1. By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét
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Introducing the Story
Literary Focus: First-Person Point of View
Literary Focus: Setting
Reading Skills: Drawing Conclusions

2. By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét

3. By the Waters of Babylon Introducing the Story
We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom.
Stephen Vincent Benét

4. By the Waters of Babylon Introducing the Story
“By the Waters of Babylon” is a story told by a young narrator who seeks wisdom in the ruins of a once-great civilization.
As John, the narrator, explores the ruins, readers gradually come to understand the tragedy of the Great Burning and the significance of the Place of the Gods.
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5. By the Waters of Babylon Literary Focus: First-Person Point of View
First-Person Point of View: “I” Tells the Story
When stories are written in the first person, readers
share the narrator’s experience and feelings
know only what the narrator knows about other characters and events

6. By the Waters of Babylon Literary Focus: First-Person Point of View
First-Person Point of View: “I” Tells the Story
Stories written from the first-person point of view often
have a sense of intimacy, as if the narrator was a friend talking to us
use a persona—a “mask” or voice for the fictional narrator
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7. By the Waters of Babylon Literary Focus: Setting
Setting: Where and When
Setting is the time and place in which the action occurs. Setting can be used to
create a mood, or atmosphere
reveal character
provide the story’s main conflict
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8. By the Waters of Babylon Reading Skills: Drawing Conclusions
When you read stories that present a puzzle, you look for clues and draw conclusions about what details in the story mean.
Clues
Conclusion
solution to the story’s puzzle
details from the story +
your knowledge and experience =

9. By the Waters of Babylon Reading Skills: Drawing Conclusions
As you read “By the Waters of Babylon,” pay close attention to clues about the setting.
Carefully read descriptions of objects of places.
Think about what the writer and narrator may not be telling you.
Clues
Conclusion
solution to the story’s puzzle
setting and descriptions of objects and places
your knowledge and experience + =
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10. By the Waters of Babylon Background
The title of this story is an allusion, or reference, to Psalm 137 in the Bible. The psalm tells of the Israelites’ sorrow over the destruction of their temple in Zion (a reference to Jerusalem) and their enslavement in Babylon. The psalm begins, “By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.”
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11. Quickwrite

12. By the Waters of Babylon Quickwrite
Make the Connection
In Stephen Vincent Benét’s fantasy you’ll accompany John, the narrator, as he catches glimpses of a past civilization. Using what you know of world history, jot down some of the reasons civilizations might disappear. What role do people play in their destruction?
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13. Meet the Writer

14. By the Waters of Babylon Meet the Writer
Stephen Vincent Benét preferred to write poetry, but some of his short stories are his best-known works.
Benét was the grandson of an important general and the son of a well-know colonel who instilled a love of literature and American history in his children. With this family background, it is not surprising that Benét turned to American history, folklore, and legends as topics for his stories and poems.
More About the Writer
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