By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét
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Introducing the Story Literary Focus: First-Perso n Point of View Literary Focus: Setting Reading Skills: Drawing Con clusions By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét Feature Menu
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By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét. Feature Menu. Introducing the Story Literary Focus: First-Person Point of View Literary Focus: Setting Reading Skills: Drawing Conclusions. By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét. By the Waters of Babylon Introducing the Story. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of By the Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benét
Introducing the StoryLiterary Focus: First-Person Point of View Literary Focus: SettingReading Skills: Drawing Conclusions
By the Waters of Babylonby Stephen Vincent Benét
Feature Menu
By the Waters of Babylonby Stephen Vincent Benét
We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom.
Stephen Vincent Benét
By the Waters of BabylonIntroducing 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.
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By the Waters of BabylonIntroducing the Story
• 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.
First-Person Point of View: “I” Tells the StoryWhen stories are written in the first person, readers
By the Waters of BabylonLiterary Focus: First-Person Point of View
• know only what the narrator knows about other characters and events
• share the narrator’s experience and feelings
First-Person Point of View: “I” Tells the StoryStories written from the first-person point of view often
By the Waters of BabylonLiterary Focus: First-Person Point of View
• 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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Setting: Where and WhenSetting is the time and place in which the action occurs. Setting can be used to
By the Waters of BabylonLiterary Focus: Setting
• create a mood, or atmosphere
• provide the story’s main conflict
• reveal character
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Clues
When you read stories that present a puzzle, you look for clues and draw conclusions about what details in the story mean.
By the Waters of BabylonReading Skills: Drawing Conclusions
details from the story + your knowledge
and experience = solution to the story’s
puzzle
Conclusion
As you read “By the Waters of Babylon,” pay close attention to clues about the setting.
By the Waters of BabylonReading Skills: Drawing Conclusions
Clues
setting and descriptions of objects and places
+your knowledge and experience = solution to
the story’s puzzle
Conclusion
• Carefully read descriptions of objects of places.• Think about what the writer and narrator may
not be telling you.
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