additionally, according to early leaders of the Church, this oracle may not be translated correctly into English, which has caused some confusion regarding the true meaning of the oracle’s conclusion. As such, I offer a new translation of this oracle based on intertextual clues that resolves some of the …

Withstanding Satan’S Siege Through Christ’S Iron Rod: The Vision Of The Tree Of Life In Context Of Ancient Siege Warfare, Jared Marcum

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Nothing was more terrifying in the ancient world than a siege. Besiegers disregarded normal conventions of war and either utterly slaughtered or enslaved a city’s residents. Nephi used siege warfare imagery — including fire arrows, blinding, and being led away into captivity — to teach his brothers the importance of holding fast to Christ’s iron rod (see 1 Nephi 15:24). By analyzing this scripture and the vision of the Tree of Life in context of ancient siege warfare, we learn how Satan besieges God’s people, cuts off their access to the Tree of Life, draws them away through scorn, blinds …

Degrees Of Glory: A Brief History Of Heaven And Graded Salvation, Jim Hansen

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

While references to heaven in the Old Testament are sparse, nonexplicit, and predominantly cosmological, the New Testament reveals a more complex concept of the afterlife that reflects a rapidly evolving understanding of Heaven. The Jewish apocalyptic literature of the late Second Temple period describes a heaven of multiple degrees that is populated with angels and the righteous dead of varying glories. Those glories also tangibly reflect astral qualities of light and glory comparable to the sun, moon, and stars. Within this worldview of Heaven, several of the Apostle Paul’s writings to Corinth can be read with added insight, including his …

The Hamites: The Pre-Restoration Monotheism Of The Children Of Ham In The Book Of Abraham, Adam Stokes

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

This article examines the treatment of several personages identified as Hamites in the Book of Abraham. It proposes that, in contrast to traditional readings of the text, Hamites are featured positively in the Book of Abraham. This is particularly true of the daughters of Onitah and of Pharaoh himself, both of whom are presented as righteous people practicing an early form of monotheism. While I do not claim that the Book of Abraham is completely free of elements possibly deemed to be racially problematic, until now, the positive depiction of the Hamites in the text has largely been overlooked.

Nephi Wanted To Be A Prophet Like Moses, Not A King Like David, Taylor Halverson

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

While David is frequently held up as the standard for great kings in the Old Testament, examination of Nephi’s writings shows that he sought to imitate Moses the prophet rather than David the king. In fact, he never even mentions David. Relative to two major theological movements in Jerusalem in his day, “Zion theology,” in which David was the great hero, and “Deuteronomistic theology,” in which Moses was the hero, we see that Nephi was more aligned with Deuteronomistic theology, which was also more consistent with views in the Northern Kingdom, where Nephi’s ancestry originated.

Largely Shadow, Short Of Reality, Allen Wyatt

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Jerald and Sandra Tanner have had a long ministerial career trying to convince people that the truth claims of the Church are wrong. Even though their ministry has closed its doors, Sandra Tanner still gives interviews recounting their adventures in fighting the good fight. This image is burnished by a biography of the Tanners and their ministry written by Ronald V. Huggins. In this review I examine the way in which Huggins approaches his subjects in his book.

Asymmetry In Chiasms, With A Note About Deuteronomy 8 And Alma 36, Stephen Kent Ehat

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship

Some students of the Book of Mormon have claimed that chapter 36 of the book of Alma is structured as a chiasm. Some of the proposals depart from perfect symmetry, presenting elements of the suggested chiasm seemingly out of sequence. This has often been pointed to as a weakness in the proposed chiasm or as a problem arising from translation or editorial work, or even as evidence that no real chiasm exists over the text of the chapter. Perhaps, however, asymmetry may be a deliberate feature of ancient chiasmus. Understanding the presence and role of occasional asymmetry or skews, as …

The Utah English Journal, Volume 51, 2023: Full Issue

The Utah English Journal

No abstract provided.

Best Practices In Online Course Design That Help Eliminate Learning Fatigue, Valarie Anderson O'Bryan

The Utah English Journal

Even though students have returned to learning in-person in schools, many districts require teachers to maintain an online course (usually using Canvas). When teachers use best practices when designing online learning content, students are less likely to experience frustration and learning fatigue.

Voices With Power: Writing To Effect Change In 8th Grade, Emily Brown

The Utah English Journal

"Slow walkers."

"Seniors crowding the hallways."

"When teachers write crookedly on the board."

