Pandora s Box’

Has your curiosity ever placed you into trouble? Have you ever been so desperate to know a secret that you took no notice of a warning? All through history, there are stories of people being told not to open doors, cupboards, gates, and many other things. In many of these stories, the people simply did not listen. One

person who did not listen was Pandora. Her story comes from ancient Greece, and her curiosity brought a giant heap of trouble! Read Pandora s story to see what happened when she didn t listen.’ ’

In ancient Greece, there were two brothers named Epimetheus and Prometheus.They upset the gods and annoyed the most powerful of all gods, Zeus, in particular. This was not the first time humans had upset Zeus, and once before, as punishment, Zeus had taken from humans the ability to make fire. This meant they could no longer cook their food and could not keep themselves warm.

However, Prometheus was clever and he knew that Hephaestos the blacksmith lived on the Isle of Lemnos. Hephaestos had a fire burning to keep his forge hot. Prometheus travelled to Lemnos and stole fire from the blacksmith. Zeus was furious and decided that humans had to be punished once and for all for their lack of respect.

Zeus came up with a very cunning plan to punish the two brothers. With the help of Hephaestos, he created a woman from clay. The goddess Athene then breathed life into the clay, Aphrodite made her very beautiful, and Hermes taught her how to be both charming a deceitful. Zeus called her Pandora and sent her as a gift to Epimetheus.

His brother Prometheus had warned him not to accept any gifts from the gods, but Epimetheus was completely charmed by the woman and thought Pandora was so beautiful that she could never cause any harm. He agreed to marry her.

Zeus, pleased that his trap was working, gave Pandora a wedding gift of a beautiful box. However, there was one very, very important condition. Pandora must never open the box. Pandora was very curious about the contents of the box, but she promised that she would never open it.

Day in and day out, she wondered what was in the box. She could not understand why someone would send her a box if she could not see what was inside of it. It seemed to make no sense at all to her, and she could think of nothing else other than opening the box and unlocking its secrets. This was just what Zeus had planned.

Finally, Pandora could stand it no longer.When she knew Epimetheus was out of sight, she crept up to the box, took the huge key off the highest shelf, fit it carefully into the lock, and turned it. At the last moment, she felt a pang of guilt, imagined how angry her husband would be, and quickly locked the box again without opening the lid. She put the back on the highest shelf. She did this three more times until, at last, she knew she had to look inside or she would go completely mad!

She took the key, slid it into the lock, and turned it. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly lifted the lid of the box. She opened her eyes and looked into the box expecting to see fine silks, gowns, gold bracelets and necklaces or even piles of gold coins.

But there was no gleam of gold or treasure. There were no shining bracelets and not one beautiful dress! The look of excitement on her face quickly turned to one of disappointment and then horror. For Zeus had packed the box full of all the terrible evils he could think of. Out of the box poured disease and poverty. Out came misery, out came death, out came sadness - all shaped like tiny buzzing moths.

The creatures stung Pandora over and over again, and she slammed the lid shut. Epimetheus ran into the room to see why she was crying out in pain. Pandora could still hear a voice calling to her from the box - it was pleading with her to be released. Epimetheus agreed that nothing inside the box could be worse than the horrors that had already been set free, so they opened the lid once more.

All that remained in the box was Hope. Hope fluttered from the box like a beautiful dragonfly, touching the wounds created by the evil creatures. Even though Pandora had released pain and suffering upon the world, she also allowed Hope to follow them.

Questions: Pandora s Box’

1. In paragraph 7, what is the meaning of the word pang?a. Comfortb. Reliefc. Paind. Headache

2. Which sentence from the story best expresses Zeus s feelings about Epimetheus and Prometheus?’a. Prometheus travelled to Lemnos and stole fire from the blacksmith.b. Zeus came up with a very cunning plan to punish the two brothers.c. Zeus called her Pandora and sent her as a gift to Epimetheus.d. Out of the box poured disease and poverty.

3. Which event triggers the main problem in the story?a. when Epimetheus agrees to marry Pandorab. when Zeus took away fire from humansc. when Prometheus told Epimetheus not to accept gifts from godsd. when Pandora opened the box

4. Which sentence from the story best expresses the main theme of the excerpt?a. This was not the first time humans had upset Zeus, and once before, as punishment, Zeus had

taken from humans the ability to make fire.b. She opened her eyes and looked into the box expecting to see fine silks, gowns, gold bracelets

and necklaces or even piles of gold coins. c. Epimetheus agreed that nothing inside the box could be worse than the horrors that had

already been set free, so they opened the lid once more.d. Even though Pandora had released pain and suffering upon the world, she also allowed Hope

to follow them.

5. Read this sentence from the story.

Hope fluttered from the box like a beautiful dragonfly,touching the wounds created by the evil creatures.

The author most liked used figurative language in this sentence to -a. illustrate the qualities of dragonflies.

b. allow the reader to visualize hope leaving the box.“ ”c. help the reader understand the pain.d. describe the evil creatures.

Daedalus and Icarus

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a talented artist. His name was Daedalus. He used his art to make buildings and temples. He was probably the finest architects of his time.

King Minos invited Daedalus to the lovely island of Crete. The king wanted Daedalus to build a maze, a Labyrinth, as a home for the king's beloved pet, the Minotaur. The Minotaur was a horrible monster, with the head of a bull on a human body. The king loved that awful monster and wanted him to have a lovely home.

