Why do you think it is forbidden for anyone but a priest to visit the Dead Places? Explain.
How does the title of this selection ass to your understanding of the story?
What do you think is the theme of the story?
Remember, the theme should be expressed as a sentence.
The author is usually making an assertion:
readers should do something
readers should not do something
or, regardless of what readers do, this is the way humans will behave.
Use examples from the text, of course.
I think it's forbidden for anyone but a priest to visit the dead places because they say that the priest can communicate with the dead so they know they're not there to disturb them or steal from them. Only the priests know how to go about the dead places without getting hurt or getting into danger. In the text it said that the priest's son, John had to be trained very well in order to go into a dead place without getting harmed. The title makes perfect sense, because it is from Psalm 137, and you would have to know the allusion to understand the title's meaning. Psalm 137 tells you to remember the Lord and it talks about Jerusalem being torn down. I think the theme is to follow your dreams, no matter how big they may be. John went to the place of the Gods, even though he knew he might have died. He still went for his dreams and did what no one else had dared to do, and found out the Gods had never even lived there. He followed his dreams and showed everyone the truth, and learned something that helped him. He did not allow anything to get into his way, just so he could be at peace with his spirit.
ReplyDeleteI think it is forbidden for anyone except priests to go to the Dead Places because the priests are very holy and close to the Gods. Also if ordinary people went to the Dead Places then the spirits would mostly likely get them because they don't know whether the person came for peace or harm.
ReplyDeleteThe title By The Waters Of Babylon added to my understanding of the story because I figured that the river in the story must be the waters, so I knew that the river was very important.
I think the theme of the story is to go with your heart. Although going east and crossing the river is "forbidden" John does it anyways because he has a feeling and signs that tell him to go east.
I think it is forbidden for anyone but a priest to visit the Dead Places because it seems like a sacred place that only holy figures could really understand. You would have to be very holy and really connected with God to visit the Dead Places. Like what both Christine and Shannon said, I think the theme of the short story is to just follow your heart and to do what you think is good for yourself. John was brave enough to follow his heart and to cross the river and by doing so he proved to everyone that the gods didn't live where everyone thought they did.
ReplyDeleteOnly priests were allowed to go to the Dead Places because the priests are close to the Gods. They know that they will be protected. It is dangerous for anyone else to travel to these areas. That is because they don't trust anyone but priests with their possessions. The spirits are cautious in avoiding getting their stuff stolen.
ReplyDeleteThe title adds to your understanding of the story through its meaning. By it being called "By the Waters of Babylon," it references the Bible, particularly Psalms. The title sounds appealing, which adds to the irony because it's a post-apoctalyptic story.
One major part of the theme of the story is a sense of freedom. You can believe whatever you want to believe. John's people had lived based on the ideas that the priests were the only ones who were safe in the Dead Places and that the Place of the Gods was off limits. He took up his own beliefs and went against his people's to go to the Place of the Gods, and, in doing so, noticed that what they had thought was the Place of the Gods had been a home to normal people many years prior.
I think it is forbidden for anyone but a priest to visit the Dead Places because a normal citizen isn't prepared and aren't as holy to deal with the conditions.
ReplyDeleteThe title of this selection, "By the Waters of Babylon" seems very appropriate after doing some research. The title makes a reference to Psalm 137 in the bible, which talks about how Jerusalem was torn down much like the setting in the story.
I think the theme or overall message of this story is to experience you're freedom. John used his freedom to the fullest by exploring the Place of the Gods. No one previous had tried to see this land but John like it was appropriate to respectfully observe.
I think it is forbidden for anyone but priests to visit the Dead Places, because they are like shrines. They are holy places to honor their dead Gods, and a normal person going there might tarnish the lands. Also, there are evil spirits there, which may harm someone who doesn't know better.
ReplyDeleteThe title of this selection adds to my understanding of the story because it is an allusion to Psalm 137. The psalm talks about people being in a foreign land, Babylon, after their home was destroyed.
I think the theme of the story is that war is terrible, and it can destroy everything people created in an instant. But i think Benet also wants us to, in times of trouble, not just accept the despair, but, like John, to work and rebuild for better times.
