Student Question
How does "The Pulley" allude to the myth of Pandora's Box and reflect mythology?
Quick answer:
"The Pulley" mirrors the myth of Pandora's Box by presenting a reverse scenario. In the myth, Pandora releases all evils into the world, leaving only hope in the box. In contrast, the poem depicts God with a glass full of blessings, which He distributes to humanity, leaving only rest behind. This reflects mythology by showcasing how divine actions shape human experiences, similar to Pandora's myth influencing human suffering and hope.
In my opinion, this poem is sort of a mirror image of the Pandora myth. In other words, it has God doing the exact opposite of what Pandora did.
In the Pandora myth, Pandora was curious and she opened the box or jar or whatever and let out all the bad stuff. At the end, all that was left in the box was hope.
By contrast, in this poem, God has a glass full of blessings. He takes all the blessings out of the glass and spreads them over the world to help make us happy. The only thing he leaves in the jar is rest.
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