What would happen if no one ever recorded history? What values would humanity have? Would we be able to learn anything? In the short story, “The Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet, Benet displays his story to be in a futuristic post-apocalyptic world that was destroyed due to the fact that the people who lived in it failed to record their history. The main character, John, has to go on a quest to learn more about his ancestors and get more information about the world they lived in. When he finishes the quest, he and his father go to the city of his ancestors and try to rebuild the world from square one. History should be recorded so that the world does not end up like John’s world, history should be taught on to generations and …show more content…
Some people believe that history is not important, others strongly disagree, their point is not going to go unnoticed though. Some people want to live life one day at a time and not have to worry about how their actions could affect themselves or their future. Living life one day at a time sounds refreshing but it is unrealistic. We would still be cavemen if we didn't use our knowledge to help us advance. Ignorance is not the answer especially if we hope to continue our advancement’s in the world. Not having history can also affect how you see people from the past. We know that the people here before us were ordinary people not gods but John does not know that, John thinks that his ancestors are godly and mysteriously hidden behind their ambiguity. John realizes that his ancestors are ordinary people but this is not because of the knowledge he was taught in a history book, this is because he had to take a strenuous journey to find his own answers. “That is all of my story, for then I knew he was a man—I knew then that they had been men, neither gods nor demons. It is a great knowledge, hard to tell and believe. They were men—they went a dark road, but they were men. I had no fear after that—I had no fear going home…” (Benet, 466) John is relieved after he discovers the truth behind these “holy gods” he had been told about, he understands that the people who lived before him are no more capable than him to create an impact on the world. After he discovers this, he
History enables people to discover their own place in the stories of their families, communities, and nation. History shows strength in countries and guides approaches in life. As citizens learn more about history, critical skill develop throughout that process. Its very important to know a type of history to have a sense of independent thinking and to understand cultural heritage. Learning about history brings discussions about debatable issues, and having a better understanding of the challenges the nation could be facing. Without historical leaders, leadership skills wouldn't be as strong as they are today, learning apart of history inspires local and global leaders, giving role models for the type of leaders that deal with difficult challenges in their community, nation and even the globe world. Without the preservation of our histories, future citizens will have no grounding in what it means to be an American
Did you know “it is strictly forbidden to cross the river and look upon the place of the gods”-By The Waters Of Babylon. Stephen Vincent Benet wrote “By The Waters Of Babylon”. He introduces the priest and the son of the priest John. In “The Waters Of Babylon” there was a quest to be fulfilled, but no one was brave enough to fulfill that. John felt an internal passion to go on the quest. So at the end he gained knowledge that everyone was afraid of. The author “By The Waters Of Babylon” uses modern society as textual symbols which are spirits and demons, deer, and a door with a broken lock.
were here before us. We must build again." They will learn the ways of the old
The importance of our world's history is huge, because it teaches us about our past and how we came to be in the world we live in today. History can help you learn about our ancestor’s origins and cultures.
Which would you value more-knowledge, or truth? Stephen Vincent Benét explores this question in his short story “By the Waters of Babylon”. However, Benét doesn’t answer this question exactly, instead “By the Waters of Babylon” focuses more on a singular theme that knowledge and truth are intertwined. Benét brings the reader into a post-apocalyptic world where humans have resorted to a more primitive state after the “Great Burning”(310). Now the only humans left with any knowledge are the Priests, and John happens to be the son of one. John has been exposed to the only remaining knowledge that he’s been told his society has at that the time and now quest for more. This burning desire that John has to know more of
Has one ever wondered about what would happen if our society ended and had to start completely over again. In the short story “ By the Waters of Babylon” talks about after society ended after a huge nucleus war. In the story , it mainly focuses on how normal people do not obtain knowledge about what happened as well as basic still like reading and writing. In this society the people believe in supernatural beings as their religion and in this the higher class was the priests and these priests know all of the knowledge of this. society.The main character of this short story John , a son of a priest, goes to forbidden lands and discovered what got him and his people in this situation. Do you think that our government should inform us on
In the essay Haunted America, Patricia Nelson Limerick ponders whether or not there is any benefit for society to have historical knowledge. Limerick contradicts herself numerous times in her opinion on the usefulness of history. She implies that there are many lessons that can be learned from history. However, Limerick is disappointed in the human race because it fails to learn from the mistakes of others. She therefore wonders, "What do we gain besides a revival and restoration of the misery?" (Limerick, 473). Based on Limerick's examination of people and history, one can conclude that objectively history is useless, however, theoretically, people would be much better off if they learned from the lessons that the past presents.
