By the Waters of Babylon guiding questions:

1. What universal human needs/traits does John the Priest exhibit by traveling to the place of the gods and how does he handle the results?

2. What reason does John's father give for not telling their people the truth about what he learns?  What is another reason that he does not want the truth to be shared?

3. Look up the term "progress trap" online.  How do the progress traps of By the Waters and The Pedestrian affect the culture of each society.  Can they be avoided?