“By the Waters of Babylon”

1. "By the Waters of Babylon" is a post-apocalyptic short story by Stephen Vincent Benet, published July 31, 1937 in The Saturday Evening Post as “The Place of the Gods.” “By the Waters of Babylon” Western Literature on October 28, 2014

2. An allusion is a reference to a statement, person, place, thing, or event from another text or from history or culture.It is only effective if the reader is familiar with whatever is being alluded to. “By the Waters of Babylon”

3. Authors generally trust readers to recognize or discover the connection between an allusion and its purpose in the writing. “By the Waters of Babylon”

4. Allusions add another layer of meaning.Think about how the title of this story to add another meaning to it. “By the Waters of Babylon”

5. The story is told from first-person point of view. The person who tells the story is called the narrator. A first-person narrator uses the pronoun “I” to refer to himself or herself. “By the Waters of Babylon”

6. In first-person narratives, the author may adopt an identity--or persona. This persona allows the author to present the setting through a distinct character’s eyes. “By the Waters of Babylon”

7. Stephen Vincent Benét uses a persona named John to guide readers and point out significant details to introduce them to a bizarre future world. “By the Waters of Babylon”

8. First-person narratorscan only tell what they themselves know--their own feelings, thoughts, experiences, and their observations about other characters. “By the Waters of Babylon”

9. First-person narratorscan’t see into the mind of another character or know what is happening in faraway places. “By the Waters of Babylon”

10. Authors imagine the setting and then use details to help the reader see it. The details the narrator points out can help to establish tone and character. People usually notice things that are important to them or that reflect their moods or attitudes. “By the Waters of Babylon”

11. Allusion • References Psalm 137 in the Bible • Isrealites’ sorrow over the destruction of their temple in Zion and their enslavement into Babylon • The psalm begins “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion”

12. Read Psalm 137 - How does the title’s Biblical Allusion connect to the theme of the story? 6 May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth        if I do not remember you,        if I do not consider Jerusalem        my highest joy.  7 Remember, O LORD, what the Edomites did        on the day Jerusalem fell.        "Tear it down," they cried,        "tear it down to its foundations!"  8 O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction,        happy is he who repays you        for what you have done to us-  9 he who seizes your infants        and dashes them against the rocks. By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept        when we remembered Zion.  2 There on the poplars        we hung our harps, 3 for there our captors asked us for songs,        our tormentors demanded songs of joy;        they said, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 4 How can we sing the songs of the LORD        while in a foreign land?  5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem,        may my right hand forget its skill .

13. Purpose of the Allusion The Israelites lost their "promised land" of Israel from which they have been exiled. Their homeland was destroyed and its people scattered. The message of the short story’s allusion: the eventual threat of self-destruction if we are unable to curb our thirst for knowledge - and not "eat it too fast."

14. Point of View • 1st person point of view • Limited knowledge given to the reader from this point of view. Only seeing what that character sees and knows. • How does this enrich the story?

15. Mood • The mood of a story is the atmosphere the author helps create to make the reader feel a certain way. • Remember that tone is not the same thing as mood. Tone is the writer’s own attitude toward the subject.

16. Symbolism .Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense. It can take different forms: object, action, or event. Symbols do shift their meanings depending on the context they are used in. “A chain”, for example, may stand for “union” as well as “imprisonment.”

17. The Great River, Ou-dis-sun was The Hudson River

18. Old Books and Writings were… Books written in English that existed before our society was destroyed The Old Days were…. The days before The Great Burning, our “present day”

19. The God Roads were… The Concrete roads we used to use

20. The Bitter Water was… The Ocean

21. The Place of the Gods was…New York

22. UBTREAS was… The Sub Treasury in New York, now called Federal Hall National Memorial

23. Ashing was… A Statue of George Washington in Union Square, New York City

24. The temple with the stars for a roof was… The ceiling at Grand Central Station

25. Theme A unifying central idea, expression, or motif of a literary work. Topic: Technology Technology can lead to the downfall of society. Topic: Coming of Age For a boy/girl to become a man/woman, he/she must go on a journey (Spirit Walk) to achieve wisdom. Topic: “Rite of Passage” A dangerous challenge must be attempted and succeeded to earn respect from the elders.

26. Write your own thematic statement. A unifying central idea, expression, or motif of a literary work. • Your topic is “knowledge.” • Write a thematic statement about this topic. (What does the author or the story say about knowledge?)It must be universal. \ Things to Consider: • The Tower of Babel • The Fall of Man (The Tree of Knowledge) • Technology as the Downfall of Society • Knowledge = Technology, Advancement, Industrialization, Innovation, Power, etc.

27. Archetypes • What archetypes are present in the story? • Review the questions.

28. Homework • Prepare for Bible presentations on Wednesday.