Natural human instinct motivates the mind to seek the unknown. This thirst for wisdom is nourished during youth, as we grow and develop. Curiosity develops in the mind to better understand the world around us. As one ages, this desire for knowledge can be pushed aside and forgotten, as the need to submit to society becomes more and more emphatic. Fascination with creativity and personal passions are condemned by the public. The practical side of reality is that it is easier to conform to the societal system than to resist it. When you are surrounded by pressuring figures, you may find yourself adopting and trusting society's norms. Discipline and obedience become a character's only traits, until they are given the opportunity to explore their desires. Once given the opportunity, the character can pursue passions that would otherwise have been ignored. In By The Waters of Babylon by Stephen Vincent Benet, the protagonist, John, lives in a society where conformity is necessary. He and his father are both priests, who are high figures within his tribe. He grew up under the watchful eye of the public and is obedient and disciplined. As he developed under conformity, his personal desires and childhood dreams became partially stilled, residing only in his mind. The tribe's past is shrouded in superstition and uncertainty, so new ideas are not easily accepted. He is proud of his tribe, the Hill people, and places his full trust in them. He believes that his tribe is intellectually superior to surrounding tribes and takes pride in his village for its knowledge. As a priest, he must go on a journey to discover himself and gain the wisdom that only priests are allowed to acquire. This quest gives John the opportunity to seek knowledge, at the cost of betraying the ways of his society. As his journey progresses, the narrator makes the decision to rebel against his conformity to his tribe by traveling to the most forbidden place of all, the Place of the Gods. Pursuing his passion for wisdom may lead him to know more about his world than he initially anticipated. Due to the desire to learn, the protagonist's discipline towards his society is compromised and he begins to question what he has been taught. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"? Get the original essay During his youth and adolescence, John learns to conform to the norms of his tribe and become the priest that his society always wanted it to become. . As a child, his father took him to one of the Dead Places to search for metal and allowed him to hold the item. The rules of society told the father that if his son held the metal and lived, he was his real son and would also become a priest. The father's faith in the rules impressed upon John at every stage of his childhood, and he was taught to believe in everything he had learned from his village. While traveling to one of the Dead Places, he opened a jar containing an unknown food substance left behind by the Great Burning and tasted it. This action broke one of the laws and he was strictly punished by his father, putting John in his place. His father assumed a high responsibility for the protagonist and he was proud of it. John's statement that the rules and laws are "well worked out" presents the idea that he had full confidence in the system. His need to please his father and his village is at the forefront of his mind, meaning his will to conform is strong. John matures toto become a wise and obedient young man, putting his duties before his own secret desires. He begins to make his own excursions into the Dead Places to find the sacred and magical metal pieces, which only other priests can touch. His position as a priest makes John feel special and important in his society. John's acceptance of his role and conformity to society is due to the practicality and essentiality of his situation. It is easy for him to conform to the laws of his tribe because it is a sanctuary of comfort and certainty. As the protagonist reaches adulthood, he is sent on a quest to travel beyond the village to gain knowledge from the priests, but it is also an opportunity to expose his own desires. When he consults his father about his trip, he confirms that he always respects the laws, specifying that traveling to the East is "forbidden". John still knows the limits of his role as a priest and he knows that punishment may be inflicted on him if he does not comply. However, since he was young, he had always carried a hidden fire in his heart to seek to know his world better. He rejoices in the fact that his tribe is a more informed and advanced society than the forest dwellers, who are ignorant and unaware. The narrator despises the intellectually inferior tribe and knows he does not want to be like them. He travels courageously and passionately with his knowledge, but he always carries his faith in the signs that the gods have sent him. His village has taught him that the gods will watch over him throughout his journey and he takes note of each symbolic presence. The eagle, the white fawn and the panther are signs sent to him to travel to the East. With his head held high, John knows that the trip will be important for him to acquire knowledge necessary for his occupation. At the end of the mission, John's dilemma is whether to make the journey back to his village, which represents a life of unfulfilled desires but ease and assurance, or to continue and pursue his hopes of gaining knowledge. , reveals his internal conflict. He states that if he doesn't go, he "will never be at peace with [his] mind again." John's conclusion that he can no longer remain unsatisfied breaks the limits set for him by society. John crossing the Heard River and entering the land where the "gods" lived is an important point in this story, because his actions demonstrate everything he had been taught in his tribe. His desire for knowledge drives him to disobey the laws and sacrifice his clarity for the unknown. When the narrator crosses the river, he sings the song of death to himself. His determination to satisfy his personal desires leads him to believe that his unruly behavior will ultimately lead to his death, and he accepts the conditions imposed on him by his society. The song of death shows that he will not completely forget his origins. His desire to learn beyond what is supposedly correct will mean he will be punished by the gods. The narrator's travels to the Place of the Gods shift the conflict in favor of John's pursuit of his passions, even if it means sacrifice. The protagonist becomes weary and ready to be punished for his disobedience to society by the "gods" as he journeys to the Place of the Gods. The land is dark and mysterious, and he remembers the stories that are told to him. These stories put him under pressure and torment him as he crosses the river. The warnings that were given, such as the island being covered in fog and enchantment, and that the ground would burn underneath, scare John. However, upon his arrival, he finds that there is no fog and the ground beneath his feet is not burning. His observations..