Compare and Contrast

Here are 2 questions comparing and contrasting the two stories "By the Waters of Babylon" and "Coyote Kills the Giant":

• What purpose does John and Coyote, the two main characters from the two stories, have for going on their journey?

•  Both John and Coyote went on their journey to accomplish something big and important. For John, he went to the Place of the Gods because of his strong dream and his identity as the son of a priest, and also because of the signs shown to him that tells him to travel to the Place of the Gods during his journey. On the other hand, Coyote went on his journey to kill the Giant, because he believes that the Giant is not a big threat to him, and that he should help other people by killing the Giant.

• What similarities and differences can you find between the settings of the two stories?

•  First, both stories have settings that include geographical features. In "By the Waters of Babylon", there are "caves" and forests, and in "Coyote Kills the Giant", there is also a "cave", and a volcano. However, both "caves" are created with different purposes. The first cave was created by humans who lived before John, us, while the second cave was created by the Giant, who wants to eat. A main difference between the two is that in "By the Waters of Babylon", there are many man-made features, while in "Coyote Kills the Giant", it is the inside of the Giant's body, and there are no man-made features.