1. Pandora! By Mackenzie Platt, Scott Herrick, and Amber Hughes

2. Pandora’s “box” is not a BOX! It is a JAR. A mistranslation in the mid 1500s led to this common misconception.

3. The Basic Story Zeus decides to punish the people for the stolen gift of fire, so he decides to create women. The first woman is named Pandora meaning “all-gifted.” She is given to Epimetheus as his wife, along with a sealed jar that Zeus commands to never open. Pandora’s curiosity tugs at her, and eventually she opens the jar, unleashing all evil into the world. The only thing left in the jar is hope.

4. So basically… Pandora’s jar represents any object or situation that seems harmless and even beautiful on the outside but holds a menacing potential for evil within. Pandora is seen as a metaphor of the jar. She is beautiful and “all-gifted” on the outside but she is the one who lets out all the evil in the world.

5. Places in Literature The story of Pandora can be compared to the Biblical story of Eve. According to Christianity, Eve was the first woman and she could not resist her curiosity and partook of the apple thus releasing sin into the world. In The Odyssey when Odysseus decides to listen to the Sirens he is showing extreme curiosity but it differs from Pandora’s story in the fact that he takes proper precautions (tying himself to the mast) to evade catastrophe.

6. Continued… The Skeleton Key: The main character in this movie found a key and couldn’t resist her curiosity of what was behind the door, even though she had received misgivings concerning it. When she went beyond the door a world of witchcraft awaited her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=654uz rc6Lsk&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=654uz rc6Lsk&feature=related Willy Wonka: Each kid in this story decides to eat a piece of candy which seems harmless and delicious on the outside but holds chaos within. (2:40) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG7_ V1Lzy9Qhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG7_ V1Lzy9Q

7. How It Matters The story of Pandora is a lesson in controlling curiosity. Due to Pandora’s curiosity, all that is evil is present in the world. She was told time and time again not to open the box, but she does so anyway. If she had more self-control, evil and pain would still be trapped inside the jar. This makes us ponder on the things that appear good in the world and to think about the consequences of our actions. Also this story puts a negative denotation on women in the world as do other stories as this one is retold in different ways. We also have to wonder if hope is trapped in the jar, or is hope what we have left after the evil?

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