10-1-03 Genesis 22

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="042d05a3.jpg"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Big Ring Media Team, Inc.</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Big Ring Media Team, Inc."><B>home</B></A></div> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="043d2123.jpg"> <div> Click on this link to return to <A HREF="id39.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Word Watch by Date">Word Watch by Date</A>.</div> <div> Click on this link to go to <A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Word Watch by Subject">Word Watch by Subject</A>.</div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>10-1-03 Genesis 22</I></div> <div> If we're looking for a model of compelling writing, several choices exist. Twain. Shakespeare. But before either of them came the Bible. The Bible is crammed with remarkable stories told in ways that make them unforgettable.</div> <div> One example is the story of Abraham being told to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:1-19). The basis of the tale is dramatic enough, but is made even more memorable by the construction. We can learn a few things here about making our own messages stickier.</div> <div> Note the use of parallel construction, such as, “your son, your only son” (v. 2, 12, 16), “Here I am” (v. 1, 7, 11), and “So the two of them walked on together” (v. 6, 8). Parallelism knits together bits of the story, reinforcing continuity and helping readers make connections as the drama unfolds.</div> <div> Note also where parallelism breaks down. While Abraham and Isaac are mentioned together on the way to make the sacrifice (v. 3, 5, 6, 8), only Abraham is mentioned when he returns to where his servants were waiting (v. 19). What became of Isaac?</div> <div> Two things happen here. First, when we expect something, such as parallel construction, and we don't get it, it jars the part of our brain that looks for patterns and it makes the exception more noticeable. Second, when we're left with an unanswered question, the whole event takes on added significance.</div> <div> Manipulating parallelism is just one of the techniques we can borrow from this passage. There are others here and throughout the Bible. Recognizing those techniques and adapting them to our writing will make our messages stronger.</div> </td> </tr></table></body>