The year is 1700 BC in Babylon and a new age has just began. A leader by the name of Hammurabi has introduced one of the oldest recorded set of laws. Hammurabi was a powerful military leader. He led Babylon to take control of most of Mesopotamia. He wrote the laws after being instructed to write them by many powerful gods including Shamash, the great god and judge of Heaven and Earth. Hammurabi’s Code includes 282 laws with punishments for each law. Hammurabi’s Code was described in the bible as “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth”. Hammurabi’s Code was just because it protected the weak, promoted the social welfare, and came from a higher power.…
By the Waters of Babylon” was written by Stephen Vincent Benet in July of 1937. That same year, just months before, a bombing happened on April 28, 1937. Both of these works of writing dealing with great destruction, destruction of whole cities. One is a true story and one is a fictional story but, they both have some similarities between them.…
Mesopotamian societies and Egypt are considered the first civilizations, but to what extent are the civilizations. The societies of Egypt and Mesopotamia meet the definition of a civilization to the extent of being the best civilizations of ancient times because of their customs and traditions and their religions.…
In short, in “Cheer up, it’s just the end of the world,” Ira Chernus discusses that an apocalypse is a genuine ongoing threat today. Since biblical times, apocalyptic stories always begin with the fact that the end is near; then, after the world ends, a new one will arise. Some apocalyptic ideas suggest that the world will end abruptly, while other ideas suggest a slow approach. Chernus adds that some ideas of apocalypses have shifted from “’the end of everything,’" to “’the end of anything’” (Chernus 19-21). Overall, Chernus identifies the issues caused by unrealistic ideas of apocalypses, such as “’psychic numbing’” (Chernus 19-21), and he stresses the importance of identifying real apocalyptic threats, such as climate change. Chernus then…
The ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt developed into successful civilizations because they effectively utilized their surroundings. Rivers being the main geographic feature that led to successful development. From there on they went on to make many innovations to their traditional technology and techniques. These ancient cultures were also able to develop effective ways of governing their civilizations. Religion through cultural diffusion, brought together the city-states and empires created in Mesopotamia and Egypt. This essay will provide the facts that support the success of these ancient cultures.…
With the beast of Revelations, the myth would best fit into three of the five he discuses: Functional Theory, Symbolic Theory, and Structuralist Theory. The beast is part of the functional theory because it describes “what it does” and what the myth does. According to the myth, the beast will emerge from the Mediterranean Sea and begin the taunting and blasphemies about Christ. In the book “The Beast of Revelation: Myth, Metaphor or Soon-Coming Reality” John H. Ogwyn writes: “The elderly Apostle John stood upon the sandy shore of the Isle of Patmos in the Mediterranean Sea. As he gazed out to sea, the scene before him seemed to change. Dark clouds lowered and the sea appeared to churn. As he stared transfixed, a strange creature rose up out of the water.” It relates to the functional theory because it describes what the beast does and how it impacts the world in the second coming of…
In Rebecca Kanner’s Sinners and the Sea and Yasmina Reza’s The God of Carnage the human capacity to commit violence is emphasized. Kanner portrays violence during the time of Noah time before and during the flood. The sinners of the town of Sorum, as well as some members of Noah’s family, commit acts of violence toward one another. Reza portrays violence with the same intensity as Kanner, but with a limited cast of characters. The difference between the two portrayals of violence is that Kanner uses evil as a transformative force, while Reza depicts evil as an end. Kanner is hopeful that evil restores the good, while Reza believes that evil does not bring positive outcomes.…
Jonathan Edwards preached his sermon “Sinners in the hands of an angry God” at a time of religious revival. In his sermon Jonathan Edwards uses many techniques, his biggest one being metaphors. Edwards uses his metaphors to reach out to his followers as well as to the sinners. One of the images Jonathan Edwards portrays is the image that Gods wrath is a “ bow”, ready with an arrow to pierce the sinners. Another striking image that Edwards delivers to make the sinners change their ways was the comparison of God's wrath to “great waters” that will rise up, destroying the sinners. Edwards used these and many more metaphors to convey the image of God. In doing this, many people understood the weight of God's wrath. Using metaphors, Edwards not…
