Model Constructed Response:
One of the main themes in the story “By the Waters of Babylon” by Steven
Vincent Benet is that breaking rules and tradition is sometimes necessary for new
knowledge to be discovered. In the story, the main character John lives in a
primitive society; his people are the descendants of the few humans who survived
an apocalyptic conflict that destroyed modern civilization. John, who is the narrator
of the story, expresses his desire for knowledge through internal dialogue, which
states, “…my knowledge and my lack of knowledge burned in me—I wished to know
more.” He goes on a quest to find this knowledge, but before he goes his father
reminds him that, “It is forbidden to travel east. It is forbidden to cross the river. It is
forbidden to go to the place of the Gods.”
In order to find the knowledge that he desires, John has to defy his father and
go against the rules of his society. In his culture, he has been taught to believe that
breaking these rules will result in death. On his journey for knowledge, John does
many things that are forbidden in his culture, and he does not die. He goes east,
across the river and into the place of the Gods. He breaks the rules of his society, but
in doing so, he comes to understand that some of things that his people believed
were incorrect. He discovers that “the gods” were actually men who destroyed
themselves. In looking at the ruins of New York City, he discovers that humans have
the potential to do great things, but they must use their knowledge carefully. John
could not have discovered this new knowledge if he had not broken with the rules
and traditions of his society. Through this story, the author is using the success of
John’s character to show that sometimes traditions and rules must be broken in
order to find valuable knowledge.
Characteristics of a Well-Written Constructed Response:
Begin with a Thesis Statement.
Use Evidence (Specific Details) from the Story.
Paragraphs should be 5-10 Sentences Long.
The writing assignment ends by connecting back to the thesis statement.