I think it's forbidden for anyone but a priest or son of a priest to visit the dead places because everyone believes that the gods used to live in the dead places, and only priests or sons of priest can communicate with the gods.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the title is a reference to the Bible adds to the understanding of the story. Pslam 137 is about captured Jews in Babylon, weaping over the destruction of Jerusalem. It connects to the story because in the story the city of New York was destroyed.
I think the theme of this story is that even if society is destroyed that there are always people who will rebuild.
3. I think that it is forbidden for anyone but a priest to visit the dead places because the priests are like a step down from being Gods so they have the restect amoung the spirits and are the only ones with a true understanding of the Gods holy places. I also think that by having everyday normal people be able to visit the forbidden lands, it makes them less sacred and people would be more likley to let that kind of disaster happen again.
ReplyDelete5. The title of this storry adds to my understanding of Benet's story because after finding out it is an illusion to Pslams 137, i noticed that by "the Waters of Babylon" dopsnt litterly mean babylon but just waters (or land in this case) that is unfamiler and new to a group of refugees.
6. I think the theme in this story is courage. I think this becasue when the little boy has dreams such as on page 45 when he tells his father he sees the Gods in their clothes before his time. This takes courage becasue he dosnt know if that dream was true or just a dream. And since he follows his dreams with all his heart, he will infact one day rebuild the east like he says on page 52 in the last paragraph. And that creates hope for everyone elce in his nation, and leading all of that takes courage.
I think that it is forbidden for anyone but a priest to visit the Dead Places because it was an honored place and no harm was wanted. Like Jeremy said, if any normal person were to go to the lands then they would be "tarnished" or destroyed. Also, any normal person would not know as much background information of the Dead Places as a preist would.
ReplyDeleteThe title of this selection adds to my understanding of the story because I knew that the river was going to be an important place. The title is an allusion to Psalm 137 which talks about Jerusalem being torn down by the people of Babylon and how it was completely destroyed.
I think the theme of the story is expressing your freedom and following your heart. In this selection John followed his heart and crossed the river and went to the Dead Places even though it was forbidden. From following his heart and practicing his freedom, he was able to find out that the place was home to many normal citizens years ago. By John doing so, he learned something new and was able to show everyone that the Dead Places does not have to be a place where only preists are allowed.
3.I think it is forbidden for a anyone but a priest to visit the dead places because a priest deals with a lot of deceased people. Also they have more religious rights to follow than a normal person would.
ReplyDelete5. The title of Benet's selection adds to my understanding of this story because when I think of "by the waters of Babylon " it makes me think of something from ancient Egypt .
6. I think the theme of this story is to explore your curiosity. The son of the priest explored his curiosity and went to the dead place which was really adventurous about him and I admire that type of courage.
It is forbidden for anyone other than a priest to go to the Dead Places because they are the only people who can understand and connect with the Gods. The Gods do not know if any outsider is harmful or trustworthy. They think ordinary people will try to steal from them and are timid around anyone other than a priest. The title of the story "By the Waters of Babylon" is religious and includes a piece of the Bible. It helps to point out the main idea of the story. The theme of the short story is to believe in yourself and do what you think is the right thing to do. John was courageous and brave when he crossed the river. He stood up for what he believed in and was strong for his people.
ReplyDeleteI think that only priests and other holy people are aloud to visit the Dead Places for a few reasons. First of all they are the holy people of the time and when something is "new" or "different" than usual people in general look to those who are holy or can give them answers, like priests. Also if there are spirits in the Dead Land then the priests would be the only one's who could deal with them.
ReplyDeleteThe title of this selection did add to my understanding of the short story. After reading Psalm 137 I was able to better visualize the place of the gods. This is because like Jerusalem, in the psalms, New York and the rest of the world was torn down.
I think there are two major themes in this short story. One is that even when you fall down you must stand back up no matter how hard the challenge. The second is that you must follow what you believe, even it isn't the right or popular thing to do.
I think it is forbidden for anyone but a priest to visit the Dead Places because priests are highly honored and respected so they earn different rights. Also the priests might spread holyness and peace over the Dead Places to revive them and make them "new."
