Read the passage from "By the Waters of Babylon.” Then I saw their fate come upon them and that was terrible past speech. It cam
e upon them as they walked the streets of their city. I have been in the fights with the Forest People—I have seen men die. But this was not like that. When gods war with gods, they use weapons we do not know. It was fire falling out of the sky and a mist that poisoned. It was the time of the Great Burning and the Destruction. They ran about like ants in the streets of their city—poor gods, poor gods! Then the towers began to fall. A few escaped—yes, a few. The legends tell it. But, even after the city had become a Dead Place, for many years the poison was still in the ground. I saw it happen, I saw the last of them die. It was darkness over the broken city and I wept. Which theme is best established by the conflict in this passage? Advances in technology can lead to devastation. War is an unfortunate but necessary path to growth. Those who come before us determine the future. Coming of age requires risk-taking and bravery.
The theme that best established the conflict in this passage is:
Advances in technology can lead to devastation.
In a way the author tries to explain that even with our incredible technological advances and superior knowledge, the gods can have the possibility of destroying themselves with nuclear weapons.
The finishing point constructed by Twain is: when the old man is about to finish the story of Jim Smiley's jumping frog, another individual interrupts him. The narrator tries to leave the place, but the old man reaches it. The story ends with the old man who starts telling the narrator about a yellow cow with only one eye of Jim Smiley.
