Margaret Atwood Siren Song

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.

Mythical creatures known as Sirens have a reputation of luring sailors to their deaths by singing enchanting songs causing them to crash into the nearby rocks. In the epic poem, “The Odyssey" Homer depicts Sirens as beautiful creatures that lure men to their death. Sirens also show up in the epic poem “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood. Homer depicts Sirens as alluring, provocative, and omnipotent creatures while Atwood depicts them as dismal, unsightly, and conniving creatures. The contrasts between Homer’s malevolent Sirens and Atwood’s grim Sirens can be seen through the use of literary devices such as diction, imagery, and point of view.

In the case of the Sirens, the theme is revisited simply for its own interest. With their ears plugged, the crew members sail safely by the Sirens’ island, while Odysseus, longing to hear the Sirens’ sweet song, is saved from folly only by his foresighted command to his crew to keep him bound to the ship’s mast. Homer is fascinated with depicting his protagonist tormented by temptation: in general, Odysseus and his men want very desperately to complete their nostos, or homecoming, but this desire is constantly at odds with the other pleasures that the world offers

Analyzing different mediums can enhance an individual’s overall appreciation and understanding of a particular idea or story. While analysis of a painting can reveal the mood of the artwork, an analysis of a poem can reveal the author’s tone. Much more then that, analysis provides an opportunity to explore each work in an attempt to understand human nature through each author’s perspective. While exploring the painting “Ulysses and the Sirens” by J.W. Waterhouse and the poem “The siren song” by Margaret Atwood, a universal truth presents itself. While the painting focuses on the thematic idea of Odysseus being stubborn while his men care for his safety to get home, the poem holds a different view. In contrast, the thematic statement from the poem discusses the idea that the Siren hates singing and being in a bird suit, but is asking for help but it’s still tempting to hear the song. Although differing in point of view, both the painting and the poem explore an aspect of human nature that are relevant to society today. There are two different authors for the painting and the poem. However, the two are different when compared to each

This results from the siren in Greek mythology putting up a facade that makes her seem like she needs help from the sailor; however her true intentions are to eat the sailor. This then makes the curiosity that the sailors feel a controlled emotion, since if the siren told her true motives, then it would create a feeling of fear within the sailors, causing them to not be tempted by the siren. Additionally, without this siren as the character singing this, the song would have little context for the betrayal and the deceit of the sailor’s sympathy would make very little sense since normal people would not have these manipulative hidden intentions. This all then results in the allusion to the siren being present to emphasize the deception that the singer uses to obtain what she wants. In addition, Buckley’s song, “Song to the Siren” demonstrates this concept, the deception of man through the manipulation of male behavior, when the siren tells the listener to “Sail to me/ Sail to me/ Let me enfold you/ Here I am/ Here I am/ Waiting to hold you”

All four sources that incorporate sirens deliver the message of temptation, but each convey the idea in a different manner(SoW #2, Compound Sentence). The separate elements of each work uses figurative language, visual imagery, and word choices. Although they all differ, all four pieces of literature share several commonalities(SoW #3, Introductory subordinate clause). The epic poem, The Odyssey, and painting, “Ulysses and the Sirens”, convey their messages very differently, as the epic uses visual imagery and figurative language, yet the painting uses its colors and subject placement. Additionally, the poem and song share the use of word choice and tone, but the uses of imagery and tempo differ.

The two poems “Siren Song” and the “Odyssey” can be explained in two different ways, yet they both show similarities. Both of these poems depict the characteristics of the “Siren”through frictions, point of view and tone which are three important poetic implements used when discussing the two different literacy pieces. In the “Odyssey” the author focuses on settling the issue of the sirens, the same way he settled the obstacles on his journey whereas In the “Siren Song” the author focuses more on the siren as more than solely a hurdle. Despite the two poems sharing similar themes, they both portray sirens for two complete different perspectives. The Odyssey focuses on maintaining a heroic image making them immune to obstacles, whereas in the

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.

Mumford and Sons’ “The Cave” and John William Waterhouse’s painting “Ulysses and the Sirens” both show temptation through their powerful ideas. (Simple Sentence). They both give off a whole concept that makes the audience come back for more and analyze what is really happening. During “The Cave”, Mumford and Son’s include “The harvest left no food for you to eat/ You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see/ But I have see the same/ I know the shame in your defeat” (Mumford 5-8). The mood in these lines are slightly dark and mysterious, but it allows the reader to really process what is going on (Compound Sentence). The reader can fully discover that the singer is describing a coaxing action through his words. These lyrics fully describe that allurement

           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

Atwood’s Siren Song seeks to cast the mythical creatures of the Odyssey from a different perspective, broadcasting their allure and softening their harsh, predatory portrayal. The anaphora of “the song” and “only you” create a pleasant lyrical flow within the poem. Combined with the short enjambed phrases and soft sounds, Atwood produces a language reminiscent of a peaceful song comfortably pulling the reader toward sleep or bliss. The tone of the poem shifts to a more urgent pleading in the second half and the repetition of “only you” serves to flatter and coax the reader into feeling powerful compared to this admiring being that needs the reader’s protection and support. The anaphora of these two phrases contributes to the manipulation of

In Michelangelo’s The Fall of Man and His Expulsion from Paradise, he illustrates the Serpent of Eden as a beautiful woman with a tail. By associating tailed women with betrayal, deceit, and allurement, Michelangelo makes an allusion to the sirens of Greek mythology. Both Michelangelo’s painting and the mythic sirens- introduced in Chapter 12 of the Odyssey- are physical manifestations of temptation. Tyler Knott Gregson, author of chasers of light: poems from the typewriter, makes use of historical and modern sources to lend his poetry new depth. Representing love and emotion as water, his message- the temptation and acceptance of love- is augmented by references to paintings, song lyrics, and even the Bible.

One example of the devices they used to influence the emphasis the song makes is the rhyme scheme AAAA used in order to give a smooth transition to every line in the song. This gives the feeling of a smooth transition into different chapters in the movie instead of having an alternating rhyme scheme that would rather make the song feel unconnected and as if the song misses key points before describing the next chapter. Another example is the heavy use of symbolism throughout the song. In the beginning, the dying swan is a reference to an inevitable fate that the female sees coming for her relationship. In the second version, the lyrics imply that the male character is better off without her by contrasting the word light to mean the male and darkness to represent the female.

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.