Babylon+OPE+Jenny+J


 * Heading** : Youjin (Jenny) Jang, Block E
 * Question** : What does the priest mean by his last quote?
 * Title** : Civilization in Human Hands


 * Include the following in a standard paragraph:**
 * “They were men who were here before us; we must build again.” This last quote by the protagonist John in the short story “By the Waters of Babylon” by Stephen Vincent Benet implies that the human civilization is developed and controlled by our own hands. Ever since the beginning of time, the Hill People have forbidden the sacred Place of the Gods – they have believed that it was a place full of supernatural spirits and demons. In this notion underlies the conception that the ones who have first shaped the human world were gods. However, the deeper John advances into the forbidden place, the clearer he realizes that the tales were wrong. He continuously disproves the myths by exclaiming that it is not true; the ground doesn’t burn forever, and the island is not covered with fogs and enchantments. Through this experience, John slowly comes to realize that the gods are not the superior beings that he had once thought they were. He comes to the final conclusion they were men who built the city, not gods or demons. The author portrays this definite shift in thought by using parallels; whereas in the beginning John remarked, “no wonder the gods built there” (5), in the end he states, “we must build again” (9). This contrast shows that John has now fully realized that we, the humans, should again take on the role of development and build a civilization. He has not only understood that the future of mankind depends on himself and the people around him, but also demonstrated a promise for action. Whether the direction be positive or negative, he quotes indirectly that the fate of humankind is in the hands of humankind itself. **