The+Modern+Pandora+Box

 In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on Earth, her purpose being to be a punishment for mankind. She was shaped perfectly by Hephaestus, given femininity from Aphrodite, and taught crafts from Athena. Hermes was ordered by Zeus to teach her to be deceitful, stubborn and curious. Pandora was given a box, called “pithos” in Greek, containing additional gifts. She was prohibited from opening the box, but in accordance with Zeus’ plan against mankind, her curiosity led her into opening the box. As she did, various evils were released into the Earth. Pandora, seeing what she had done, quickly closed the box, leaving hope still trapped inside. The purpose of this myth was to explain why evil exists in the world. __The Modern Pandora Box __ is a visual representation of the evils released in the modern world and what is still shut away. Around the centerpiece are numerous objects, the main ones being batteries and a combination lock. The batteries represent society’s frequent desire for power and how it ultimately corrupts all, as quoted by Edward Abbey, “ Power is always dangerous. Power attracts the worst and corrupts the best.” The entire world is “locked away” by the combination lock, symbolizing the many lies and secrets hidden by people. Under the centerpiece is an empty quarter roll, suggesting that at the base of the world, there is usually a lust for money and financial strength. All three items are surrounding the main focus, which is the flower. The surrounding items illustrate the evils and chaos released from the box into the world. The flower represents natural beauty and all that comes with it, along with the trapped hope left inside the box. This connects to the modern world by visualizing evils present in that world and what has disappeared or been taken from that world. The items that I used in this box I found lying around my house. The ring and flower really caught my attention when I first saw them. The flower’s color brightened up everything around it, and the ring could represent many things. The batteries were old batteries that were used up. I saw them symbolizing power and the progress of the modern world. The combination lock I used on an old locker. The combination of all these items reminded me of what is present in the modern world, good or bad. The myth of the Pandora Box became my allusion when I imagined the flower being trapped. That’s how I came up with the idea.