h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: the tower of babel - A1058645
Author: BABELFISH (2x1x9x0)+(7x6) = 42?stuck in the tower of babel U219076? FREE ME!! - U219076

I like the idea of good stories from myth and legend and this one caught my attention?
How does it fit with your theories/ideas

I don't think your current format works very well.

also, you cover multiple different stories, most of which have nothing to do with the tower of babel.

interestingly, the story of the tower of babel is supposed to be full of jokes, but most of them only work in the original biblical hebrew.

what would you suggest a clearer more historical account or the easier humorous angle to the story?

probably the historical perspective (although I would tend towards that anyway).

the main thing that needs changing is to move away from the tables. they are likely to be problematical in a number of ways, not least of which being the non-intuitiveness of the direction of flow.

I've tried to change the tables for headers and subheaders are there any other formatting things that i need to add. *hope this helps with the intuitiveness of the direction of flow*.

definately an improvement.

however it does bring to light a number of other problems.

most annoying is the massive overuse of smileys. there are so many of them that it tends to be distracting from the text.

another is that it seems to be largely constructed purely from bible quotes. while the bible is the obvious source of the story, and while you give some chapter and verse numbers, you don't reference which book it is in (I would guess genesis).

the other problem is that although your title claims that the entry is about the tower of babel, that is not what the entry is about. it mostly covers other parts of the bible stories.

as you can see the change in format has made all these faults much more visible.

if you can canstrain the entry to be more about the tower of bale, and move away from direct bible quotes towards something that flows a little better, I think you will have the makings of a very good entry.

Thank you.

have looked at the number of other problems.

1. the massive overuse of smileys. there are so many of them that it tends to be distracting from the text:-

I have decided to remove them completely as it helps with the readability of the prose.

2. largely constructed purely from bible quotes. while the bible is the obvious source of the story, and while you give some chapter and verse numbers, you don't reference which book it is in (I would guess genesis):-

I have added a reference note at the start of the piece, but currently have no ideas as to where else to research this subject, will check internet today.

3. although your title claims that the entry is about the tower of babel, that is not what the entry is about. it mostly covers other parts of the bible stories.

I have made a clear definition between the background behind the story and its context in time(the other biblical references), and the main piece using footnotes, this has the distinct disadvantage of creating a large footnotes section if there is another way to link this piece directly to the background (biblical references) then please assist in providing this, otherwise I am happy with this as it is.

4.something that flows a little better, I think you will have the makings of a very good entry.

I will see how other research improves this article, thanks.

Bable

interestingly, recent research using genetic reconstruction points to there having been a single genetic female (known as mitochondrial eve) from which we all decend. she lived in africa.

added to that, using this reconstruction on the migration paths and diversification over the last 150,000 years since then, they have also been able to reconstruct a small number of words in the original language, and what they sounded like and meant.

As at various points during the journeys to colonise the world, small groups (of about 250 individuals) would have been largely out of contact with the other groups, and given the natural tendency for language to drift, you would actually end up with the diversification of the dialects to the point where they could be classed as different languages.

as regards the flow of the entry, paraphrasing the stuff so it reads less like quotes from the bible (while keeping the content) would probaly improve it further.

You completely missed the main reason for the tower of babel story. The tower was supposed to be their immediate entrance to their god's domain. They wanted to build it to heaven, to reach God, and were struck with many tongues to confuse them and scattered to keep them from trying to build any higher.

I don't know if it was ever explained why a god would want to keep them from building a totally useless, over-tall tower, but that's the bible. We certainly fly higher than they ever built.

I did read a great little fiction story based on the completion of the tower. Strange little ending.