Waters Of Babylon

Technology can be too smart for our own good. Nuclear bombs have killed innocent people and technology will too. In the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét there was a nuclear bomb that went off and destroyed everything but some people did survive. In There Will Come Soft Rains by Ray Bradbury there was a nuclear bomb that destroyed everything but a smart house. There Will Come Soft Rains was more disturbing than The Waters of Babylon because of the fact that it is about a house that has a brain type computer chip.

were here before us. We must build again." They will learn the ways of the old

The air is rancid and smokey, causing a haze to form over the sun. The distant skyline is in rubble, as if an energetic toddler knocked them to the ground like building blocks. The city looked bland and grim without the bustle of people and the soft glow of the street lights. This is what the future holds, damned by society and its misuse. In “By the Waters of Babylon”, the story is set in a distant future near New York City. After a major disaster wiped out most of the civilization, a tribe started over from scratch. Jon, a priest in training, sets off on a journey east to investigate his dreams and to gain knowledge. In “Harrison Bergeron”, the story is set in a future where everyone must be equal, using handicaps to limit above average people and their abilities. George and Hazel Bergeron, the parents of Harrison, watch as he publicly defies the government and shows what it means to be free. In both, “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet and “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., we see a twisted and dire future. The events that take place heed as warnings or lessons about the dangers of technology and how too much of one thing, such as equality or knowledge, can set society back.

In the story “ By the Waters of Babylon” the narrator, John, is a priest who values knowledge greatly. In the story John states: “My knowledge made me happy--it was like a fire in my heart.” (312). Through the interpretation of this line the reader can infer that knowledge is very important to the narrator's culture and society. It is what inspires these quests and drives all of his actions. The narrator assumes that all of the knowledge that has been gained throughout a lifetime is true because he has yet to learn otherwise. In relation to John’s strong feelings about knowledge, He also feels as though he can never get enough. His need and desire for knowledge is described by the following quote: “Nevertheless, my knowledge and my lack of knowledge burned in me – I wished to know more.” (312). John

As both the reader and John begin to understand what this realization on John’s part means Benét’s lesson about truth and knowledge begins to manifest. With the truth of John’s ancestors revealed and how it was discovered that the priests in John’s culture have been proclaiming their knowledge without evidence, the relationship that one cannot have truth without knowledge begins to visualize. Benét doesn’t let this lesson stay one sided though, as if he was trying to portray the priests as only in the wrong, instead Benét writes John’s father to give insight as to why the priests may have lied about what they really knew and didn’t know, and why their ancestors didn’t want the truth to be revealed. John’s father says “Truth is a hard deer to hunt….you may die of the truth” and “He was right-it is better that the truth should come little by little” because John’s father is trying to say that the truth is a dangerous thing (Benét 321). While the truth is important, it can also be damaging if it shouldn’t be taught at the right

In modern day society, we revolve our lives around technology with our constant need to have the newest gadgets. Little do we know that this new technology is taking over our world in big ways. In the story, By The Waters Of Babylon, it tells the tale of a young priest who travels to a forbidden place to find out the truth of what happened before the “Great Burning.” The more he explored, the more he uncovered the shocking truth behind the life in the “old days.” This is portrayed by the author, Stephen Vincent Benet, who conveys a theme of technological advancements can set us back, using the literary techniques of exposition, imagery, and symbols.

In the beginning of the story, John is trapped inside the cave with the rest of his village. The cave prevents people from seeing the truth of their worlds in both stories. Their society “In by the Waters of Babylon,” has very strict rules. They can’t go to the east, go to the Dead Places, or go across the Great River, “These things are forbidden- they have been forbidden since the beginning of time,” John says (Benet, 109).

ere is one major thing that people desire most. Knowledge. The similarities between John from “By the waters of Babylon” and Guy Montag from “F451” are impressive, and they are worthy of thorough assessment. In this paper I will compare John and Montag’s motivation, struggle, and outcome for their quest for knowledge. Careful review of their motivation, struggle, and outcome are worthy of thorough assessment.

“‘I am not afraid,’ I said and looked at him with both eyes.” (Benét 458) The son told his father before going on his journey. By the Waters of Babylon is a thrilling story that was written by Stephen Vincent Benét about the son of a priest going to forbidden land. The story provides substantial details of the son’s journey and shows how a man when provided with an opportunity and an idea follows his instinct. The theme of this short story is that knowledge is eaten too fast without the thought of consequences.

To start off with, John travelled into a forbidden area and he started seeing much more then he was supposed to see and that is when he started losing fear. In the story it states, “The north and the west and the south are good hunting ground, but it is forbidden to go east. It is forbidden to go to any of the Dead Places except to search for metal […] These are the rules and the laws; they are well made. It is forbidden

Two very good stories are The Chrysalids by John Wyndham and “By The Waters Of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet. Both these stories are sci-fi and depict what human civilizations will be like after a nuclear holocaust. The result of the holocaust has altered the Hill People and Waknuk people’s morals and religious beliefs. The main difference between the stories is one is viewing the future as positive the other is portraying the future negatively. The Chrysalids was a better story. It portrayed what humans act like. In the following paragraphs many points will be looked upon to prove that The Chrysalids is a better story.

When drastic times occur and sweep one of everything they own, do they have a plan of action? Will they be prepared for a life without power, resources, and stability? Many times when people are faced with this situation they find themselves unprepared and unable to live in such conditions. They lose the connections with the world, the water they drink is likely to get contaminated, and the scarcity of goods is a threat to themselves and anyone left alive. Everywhere around them there is death and destruction leaving them isolated in their own dystopia. Pat Frank’s Alas, Babylon illustrates a nuclear bomb simulation. In such a way, he gives the readers a taste of isolation and survival needs when facing such drastic times.

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

John the Savage’s view of civilization was greatly enhanced after he left the sheltered community of his tribe. When he first arrives in “utopia” London, he is amazed by the aesthetic of the city and the people who live there; here he recognizes how different the paradisal city is from the barbarous environment of his tribe. John exclaims,“how many godly creatures are there here! How beautiful mankind is!” (129). John is exemplifying the value of learning a new culture and religion from the perspective of one who has been sequestered

John was born into a hard environment, a split home with no room for the traditional love a child feels. He was forced to mature quick, and was encouraged to be hardy by his grandfather, who was the only survivor out of his brothers. Men during this time period were often expected to withstand dangerous environments or die trying. “His grandfather was the oldest of eight boys and the only one to live past the age of twenty-five. They were drowned, shot, kicked by horses. They perished in fires. They seemed to fear only dying in bed”. This provides one of many instances entailing the dangers of their