The articles both had different disires for what they wanted in the society. By The Waters Of Babylon talks about a city that was once magical turned into a Dead Place. The author talks about him stepping out of his body and being able to see all these different gods around him. The article conludes by saying people like Lincoln, Baltimore, and Moses were men who built this city and that the people should restore what has been destructed.…
In life everyone makes bad decisions sometimes big or small but people will always remember and judge by that one mistake. For example, in high school I snuck out and took my moms car without her permission and ended up totaling it. For many years, my mother would hold that against me and did not trust me. Even though she forgave me, to this day she brings up something that happened years ago. I learned that the mistakes one makes will eventually hurt the people we love and will be unforgettable. The same way Charlie a character from, Babylon Revisited, was an alcoholic that had a crazy relationship with his wife and after her death, he drank more heavily and ended up losing everything including his daughter due to the mistakes he made. After…
All people can relate to living with the past. We all make mistakes and we all stumble along our ways. Some make greater mistakes then others, but we all make them. Dealing with them as part of our present can sometimes be overwhelming. Although it is a difficult part of life, it is a part of life that we all can relate to. Some have to learn this lesson the tough way. Some learn that the past does not only hurt us now, but can affect who we are today. Charlie Wales, in "Babylon revisited," challenges us to make a decision about him while also reflecting on ourselves, but still plays the largest role in conveying the story's theme where Fitzgerald illuminates how the past still plays a role today and how short sightedness can be damaging.…
Kingdom Come raises the literary theme of Apocalypse through its illustration of utter destruction of the world. Apocalypse is the complete final destruction of the world that involves damage on a catastrophic scale. It is described in detail in the biblical book of Revelation. The article “Book of Revelation” in Wikipedia explains that the book contains multiple visions, one of which includes “the end of the world … in which Satan’s rule through Man is destroyed by the Messiah” (e.p. 1). The “end of the world” refers to the dreams that the Apostle John received from God, giving him insight on how the world will come to finish. The reason for the destruction of the world is to cease “Satan’s rule through Man”. “Satan” is the most evil and craftiest being that God created. “Man”…
The novel Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank is a satirical piece about the eminence of war and the resilience of humanity. The story told in this novel, in the words of Thomas Payne, “produces panics [that], in some cases, have their uses; they produce as much good as hurt. Their duration is always short; the mind soon grows through them, and acquires a firmer habit than before.” This concept is demonstrated time and time again throughout the entirety of the book. The first example of this is when the brothers meet to discuss the possibility of war. Due to Mark Bragg’s , brother to the main character Randy Bragg, panic he is able to allow the family time to prepare for what is about to come. It causes Randy to worry a great deal as well, but that is insignificant when compared to the several lives that were saved because of it. Another panic that proves to be of more use, than harm is when Randy panics over how to try and save his family, he goes above the call of duty and saves his community by having them all pool their resources and efforts to make the best of their situation. As such the community at River Road becomes the best suited to survive in perhaps the whole surrounding area. If it were not for Randy panicking and enlisting the help of others as well as warning them, none of them would have survived half as well, or perhaps even survived.…
Babylon is Akkadian "babilani" which means "the Gate of God(s)" and it became the capital of the land of Babylonia. The etymology of the name Babel in the Bible means "confused" (Gen 11:9) and throughout the Bible, Babylon was a symbol of the confusion caused by godlessness. The name Babylon is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Babel.…
“There Will Come Soft Rains” is a short story by Ray Bradbury about the last house on an isolated block, its robotic features still functioning. In the end the house is destroyed by a tree falling which causes the house to catch fire which clearly shows nature has taken over. However “By the Waters of Babylon” written by Stephen Vincent Benet tells the story of a Priest’s son named John who while on a spiritual journey finds out that technology devastates humans.…