George Herbert's "Pulley or, The Gift of God"

Target Audience: Polytechnic Teachers and Students in Tamilnadu
Subject: English-1, II YEAR MOP, M SCHEME
Objective: Students should be able to interpret and explain a poem in English. 
Question Pattern in Exam: IV. Answer any THREE questions in a paragraph  each in 100 words : (3 x 5=15)
Four questions from 4 poems will be given in the exam and students should answer three questions in 100 words.
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1. What is the gift of God to man?
When God created man, He had a lot of blessings for man.  He contracted all his blessings into a glass.  He started pouring his gifts on man –strength,  beauty, wisdom, honour and pleasure all came to man one after another. However when bottom was reached, God stopped his pouring for sometime. At the bottom, He noticed that there was peace, the most valuable of all his gifts.  He did not give it to man at once intentionally. The gift of God has a close connection with the statement of St. Augustine's “Gift of God” in the Bible.

2. What is the jewel of God’s blessings? Why does God not to bestow it on man? (Or) Why does God intend to make man seek him?
The jewel of God’s blessings is “rest".  He blessed man with strength, beauty, wisdom, honour and pleasure.  But He kept rest at the bottom.  If He also gives rest, then man will admire his gifts, in stead of him.  He will remember all things in Nature but will not remember God who created all in Nature. God will miss him and man will miss God.  So both God and man will be losers if the last gift “rest" is given to man. Man will be tired of his worldly riches one day, will long for rest and return to God at least to receive this gift -' peace'. 

3. Which is the real gift of God to man – the blessings he granted or the blessings he denied?
The blessings granted by God are strength, beauty, wisdom, honour and pleasure.  The blessing denied by God is rest.  According to me, the real gift of God to man is rest.  Because all other gifts not permanent and valuable.  Strength and beauty will be only at the young age. When we grow old, these gifts will go away from us.  Similarly the honour will go away when the power and money leave us.  When we indulge in pleasure, wisdom will disappear. It is only the rest that makes man understand the power of God.  It is only in rest that man realises how much God has gifted him and loved him.

4. Examine the title of the poem, the Pulley.  (Or) How does Herbert play with the word 'rest'?

A pulley is a wheel used for pulling up weights.  It signifies the method God uses to lift man to himself. Pulley is also used to hoist a bucket full of water from well.  Pulley should be in motion to bring out the water from bottom of the well. Hence it refers to the effort of man to attain rest.  Beauty, strength and honour (other gifts) may come to man without effort. But the gift 'rest' will come from the bottom to man only through his efforts in prayer and meditation towards God.  Herbert playfully uses the word 'rest' by saying that except the gift rest, man may keep the rest of the gifts with “ripening restlessness”.