Why do we have a variety of Literary forms in the Scripture?

The Bible uses a variety of literary forms to help spread the word of Jesus Christ to a vast number of people. Each community has a different level of knowledge, different cultural practices, different expectations and are of ages and nationalities. This means that the messages that need to be communicated, has to be said in a manner that suits the community that the authors are address. To engage people, especially children, story telling is preferred. To engage people of an academic background, mainly scholars, direct accounts are preferred.

Activity

In groups of three, analyse the following scripture passages from Genesis and Exodus.

1. Noah

2. The Tower of Babel

3. Abraham

4. Joseph

5. Moses

List the various literary forms that you found in each of the above stories, then answer the following questions:

1. What was the stories purpose?

2. Who was the expected audience?

3. What was happening in society at the time the story was written?

4. What style of writing is it? (figurative or literal)

5. Why did the story use figurative/literal language?

Miss, is it true that we're watching Youtube video's in class? Are movies and songs really filled with literary forms as well as figurative and literal language?

Below are a number of clips from films that explore the use of figurative and literal language in films. Watch the clips, then discuss the different types of literary forms used