Homer's Sirens

Some people have one inanimate object in their lives that they find so enticing that they are incapable of withstanding. One object that lures them into a deep trap not giving them any chance to resist. In Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song” as well as Homer’s The Odyssey the one inanimate object all men cannot seem to resist is a Siren calling them in. In “Siren Song” we see a portrayal of this irresistible lure by one Siren’s song as merely a taunting boredom, while in The Odyssey the Siren is seen as a toxic desire. Both these poems portray these characteristics of the Siren through point of view, tone, and imagery.

The sirens in both texts have different views on the song and how it allures people. They describe what it does to people who come in close proximity of the song.

Sirens are often viewed as birds with heads of women who have dashing voices. In both poems and separate perspectives the reader gets a closer view of what a Siren actually is and how the authors want them to be seen. In the Odyssey and the “Siren Song”, point of view, tone and imagery define how the Sirens’ portrayal. Some differences and similarities help the reader view them.

In the poem “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, sirens are always portrayed as having good looks and a seductive singing voice, so seductive that it lures sailor men to their death. The siren in this poem is a little different from the ones in Greek mythology, and through analyzing the point of view, the tone, the irony, and understanding the deeper meaning of the poem readers may come to find why this siren is not what she portrays to be.

The Sirens in the Odyssey represent more than just a maritime danger to the passing ship. They are the desires of man that he cannot have. The Sirens can also be construed as forbidden knowledge or some other taboo object. Whatever these singing women actually are, the sailors are wise to avoid them. As usual, the wily Odysseus cheats at the rules of the game by listening to their song under the restraints constructed by his crew.

     Many people regard Homer’s epics as war stories—stories about men; those people often overlook the important roles that women play in the Odyssey. While there are not many female characters in the Odyssey, the few that there are, play pivotal roles in the story and one can gain a lot of insight by analyzing how those women are portrayed. Homer portrays the females in contradictory ways: the characters of Athena and Eurykleia are given strong, admirable roles while Melantho, the Sirens and Circe are depicted in a much more negative way. Penelope—the central female character—is given both negative and positive attributes.

First, In the movie clip “O Brother Where Art Thou” and in Homer’s epic The Odyssey, there were a few similarities. In both of the sources, there were sirens that sang a harmonious tune. Also, the sirens were women in the text and in the movie clip. It states in Homer’s epic that the women

Sirens are known to be creatures that caused many deaths of sailors. In Homer's "The Odyssey" sirens are relentless beings who sing to capture sailors to destroy their ships and murder them. In Atwood's "Siren Song" the sirens are portrayed as beings trying to escape this curse they were born with. In the "Siren Song", the narrator of this poem despises the life she has.

Like Homer, the Sirens are depicted in the “Siren Song as cunning and seductive, manipulating their listeners in order to lure them into their trap. Atwood uses first person point of view to evoke a sense of sympathy for the Sirens. This prompts the listeners to feel as if the sirens are personally speaking to them. Phrases such as, “help me” and “I don’t enjoy it here” tempts the men, causing them to act like the hero. This contradicts the methods used in the excerpt from the Odyssey, which was the use of their mesmeric femininity to lure the listeners. In addition, the tone of the poem is portrayed as alluring and hypnotic. This draws the man into the Sirens trap. The Sirens are characterized as one in need of saving. The repetition of the word “you” in the poem makes the listeners feel unique.

There is still one more monster in the Odyssey, the one I deem the most monstrous. The Sirens. They might not sound like much when you first hear about them, but when you really think about it they are absolutely terrifying because of how they kill you. The Sirens don’t just eat you or suck you down a hole. They kill you with desire.

The characters in Greek Mythology have multiple interpretations. Among these characters include the dangerous, yet gorgeous Sirens, bird-women who sit on a cliff singing bewitching songs that captivate the minds of innocent travelers and entice them to their deaths. In Homer’s The Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song,” both poets provide different representations of the Sirens. Homer portrays the Sirens as irresistible in order to establish men as heroes, whereas Atwood depicts them as unsightly and pathetic so she can prove men are foolish and arrogant using imagery, diction, and point of view.

Aigul Samb Professor Avra Spector Great Works November 31, 2014 The Silence of the Siren In the short story ‘The Silence of the Sirens’, Kafka rewrites the myth of how Odysseus escapes the sirens in his own distinctive way. The sirens are best known for failing to trick Homer’s Odysseus with their alluring song, but there exist numerous other, occasionally conflicting, myths concerning them. This ambiguity contributed to various interpretation of physical appearance and symbolic significance of sirens ever since it was composed by Homer 2800 years ago.

Here they awaited passing ships and with their lovely music enticed sailors to their doom. The meadows of the Sirens home island were said to have been layered with the rotting corpses of their helpless victims. The Sirens were the companions of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, also the daughter of goddess Demeter. Yet, the Sirens song was beautiful, yet sad melody, eternally calling for Persephone’s return. They had beautiful singing voices and were gifted lyre players.

           Atwood's siren speaks not only of the destructive nature of her song, but also of the unhappiness that the role of the siren brings her. She says, "Shall I tell you the secret / and if I do, will you get me / out of this bird suit," (ll 10-12), expressing her discomfort as the siren-like entity. The "bird suit" she mentions is not actually an form of physical attire, as it was for the mythological siren, but rather the mask of the siren that she

In the following stanza, the speaker mentions the power of the Sirens manipulation through the song. Readers see this when Atwood writes, “the song nobody knows/because anyone who has heard it/ is dead, and the others can't remember.”(7-9).The Siren explains that the people that have heard the song are dead or can't recall the song. Due to the announcement of the Siren, the audience is able to understand the capability, power, and effect the song has on individuals.When She speaks in these lines, she is able to make readers more curious about the song and what she will say next. As a result, the Siren is already demonstrating she able to control the audience's emotions.