Sem 4.

Pandora - The creation of

woman
Name:Vicky Phung Sem. #10 Date: Thursday October
Assigned Reading:
MLA Citation Format:
MLA Works Cited
Format:

Hesiods Works and Days

(WD, 59-71)
Hesiod. Works and Days. Trans. Stephanie Nelson. Newbury Port MA: Focus Publishing,
2009. Print.

FOCUS PASSAGE
Carefully read the selected passage from the assigned reading and type your answer in the space provided. Consult any
relevant footnotes in the text to help you understand the passage.

So he spoke and laughed, the father of gods and men.

And he ordered famous Hephaestus, as quick as he could,
to mix earth with water and put in a human voice
and human strength and make the face like a goddess immortal
and shape a maidens most beautiful form. And Zeus bid Athena
to teach her her works how to weave the varied intricate web and he told Aphrodite, the golden, to pour grace around her
and hard longing and knee-weakening care; and he told Hermes
to put in the mind of a bitch and the heart of a thief,
Hermes the guide, the messenger, and the slayer of Argus.
So he spoke and they obeyed him, lord Zeus, Cronus son.
Right away Hephaestus, the famous lame god, formed from earth
one like a revered modest maiden,

(WD, 59-71)
1. Why is Zeus ordering the other gods to create Pandora?
In this passage it can be seen that Zeus is ordering the order gods to create Pandora because he wants to
punish Prometheus for stealing back the fire for the humans. Zeus was very angry with the crooked-minded
Prometheus and the men at Earth, which has caused him to devise a plan to punish them. Zeus decided that
the best way to punish Prometheus was to create a woman. It was believed that a woman would bring
destruction and chaos to plague humanity.
2. How does Pandora compare to Eve in the Genesis account you have looked at? Find at least one
similarity and difference as you do this.
Pandora is a female human who is the creation of god in which is initiated by Zeus anger towards
Prometheus. Eve is also a female human who is created by god as a partner for men. It can be seen that both
are created but each has a different purpose. Pandora was created as a gift to the men to seduce and plague
humanity with darkness, but the natural gifts of Pandora did not cause issues for humanity. Also, Pandora is
a woman who was blessed by the gods with their knowledge, sex appeal, intelligence, and emotions.
However, if you can see Eve in the Genesis story then it can be indicated that she was created as a partner
for mens loneliness. She was introduced as an innocent human but she defies god by eating the apple, and
gains an enormous amount of knowledge, intelligence, and emotions. However, there is a similarity
between Pandora and Eve. Pandora is given a box filled with negative emotions and she lets it out into the
world, and this can be a similar action to what Eve did when she ate the apple. This is where Eve opens her
eyes and causes man to be enlighten with knowledge, which introduces the corruption and darkness of
humanity.
3. How does Pandoras creation story compare to that of men in Hesiods Theogony?

In Pandoras creation story, it can be seen that she was created as a way to cause disruption to men
by being this contagious plague. Zeus creates Pandora as a woman to seduce the men so that they
could embrace their evil desires in their heart. She was made in the face of a goddess in human form
with intelligence, wisdom, beauty, and a heart of a thief. This allows Pandora to procreate with the
men on Earth even after she opens the box filled with darkness. On the other hand, the men in
Hesiods Theogony demonstrates how the two descendant of the titans, Deucalion and Pyrrha,
survives the flood and arrives on Mt. Parnassus. Men and women are created when they throw the
rocks of mother earth to create males and females. The men story in Hesiod is more settle and
innocent in comparison to Pandoras creation story. But in Pandoras creation story it explains why
there are so many negative emotions in the world in comparison to the story of men in Hesiods
Theogony. Also, Hesiods Theogony story demonstrates the division of power between the gods but
Pandoras creation story does not.
THEMATIC QUESTIONS:
Provide a thoughtful response to each of the questions in the space provided. Consider the work in its entirety and how it
connects with other myths and themes we have discussed in seminar and lecture. Use specific examples and details from
the readings to support your answer.

1. Hesiod displays misogyny (a dislike and distrust of women) in his account. Is he more misogynistic
than the Genesis account of Eve? Why or why not?
Hesiod does display misogyny but in the Genesis account of Eve, it can be seen that women are described
as creatures that defy god. In Genesis it shows the reader that Eve is a female that is disobedience and goes
against the highest power, god, to commit sins. To people who believe in Christianity it is a sin to go against
god. This shows that there is more misogyny in Genesis because women are seen to be manipulative
individuals that guide men into the wrong path. Also, Genesis slightly shows that women are the reason to
why men has to suffer in the world when they listen to them. For example, when God found out that the Eve
and Adam took a bite out of the apple he explained that because Adam listened to his wife that he must
suffer for it. This slightly tells the readers that women cannot be trusted because they will bring you pain,
misery, and darkness. In comparison, Hesiod may lead people to think women are the cause for the darkness
but he is not as harsh. Hesiod still describes females in a way where they are lower than men, but he did not
say the men suffered because of the actions of a woman.
2. Beyond basic misogyny, why do you think both Greeks and Hebrews see woman as mainly
responsible for a fall in human conditions and status? What is so problematic about women in
these accounts?
I believe the the Greeks and Hebrews see woman as the ones responsible for the fall of humanity because in
ancient times, women were seen as lower beings as men. It was a male dominated society that had several
stereotypes and impressions of a women. Men were seen as beings that were close to god and that they do
not make mistakes, which indicates that the next best being to blame were the women. The Greeks and
Hebrew saw that women will seduce or lead men into destruction based on their decisions and curiosity.
Women can be seen as a partner to men in society and based on their witty and beautiful personalities, it can
be seen as dangerous. Women can be manipulative and sway men into a path that may lead to destruction.