think about the topics in the story, including coming off age and knowledge. what messages is the author conveying about these two topics? in a well-structured paragraph, explain how two themes are connected within the text (please not the sample response and the story is “By the Waters of Babylon”)

In "By the Waters of Babylon," coming of age and acquiring knowledge go hand in hand in the main character's journey. John is the son of a priest. He already has knowledge that others are not allowed to have. For instance, he and his father are allowed to go to the forbidden places and to touch metal, since it cannot kill them. Others fear metal and do not leave their own tribes. However, as John gets older, he chooses to leave his people in the pursuit of knowledge. He travels to a forbidden place, which turns out to be New York, and there he comes to an immense realization: the beings that once existed, the ones his people think were gods, were people just like them. They created machines that destroyed their cities, which is why people still fear metal. John's coming of age, his reaching maturity, is deeply connected to his journey. It is the driving force that starts it, and it is completed by the epiphany he has in New York.

Explanation:

"By the Waters of Babylon" is a short story by Stephen Vincent Benét (1898-1943), an American writer born in Pennsylvania. The story was first published in 1937 and the main character, John, is a priest who lives in a dystopian reality. Technology has led to humanity's demise, and the new societies that have emerged have gone back to religion and superstition, fearing metal and the abandoned cities. John belongs to the Hill People. He leaves his father and people behind and goes away on a journey in the search for knowledge.

1. read the following excerpt from franklin d. roosevelt's "fireside chat 19":

on the other side of the picture, we must learn also to know that guerilla warfare against the germans in, let us say serbia or norway, us; that a successful russian offensive against the germans us; and that british successes on land or sea in any part of the world strengthen our hands.

remember always that germany and italy, regardless of any formal declaration of war, consider themselves at war with the united states at this moment just as much as they consider themselves at war with britain or russia. and germany puts all the other republics of the americas into the same category of enemies. the people of our sister republics of this hemisphere can be honored by that fact.  

the true goal we seek is far above and beyond the ugly field of battle. when we resort to force, as now we must, we are determined that this force shall be directed toward ultimate good as well as against immediate evil. we americans are not destroyers — we are builders.

analyze the effectiveness of this excerpt. how does it function within the speech as a whole? how does the structure of the excerpt to convey the speech's purpose and key points? support your argument with evidence from the speech. (10 points)

your answer is b. "with strong wording encouraging readers to take action."