Daedalus was a bit amazed at the king's choice of pet, but a job was a job. Daedalus planned to make the maze a challenge, so complicated that anyone who entered it would be lost until rescued. That way, the king would be happy, the monster would be contained, and the people would be safe. Daedalus had no doubt he could design such a maze. He really was a fine architect.

Daedalus brought his young son Icarus with him. He was sure the child would enjoy swimming and playing with the other children on the island. Both Daedalus and Icarus were happy they had come. King Minos was happy with his maze. It was peaceful and pleasant on the island. Daedalus was in no hurry to leave.

One day, a group of Greek children sailed to the island. The next day, they sailed safely away, taking with them the king's lovely daughter, and leaving behind them one dead Minotaur.

King Minos was beside himself with grief. He did not believe anyone could have entered the maze and escape alive without help from someone, most probably help from the man who had designed the maze in the first place. King Minos punished the innocent Daedalus by keeping Daedalus and his young son Icarus prisoners on the island of Crete.

Daedalus tried to think of ways to escape. One day, Daedalus noticed birds flying overhead. It gave him an idea. Wings. He needed wings. Daedalus began to gather all the bird feathers he could find. He glued them together with wax. When two pairs of wings were ready, he warned his young son not to fly too close to the sun or the wax would melt.

Daedalus fastened the wings to their arms. They flapped their wings and took to the sky. They left the island of Crete far behind them. Water sparkled beneath them as far as they could see. The sky was blue. The breeze was brisk, more than enough to keep them in the air. It was glorious!

Icarus flew higher and higher. He flew so high that before he knew what was happening, the sun had begun to melt the wax on his wings. Icarus felt himself falling. He flapped his arms faster and faster. But it was no use.

Daedalus watched in despair as his son began to lose height and his despair turned to anguish as he hear the cry from his son as he tumbled and spun past him towards the sea.

It only took seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime as Daedalus saw his son plummet through the sky with increasing speed to hit the waters below. Daedalus flew low, hoping to see the boy appear on the surface of the churning waters, but he knew nobody could have survived such a fall and that all hope was lost.

With a heavy heart and almost exhausted, Daedalus regained the height he needed and without looking back, he set his course for the island of Sicily. There he hoped that he would be welcomed and allowed to live a trouble-free life for the rest of his days.

However, for the rest of his life, he was never able to forget the sound of his son s final cry as he sped towards ’the water. It was only the briefest of sounds, but he heard it clearly, even above the sound of the foaming waves and crying gulls - Father, help me!“ ”

Questions for Daedalus and Icarus

1. Paragraphs 2 through 5 support the idea that —a. Daedalus was a talented architect.b. the Minotaur was a horrible creature.c. King Minos adored the Minotaur.d. King Minos experienced severe grief after the Minotaur died.

2. Which sentence from the story best illustrates Daedalus main conflict?’a. Daedalus was a bit amazed at the king's choice of pet, but a job was a job. b. With a heavy heart and almost exhausted, Daedalus regained the height he needed and without looking

back, he set his course for the island of Sicily.c. Daedalus began to gather all the bird feathers he could find.d. King Minos punished the innocent Daedalus by keeping Daedalus and his young son Icarus prisoners

on the island of Crete.

3. The story reaches its climax when —a. the wax on Icarus wings begins to melt.’b. the Minotaur dies.c. Daedalus lands in Sicily.d. the Greek children arrived on the island of Crete.

4. Read the following dictionary entry.

course \ k rs\ ˈ o noun 1. Part of a meal served at one time. 2. A procedure. 3. Progression over a period of time. 4. A plan for moving from place to place.

Which definition most closely matches the meaning of course as it is used in paragraph 12?a. Definition 1b. Definition 2c. Definition 3d. Definition 4

5. Which of these is the best summary of the story?a. After being hired by King Minos to build a maze, Daedalus and his son, Icarus, enjoyed a pleasant life

on the Island of Crete. One day, King Minos discovered his pet Minotaur was dead, and he punished Daedalus and Icarus by holding them captive for the rest of their days.

b. After being held as prisoners by King Minos, Daedalus devised a plan to for him and and his son to escape the island of Crete. Although Daedalus warned his son Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, Icarus did not listen to his father s advice and plunged to his death.’

c. After constructing a maze for King Minos, Daedalus and Icarus became tour guides for children who wanted to visit the Island of Crete. After one group of children left the island, Dadalus decided that it was time to leave the island to take on a new job in Sicily. Once the father and his son arrived in Sicily, they continued building amazing structures.

d. Daedalus was inspired by a flock of birds, and he decided he wanted to build a set of wings for himself. He had always wanted to fly, and once he completed his set of wings, he put them on and took flight. From that day forward, he took daily flights and enjoyed the view of the sparkling blue waters.

Use Pandora s Box and Daedalus and Icarus to answer the following questions.“ ’ ” “ ”

1. Prometheus from Pandora s Box and the Daedalus from Daedalus and Icarus are similar “ ’ ” “ ”because-

a. they both had brothers and children of their own.b. they were both friends with gods.c. they both gave a warning to another character in the story.d. they both created a unique invention.

2. How are the resolutions of the conflict in each story similar?a. In both stories, the conflict is resolved peacefully.b. In both stories, the resolution includes a celebration.c. In both stories, the conflict leads to an unpleasant resolution.d. In both stories, the conflict is resolved by flight.

3. What theme is shared by both stories?a. Never judge a book by its cover.b. Don t be a victim of temptation.’c. Freedom is a fundamental right.d. True friendships last a lifetime.