ReplyDeleteThe title of this selection adds to my understanding of the story because it hints that the waters or in this case the river, is going to be important or a key indicator of location. Also, after reading Psalm 137 I got a better feel for what the story was based on.
I think the theme of this story was to follow your heart and/or your gut instinct. In "By the Waters of Babylon", John followed his heart and discovered something that no one else had seen before.
I think it is forbidden for anyone but a priest to visit the Dead Places because the live a more spiritual life compared to the another person. It is easier for them to connect and communicate with the gods that live there.
ReplyDeleteThe title of the selection added to my understanding of the story because what it alluded to, Psalm 137, helped me visualize more of the setting than I could've if I hadn't. Psalm 137 is about the falling of Jerusalem and the story took place in the same kind of setting.
I think the theme of this story is to do what you think is right whether or not it might turn out bad in the end. In "By the Waters of Babylon," John knows it's bad to go to the "forbidden" place and cross the river but he wants to go anyway. He knows that going there could kill him but he doesn't want to give up on what he thinks he needs to do to be happy.
I think it is forbidden for anyone else other than a priest to visit the "Dead Places" because since the priest is the higher level of purity and religion, they have more "access" to these so called places. Also because they are not the average people and because they are not, many people go to them for guidance, confession, forgiveness and reassurance. They almost have a false sense of power in a way, they are more "apt" than the average person i guess..
ReplyDeleteThe title of this selection adds to my understanding a lot actually, because the phrase Psalm 137 now makes sense to me.. it is a part of the Bible and it translates to "by the waters of Babylon" or "by the rivers of Babylon". So now my understanding of that phrase has been cleared up and now makes more sense than before when i first read. It mostly helped me with visuals too, such as the palces and figures. These include the places of gods and possible outcomes for what they look like. Also helped me develop a mental picture of the destruction of New York and what it looked like after it was taken down.
I think the theme of the story is that throughout the struggles, obstacles, and hardships, you must push through and break them down. This way there is room for repairments and time to rise up again. Also that no matter what courage and doing what is right will help even if you may think it to be "ridiculous" or "uncool" because it will go far in the long run.
I think that only priests are allowed to the Dead Places because their connection with the gods are more powerful than that of others. The gods are protecting the priests every step of the way through the Forbidden Land. Also, priests and sons of priests have the connection of communicating with the gods.
ReplyDeleteThe title of the story added to my understanding because by reading Psalms 137, which explained the fall of Jerusalem, connected with the fall of New York, the setting of this story.
The theme of "By the Waters of Babylon" is that there is a difference between what one is fighting for and what is believed to be right.
I think it is forbidden for anyone else other than a priest to go to the Dead Places because they have a special connection with the gods. If anyone else would go in, the gods might think they are trying to harm them.
ReplyDeleteThe title of the short story helped my understanding when I read Psalms 137, which describes the fall of Jerusalem. And that connects to the story because it is about the fall of New York.
I think the theme of the short story is to follow your heart and do what you want to do, like John did. Also, it is that no matter how bad a situation can get, you have to look on the bright side and try to rebuild.
I think it is forbidden for anybody else besides a priest to visit the Dead Places because the priests have certain rituals that they perform, also they have certain rules that they follow and they know how to act in a Dead Place. These rules/rituals are only known to priests, so they know how to act in the dead places and how not to show disrespect.
ReplyDeleteThe title "By The Waters Of Babylon" adds to my understanding because after researching I saw that it is an allusion to Psalms 137. Psalms 137 talks about how the Jewish people's city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the people of Babylon, and how they were taken as captives. It also talks bout the people remembering Jerusalem. This basically relates back to the book because first of all the people in the books ancestor city was destroyed by a foreign power. Secondly the narrator talks about his people are not ignorant and remember the language of the Gods, which is like remembering Jerusalem.
I think the theme of the story is to pursue your dreams,and don't let them go. In the story John shows this by going to the Place of the Gods in his pursuit of knowledge. Even though along the way he thought he would die, he never stopped and kept moving towards his dream and eventually succeeded.