THE moment he saw her, the besotted Epimetheus at once forgot Prometheus’s warning never to accept any gift from Zeus, and welcomed Pandora, who was clutching a large wine-jar that Zeus had put into her hands, into his home with all festivity.
Once comfortably settled, Pandora decided to take a look inside her jar. She prised open the lid, and instantly there flew from it in a toxic stream the ills of which mankind as yet knew nothing, all the grief and toil and disease. She snapped the lid shut, but too late.* Everything inside had escaped, except for Hope.
Why did Zeus put kindly Hope among the ills he wished on mankind? When the lid snapped shut, did Pandora save Hope for mankind, or keep Hope from mankind? Or perhaps (for the Greek word is ambiguous) it was not Hope in there so much as anxious Foreboding, and Pandora has at least spared us that? To such questions the teasing myth gives no answer.
Hesiod indicates that Zeus had been preventing Pandora from shutting the lid up to this moment, when he removed his divine resistance and the lid abruptly shut.
Précis
Epimetheus took Pandora into his home, all unsuspecting, and there Pandora (herself completely innocent in all that followed) opened the jar that Zeus had given her. Out poured every grief and affliction since known to mortal men. Hope alone remained; and whether that was a good thing or a bad remains a matter of controversy to this day. (58 / 60 words)
Epimetheus took Pandora into his home, all unsuspecting, and there Pandora (herself completely innocent in all that followed) opened the jar that Zeus had given her. Out poured every grief and affliction since known to mortal men. Hope alone remained; and whether that was a good thing or a bad remains a matter of controversy to this day.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: about, besides, despite, if, just, otherwise, until, who.
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Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Fennel. Hand. He.
2 Not. Question. Welcome.
3 Fashion. Rock. She.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Homophones Find in Think and Speak
In each group below, you will find words that sound the same, but differ in spelling and also in meaning. Compose your own sentences to bring out the differences between them.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
High Tiles Find in Think and Speak
Make words (three letters or more) from the seven letters showing below, using any letter once only. Each letter carries a score. What is the highest-scoring word you can make?
Your Words ()
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