Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon." My father is a priest; I am the son of a priest. I have been in the Dead Places near us, with my father-at first, I was afraid. When my father went into the house to search for the metal, I stood by the door and my heart felt small and weak. It was a dead man's house, a spirit house. It did not have the smell of man, though there were old bones in a corner. But it is not fitting that a priest's son should show fear. I looked at the bones in the shadow and kept my voice still.

What does the narrator's response to the setting reveal about his character?

a) By describing the details of a spirit house, he reveals why he gives in to his fear. b) Because he is not able to show fear, he wishes that he were not a priest's son.

c) Due to his upbringing, we see that he is prepared for whatever the future holds.

d) In describing his past, he shows that he will live up to his father's expectations.

Question

English

Piper Howe

11 June, 07:19

Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon." My father is a priest; I am the son of a priest. I have been in the Dead Places near us, with my father-at first, I was afraid. When my father went into the house to search for the metal, I stood by the door and my heart felt small and weak. It was a dead man's house, a spirit house. It did not have the smell of man, though there were old bones in a corner. But it is not fitting that a priest's son should show fear. I looked at the bones in the shadow and kept my voice still.

What does the narrator's response to the setting reveal about his character?

a) By describing the details of a spirit house, he reveals why he gives in to his fear. b) Because he is not able to show fear, he wishes that he were not a priest's son.

c) Due to his upbringing, we see that he is prepared for whatever the future holds.

d) In describing his past, he shows that he will live up to his father's expectations.

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Answers (2)

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Fatima Gardner · Answer 1

The narrator's response to the setting reveals letter D) In describing his past, he shows that he will live up to his father's expectations.

Explanation:

Published in 1937, "By the Waters of Babylon" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét. The main character and narrator is John, a priest who lives in a post-apocalyptic world. His people sees metal as something cursed, an element that brings death to those who touch it. As we read on, we find out John lives in a retrogressive society. Even though they live in what we would consider to be the future, they have returned to primitive fears and superstitions after man used his knowledge to build weapons and destroy the cities.

In the passage we are studying here, John is describing his past. The fact that he is the son of a priest demanded more from him than would be expected from other people. Metal and spirits should not scare or harm him. When he shows fearlessness even as a kid, he reveals his capacity to live up to his father's expectations. He will become what his father and other priests have to be: a brave and knowledgeable man who's willing to work for the good of all.

Kianna · Answer 2

In describing his past, he shows that he will live up to his father's expectations.