Story
What direction are the hill people forbidden from?
East
What did the author title the book?
By the Waters of Babylon
Who was the protagonist in the story?
John, the son of the priest.
How does the society maintain control by restricting access to knowledge?
Laws are put in place so people are refrained from knowing the real truth in the outside world.
When did the story take place?
In the future
What did John kill on his journey?
A panther
Who was the author in the story?
Stephen Vincent Benét
What was the protagonist’s father’s job in the community?
The Priest
How was society controlled in the story? Corporate Control, Bureaucratic Control, Technological Control, or Religious/Philosophical Control? Hint: there are two
Corporate control & Religious/Philosophical control
Where did the people live?
The Hills
What city did John discover?
NewYork
What point of view is this story written in?
First
What are three character traits John has?
Brave, adventurous, and curiosity (answers vary)
Why does John's father believe its okay to keep the truth from the people? Is this decision justified? Explain.
Answers vary
What destroyed the cities?
Atomic bombs, war, destruction
What did John find in the building facing the city?
A dead man
What's the author trying to convey? Religion, world issues, or social issues?
World issues (dangers if war actually and advanced technology) and Social issues (pursue responsible use of knowledge and civilization)
Why does John want to go on this journey?
Wants to gain wisdom and understand the world beyond his village
Whats a parallel in the story you could see today? Explain.
Answers vary
Where did the protagonist go?
The Place of the Gods
Fill in the blank. “There was a washing-place but no ____”.
Water
What is the author’s main message?
Pursuing knowledge and the curiosity to the Place of Gods
What does John realize when he arrives in the “place of the Gods”? how does this affect him?
He realizes he is in the remains of New York. John is affected by this, and it inspires him to rebuild society.
Do you find the dystopian society in the story to be realistic? Could this be our way of life in the future? Explain why or why not.
Yes, this story could be found realistic and could possibly be our way of life in the future. We can make the same mistakes the people before our era in this story did, which can destroy our world in a flash.
How does the environment affect the main character?
Shapes his understanding of the past (answers vary)