The minute I read the writing prompt for the day-"What is one of your biggest pet peeves?"-the response from my 8th graders is electrifying and instantaneous. Responses like the ones above begin flying around the room, and I have to loudly remind them, "Write first, share second!" because everyone is immediately ready to rant. I call this my Soapbox Day. It's a day where I make sure to devote enough time for students to write substantial responses and then "get on their soapboxes" to share these rants. …

Learner Engagement With Written Corrective Feedback: The Case Of Automated Writing Evaluation, Hooman Saeli, Payam Rahmati, Svetlana Koltovskaia

Journal of Response to Writing

The study explored six ESL university students’ behavioral, cognitive, and affective engagement with e-rater feedback on local issues and examined any changes in students’ engagement over two weeks. We explored behavioral engagement through the analysis of screencasts of students’ e-rater usage and writing assignments. We measured cognitive and affective engagement by analyzing students’ comments during the think-aloud protocol and reflection surveys. The findings indicated that the students had varying levels of engagement with the feedback. Behaviorally, all students used a range of revision operations to address errors based on the provided feedback. Cognitively, some students were more engaged than others. …

Responding To High Stakes Writing: When Six Colleagues Read One Cover Letter, Sarah Snyder, Mark Blaauw-Hara, Cristyn Elder, Joseph Janangelo, Michael Pemberton, Staci Perryman-Clark, Irwin Weiser

Journal of Response to Writing

As preparation for the rhetoric and composition job market becomes more readily available through multiple sources, some cover letter writers may find themselves confused by the well-meaning, but perhaps conflicting, responses to writing given by mentors from differing backgrounds, statuses, and epistemes. This article seeks to illuminate the rhetorical situation behind the cover letter with simulated writing responses to a genuine cover letter by five reader archetypes: a supportive reader, a critical reader, an outside reader, a teaching-centric reader, and a research-centric reader. Through this exercise, cover letter writers are shown how to weigh writing advice through the juxtaposition of …

Journal Of Response To Writing 9(2)

Journal of Response to Writing

No abstract provided.

The Function Of Sound Symbolism In The Japanese Language, Madison Buckles

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

his paper examines sound symbolism in the Japanese language, primarily its role in linguistic qualities of onomatopoeia, and why it occurs in relation to language theory. Several reasons for the occurrence of sound symbolism are discussed, namely vowel and consonant associations; context of a speaker’s language; and the development, significance, and necessity of these words. The paper concludes by arguing that the lack of research in the field of sound symbolism, despite its prominent role against the prevailing theory of language (which states that words are arbitrary in conjunction with their meaning), is another example of the Western world’s tendency …

Startup Culture: Mlms, Mormons, And Entrepreneurship, Deborah Whitehead

Mormon Studies Review

The 2021 Amazon Prime series LuLaRich (reviewed in this volume) chronicled the meteoric rise and fall of LuLaRoe, a billion-dollar multilevel marketing (MLM) company founded in 2013 by DeAnne and Mark Stidham that specializes in women’s clothing. The series explored the company’s founding, growth, corporate culture, and recruitment and marketing strategies, as well as the particular appeal of the garments themselves. LuLaRoe’s success in the 2010s can be attributed to the convergence of several factors: the growth of social media, the rise of athleisure wear, the economic impact of the 2008 recession, the company’s ability to tap into a large …

Interview With Darlene Young, Brandon Merrill

Inscape

Born and raised in Utah, Darlene Young currently lives in South Jordan with her husband and sons. She received her BA from Brigham Young University (1994) and, after raising her family, returned there for her MFA (2014). She teaches Creative Writing and Literature of the LDS People at Brigham Young University and Brigham Young University-Salt Lake.

The Complications Of People In Diplomacy, Kiner Kwok

BYU Asian Studies Student Journal

In the late 18th century and early 19th century, European embassies eagerly interacted with Qing China (1644–1912). In 1792, Lord George Macartney (1737–1806) led the first British mission to Qing China. During this mission, even though Lord Macartney met with the Qianlong emperor (r. 1735–1796), his goal of establishing free trade and diplomatic relations with the Qing court was rejected. A few years later, in 1795, a mission, sent out by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), arrived at the Qing court to congratulate the Qianlong emperor’s 60th anniversary of his governance. Then again, in 1805, a Russian mission, led …

It Takes Two, Jenet Jacob Erickson

BYU Studies

In 2006, Canadian fathering scholar Andrea Doucet shared an illuminating moment from her extensive research with single dads. After a long evening discussing these fathers’ experiences, Doucet asked, “In an ideal world, what resources or supports would you like to see for single fathers?” She expected to hear that they wanted greater social support and societal acceptance, more programs and policies directed at single dads. Instead, after a period of awkward silence, one dad stood and said, “An ideal world would be one with a father and a mother. We’d be lying if we pretended that wasn’t true.” Nods of …

Full Issue

BYU Studies

No abstract provided.

The Stewardship Of Our First Freedom, Elder Clark G. Gilbert

BYU Studies

When Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spoke at the University of Oxford’s Pembroke College about the impact of religious freedom on public morality, he charged people of faith to be effective stewards of religious freedom. Elder Cook stated, “There is no better demonstration of the great benefits associated with religious liberty than for devoted members of various faiths who feel accountable to God to model principles of integrity, morality, service, and love.” In this sense, our religious freedom stewardship extends not only to society but …