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Dramatic Irony In Margaret Atwood's Siren Song

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In “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, dramatic irony creates a manipulative tone. Siren song is the one issue people want to understand because the majority of these men are dead or they cannot remember it. The song is unavoidable as it “forces men to leap overboard in squadrons/even though they see the beached skulls” (Atwood 4-6). Dramatic irony creates the tone of manipulation because this song leads men to forget everything, the men even walk by deserted skulls. The dramatic irony is exposed through the reader’s understanding that the song is responsible for attracting the men into an extensive group. The procedure is a “ boring song/but it works every time” (Atwood 26-27). The result of this song deceives the men into the speaker’s control. …show more content…

The speaker is excessive when telling the readers that anyone who has overheard the song is dead, because of this the mood created is disturbance. It is shocking when the reader notices men are dying because of a song. The author takes advantage of hyperboles because it exaggerates the story and helps emphasize the power of these men. This hyperbole prioritizes who the speaker “will tell the secret to you,/to you, only to you” (Atwood 19-20). The author used this to explain that the speaker is keeping a secret that cannot be told, but is willing to explain the song’s actual purpose. As a result, the tone of this is uneasy. The author anticipates the reader will be uncomfortable when the reader finally understands that no one knows the men are falling into this trap. The connotation of “every time” is important to understand because the reader can make sense of the song. The author finally tells the secret “it is a boring song/but it works every time” (Atwood 26-7). The connotation of “every time” is powerful as the speaker admits to fault, along with announcing the song works on men every moment it is

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