By the Waters of Babylon

The contrast of two settings in ‘By the Waters of Babylon’ helps to reveal the story’s purpose. John’s home was a very primitive village, where people still hunted for their main source of food and believed in magic. They don’t even have running water, because John was confused on what a faucet was. “in the washing-place, a thing said “Hot” but it was not hot to the touch- another thing said “Cold” but it was not cold. This must have been a strong magic but the magic was gone.”(Benét, 64). The Place of the Gods was very modern compared to today, having things like elevators “on one side of it was a bronze door that could not be opened, for it had no handle.”(Benét, 64), faucets “in the washing-place, a thing said “hot” but it was not hot to…

The quest to find the truth, is not always what’s expected and can present itself with plenty of responsibility. The story “By the Waters of Babylon” tells a tale about a young man who is the son of the priest, that decides to go on a journey to the “Dead Places” in order to find the truth about the gods. When he arrives from his journey, he now has to decide what he will do with this new found truth and how he will maintain this new responsibility. His journey to the “Dead Places”, finding the…

During the years B.C. 598 to 587, an event took place called the Babylonian Captivity, and during this time, Jews were forcefully removed from the holy city of Jerusalem.(The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Babylonian Exile.) The text, “By the Waters of Babylon”, by Stephen Vincent Benet, the son of a priest visits an abandoned sacred city, which is most likely the city of Jerusalem. “By the Waters of Babylon”, Psalm 137, and two online sources tell important details about the loss of…

In the story “By the Waters of Babylon,” we come across fascinating characters throughout the story as the protagonist John the son of a tribal priest explains his journey and strive for success as the story goes continues. The other character we come across in the story is John's Father who conducts the ceremony initiating his son to tribal to the tribal priesthood.However,on the other hand we meet John's Brothers who are the antagonists in the story.We can say this because in the story Johns…

between wisdom and intelligence? How about the relationship between knowledge and truth? How far do you think you would go to know the truth? Even if you knew it would hurt you in the end. The narrator of By The Waters of Babylon, John, the son of a priest went beyond and back. Would you do so also? In the story, By The Waters of Babylon, the narrator, the son of a priest describes his hunger for knowledge by saying, “My knowledge made me happy--it was like a fire in my heart” This quote…

By The Waters of Babylon The waters of Babylon is a story of a destroyed futuristic world, narrated by a young man who was set on a journey to become a Man. He then began to uncover the knowledge behind the past of their civilization. The main character in the story is John, who is a round character. The secondary character in the story is John’s Father who is a priest. John showed different emotions during the story, from confusion to courage. He was also seen as ignorant because he was…

Authors of fiction writing must use many elements in order to create their stories. From personification to analogies, each and every element plays a crucial role in the foundation of their story and what the readers learn from it, but perhaps one of the most important elements in all of fiction writing is theme. Authors of fiction use theme in order to teach readers a lesson about something they believe the audience should know. In the short story “By The Waters of Babylon” evidence suggests…

impacts. For example, the invention of nuclear weapons has cost many innocent people their lives. Medium, television shows, movies, and works of literature, prove this statement. Both “By the Waters of Babylon” and “There Will Come Soft Rains” illustrate the negative impact of advanced technology through the futuristic settings of New York and California. “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Benet, introduces negative ideas about technology through the destruction of futuristic New York. At…

he Waters of Babylon When people begin to read “ The Waters of Babylon” they might believe the story takes place centuries back but it actually is the opposite. Other stories show readers a journey of somebody trying to find love, pride, and treasure.In this story it is someone trying to find answers as he discovers things he has never known. The journey one full of the unknown and of understanding things the character barely knows of. The main character of the story is a youngman named John.…

“Quiet people go out in the morning and see air-fleets passing overhead dripping death- dripping death!” (H.G. Wells; The War in the Air) This quote states that, civilian homes, towns, and cities are defenseless against a merciless pounding from above. In the story, “By the Waters of Babylon”, John explores the ruins of New York City. The ruins, named the Dead place, was believed to be the ruins of the homes that godly beings once inhabited. John discovers that not only did humans create these…