Name: ___________________________ Class: _____

“By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet

Test Discussion
Discussion. Answer the following question(s) in the appropriate discussion format.

Analyze two different conflicts that are present within “By the Waters of Babylon”. Be sure to state the type
(man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature, man vs. society, man vs. fate) and give textual evidence to support
yourself. For each of the conflicts, you should include TWO quotes. By the end of your essay, you should have a
total of FOUR quotes.

RUBRIC—You will be graded on the following elements:

INTRO PARAGRAPH 3 points
~Topic sentence should (1) include title and author, (2) restate the topic(s) being asked, and (3) include the genre (short story)
~Background info/small summary
~Thesis statement

BODY PARAGRAPH(S) 10 points

~Introduce main idea of each paragraph with a topic sentence
~Support main idea using textual support
~Introduce quotations
~Tie your support to your thesis statement
~Conclude each body paragraph
~Transitions between thoughts

CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH 3 points

~Restate thesis
~Review major points of each body paragraph
~Closing thought

GRAMMAR/SPELLING 4 points
~Tone is formal (no casual, conversational, slang, or awkward language)
~No major grammatical errors (S/V errors, fragments, run-ons, etc.)
~Do not use first or second person (I, me, my, our, you, yours, etc.)
~Correct spelling

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Name: ___________________________ Class: _____

“By the Waters of Babylon” Test Discussion

Discussion. Answer the following question(s) in the appropriate discussion format.

“Truth is a hard deer to hunt. If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth,” is stated by John’s
father. How does this quote pertain to the society that had been destroyed in the story AND to John’s current
society?

RUBRIC—You will be graded on the following elements:

INTRO PARAGRAPH 3 points
~Topic sentence should (1) include title and author, (2) restate the question(s) being asked, and (3) include the genre (short story)
~Background info/small summary
~Thesis statement

BODY PARAGRAPH(S) 10 points

~Introduce main idea of each paragraph with a topic sentence
~Support main idea using textual support (at least THREE quotes)
~Introduce quotations
~Tie your support to your thesis statement
~Conclude each body paragraph
~Transitions between thoughts

CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH 3 points

~Restate thesis
~Review major points of each body paragraph
~Closing thought

GRAMMAR/SPELLING 4 points
~Tone is formal (no casual, conversational, slang, or awkward language)
~No major grammatical errors (S/V errors, fragments, run-ons, etc.)
~Do not use first or second person (I, me, my, our, you, yours, etc.)
~Correct spelling

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Name: ___________________________ Class: _____

“By the Waters of Babylon” Test Discussion

Discussion. Answer the following question(s) in the appropriate discussion format.

During John’s dream, he comes to an understanding of the level of knowledge possessed by NYC’s former
inhabitants. What is it that John cannot understand about the “gods” who had so much wisdom and
knowledge? And what is the author telling the reader about wisdom and knowledge?

RUBRIC—You will be graded on the following elements:

INTRO PARAGRAPH 3 points
~Topic sentence should (1) include title and author, (2) restate the question(s) being asked, and (3) include the genre (short story)
~Background info/small summary
~Thesis statement

BODY PARAGRAPH(S) 10 points

~Introduce main idea of each paragraph with a topic sentence
~Support main idea using textual support (at least THREE quotes)
~Introduce quotations
~Tie your support to your thesis statement
~Conclude each body paragraph
~Transitions between thoughts

CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH 3 points

~Restate thesis
~Review major points of each body paragraph
~Closing thought

GRAMMAR/SPELLING 4 points
~Tone is formal (no casual, conversational, slang, or awkward language)
~No major grammatical errors (S/V errors, fragments, run-ons, etc.)
~Do not use first or second person (I, me, my, our, you, yours, etc.)
~Correct spelling

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