This question is based on Selected Poems from Johnson,R.et al (eds.): New Poetry from African (ed); Poems of Black Africa; Senanu, K.E. and Vincent, T.(ed):...

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The title of Herbert's The Pulley is an example of symbolism. Symbolism is a literary device that uses symbols to represent ideas or qualities beyond their literal meaning. In the poem, the pulley symbolizes God's love for humanity and his desire to draw them closer to him. The image of the pulley is used to suggest that God, having given humans all they need, including beauty, wisdom, strength, honor, and pleasure, withholds rest to prevent them from becoming complacent and forgetting their spiritual needs. The pulley represents God's divine grace and the human desire for material things.