In the society described in the story John is shown to be different from the others in his civilization. Unlike others he is curious, willing to take risks, or even break rules. This was made apparent when John recalled when he went to the Dead Places, touched a piece of metal and did not die "(S)o he knew that I was truly his son and would be a priest in my time. That was when I was very young- nevertheless, my brothers would not have done it"(Benet 76). This quote directly shows one way that John is different and more daring than the rest of his brothers. John's more courageous attributes can be viewed as something extraordinary due to the fact that he discovered so much throughout the book. However this trait may also be looked
Why is it that knowing our past history is so important to our society? Would it be easier to just leave what is meant to be in the past, in the past and focus on the present and future? These are questions that historians would never dare ask because history has formed what is considered our present, without it people would not know how ancient Greece came to be or when America was founded. It’s not every day that there is someone that has the courage to stand out in society, it’s usually about following the rules and falling in line with what is considered normal. When one steps out of line people will listen or wonder as to what it is for. History is made every single day from new laws being put into place to abnormal movements. We take
Today, there are many things that are important in life. We should know how to solve equations, speak at least one world language, such as English or Spanish, and know at least some history, like what happened during the Great Depression and what caused it. Many people just memorize the facts to pass the tests and then shove the facts into the back of their memory to eventually be forgotten. At the time this idea seems good because we won’t use this information in the future, right? Wrong, knowing what happened in the past is actually just as important as what is going on today and what will happen in the future.
If your city was under attack by an exploding nuclear bomb, how would you handle the situation? Now, what if you were born a few generations after the destruction, and was forbidden to go near the destroyed, crumbled apart area? In the story “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benét, the setting takes place in the post-apocalyptic New York future. It centers on a priest’s son, named John that travels to the Place of the Gods (New York) where the Great Burning (nuclear bombing) destroyed the state. When John gets there, he’s determined to puzzle together the mysteries of this destroyed area.
In Stephen Vincent Benét’s prestigious narrative “By the Waters of Babylon”, a somewhat primitive, yet curious young man embarks on a journey towards the forbidden Place of the Gods in the east to challenge the fundamental principles of his faith, seeking to uncover new truths of both the gods and his marred world. Through the viewpoint of the protagonist, John, Benét slowly unveils to readers the truths of the world in which the Hill People and the Forest People live in. During the development of Benét’s highly esteemed short story, significant events and technological advancements within the gruesome years of the Second World War serve as influential cornerstones for the post-apocalyptic setting of Benét’s renowned narrative.
What if no one in the world ever learned about the past? How important is understanding history in our lives? I never had an answer to these questions until eleventh grade when I went on a school trip to Washington D.C with the purpose of visiting the National Museum of African American history and culture. The trip was selective and I was chosen to attend as I was not only a student who consistently got high grades on my assignments, but because I also had a great interest in going to Washington D.C in order to see the historic monuments. I felt thrilled to be one of the of the few students to have been chosen out of the many students in my grade as it meant that the work I had put into class was one of the very
Why is it important to know the beliefs and traditions of those who came before us? What could happen if we ignore the past? Well what I think that could happen if we do ignore the past is that we wouldn't care about our ancestors and about how Martin Luther King made the blacks do everything that the white can do. My thoughts and feelings and reflection how it impacts in my life is by the fighting and by the civil rights. People wouldn’t care about some of the President's sacrificing themselves for us. And theyre probably be no rights and no holidays because of the people in the past made them up. Probably no more civil rights and maybe total chaos going around everywhere like fighting.
Why do people study history? People study history to learn from past mistakes made so societies do not repeat it. Modern people have so many examples through history of societies crumbling. From the fall of Rome, to the loss of the empire of Alexander the Great, these destructions were all caused by so much different reasons. But what if someone told our modern societies that we are falling from those same mistakes right now? What if someone told modern societies they are doomed to repeat the past no matter what people did? That someone would in fact correct be correct. The reasons that both modern and ancient cultures and societies fall is because of overpopulation, urban decay, and invasions, and these are demonstrated time and time