Hannah's silent prayer (NOT REQUIRED)

This is the text I was speaking of, when Hannah prays to herself:

"As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard" (1:12-13).

We take silent reading for granted, but it was not common. Reading was done out loud. Even as late as the 5th century CE, St. Augustine was amazed when he saw St. Anselm reading without speaking! Today, Hannah's way of "silently" reading is considered wrong; true silent readers don't mouth the words, which slows down reading speed. They grasp the words in their minds, without silently mouthing them.