Margaret Atwood's Themes In The 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.

In the first passage it describes how Odysseus got the beeswax for his men to cover their ears. To prevent Odysseus from escaping while hearing the song, his men tied him to a post on the ship. The passage describes just how difficult it is to resist the voices of the Sirens by using figurative language such as personification. The passage stated, “Never has any sailor passed our shores in his black craft until he has heard the honeyed voices pouring from our lips and once he hears to his heart's content sails on, a wiser man.” This is an example of personification

"The Sirens", taunt and tease Odysseus as him and his crew sail towards the, “Land of the Dead". Crossing the bumpy ocean in order to reach the Land of The Dead, Odysseus and his man sailed into trouble. Sirens were on the horizon and Odysseus had to think quickly. As his mind raced he finally came up with a solution, he grabbed a handful of wax and rolled it in his hands. “Going forward I carried wax along the line, and laid it thick on their ears.” (Lines 712-713 The Odyssey). Whilst finishing this tedious task, Odysseus was tied down to the mast and left with his thoughts. The men continued to row while the Sirens flew in and sang

Odysseus was warned of the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis. When he approaches the Sirens, he has his men tie him to the mass so he will not be lured to their tempting singing. When he reaches the location of the deadly whirlpool, Charybdis, and the concealed deadly trap across from Charybdis, Scylla: a six headed monster that catches men in her mouth and eats them; Odysseus sacrifices a few of his men for the majority of the other men. He sacrifices for the better good. Hiding his knowledge of these obstacles and sacrificing his men, takes a full amount of determination for his objective to get home; it shows his vast amount of unconditional willingness and sacrifice. Perseverance takes time and sacrifice. His time and knowledge lead him through another dangerous obstacle.

In another part of the story, Odysseus and his crew have to sail past the sirens. Odysseus decides that instead of plugging his ears like his crew does he want to listen to the sirens song. He then has his crew tie him to the mast of the ship with orders to not untie him until they have past the sirens. Odysseus seems to have done this out of pride and curiosity. He most likely does it out of pride. To show his crew how strong and brave he is. He is probably also curious about the sirens song, wondering what could be so beautiful that it could lure so many people to their death. Doing this could lead to respect from his crew, and satisfying his

Furthermore, Odysseus reveals his cautious qualities that verify his heroism. In "Sea Perils and Defeat", Odysseus does not notify his men about the Sirens: "Odysseus decides to tell the men only of Circe's warnings about the Sirens"(narration). Odysseus noticeably gave forethought to this action because he knew his men would be fearful, and that it would interfere with their goal. His judgment forestalled his men from trying to avoid Scylla, as the anxiety of facing Scylla may have overwhelmed them, therefore, saving them from annihilation. Correspondingly, Odysseus shows his circumspect behavior in "The Challenge": "Odysseus took his time, turning the bow, tapping it, every inch"(lines 1359-1360). This instance reflects Odysseus' value of prudence; he made sure that the bow was in suitable condition for him to make an accurate shot. Placing importance on his discretion, Odysseus displays his heroic characteristics. Odysseus' alertness in these situations validates his heroism.

In all three works of art, the epic poem (The Odyssey), Atwood’s poem (“Siren Song”), and Waterhouse’s Ulysses & The Sirens, all portray the Sirens differently by the author's tone. Waterhouse uses art to set the dramatic and threatening tone while The Odyssey uses poetry to set the dramatic tone. The tone of Atwood’s poem depicts the Sirens as being mischievous yet bored.

“They longed to stay forever, browsing on that native bloom, forgetful of their homeland. I drove them all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches.” (Homer, 99-102) In addition, Odysseus, when held captive in Polyphemus’ cave he plans an escape by him and his men hiding underneath Polyphemus’ rams. Odysseus takes the wooliest ram, biggest ram there is, and using his physical strength he holds on tightly all night long until morning comes and then they escape underneath the sheep. Another strength is Odysseus’ persistence and drive to keep going no matter what. When Odysseus is in the Land of the Dead, he faces many frightening spirits coming at him from all directions, yet he never gives up. With their ugly looks, and dreadful, loud noises coming out of there months. Odysseus’ still sticks with his main precedence which was getting to see Tiresias, the blind prophet that would ordain his future on his journey, and he made sure nothing would stand in his way of getting there. Also, Odysseus, when facing the mesmerizing, angelic sounds of The Sirens, (half bird, half human creatures) he has his men tie him up to the mast of

First, Odysseus and his men must sail past the Sirens, however, hearing their song leads any sailor to his doom. Circe herself tells Odysseus that “the Sirens will sing his mind away on that sweet meadow lolling.” (678 ll. 666-667) How does Odysseus overcome this adversary? He simply follows Circe’s orders to “plug your oars men's ears with beeswax….” (678 ll. 670-671) Although, she urges Odysseus to listen to the song of the Sirens alone. So, to prevent himself from becoming an issue, he orders his men to tie him up “plumb, amidships, back to the mast, lashed to the mast….” (681 ll. 746-747) This solution was also given to Odysseus via word of Circe. Thus, if Odysseus had not clearly followed Circe’s instructions, from plugging his men’s ears with beeswax to ordering his men to tie him to the mast, he and his crew would have met a fatal end. Much like soldiers in real life, Odysseus and his crew had to comply and obey orders in order to guarantee success on a mission. Circe’s advice allowed Odysseus to overcome the deadly Sirens without any loss, however, his whole journey did not go as smoothly.

The Sirens are known for singing important wishes that want to be heard. Their songs draw people in. Circe, a nymph, advices Odysseus’ crew to stuff their ears with wax because it is forbidden to listen to this or else they would die. The only one who can listen is Odysseus and Circe orders the men to “…tie you hand and foot…” to the mast, preventing Odysseus from jumping overboard (12.56). He demonstrates self restraint as a captain. He stopped the ship from being steered into rocks having the whole crew die and wrecking the ship. Odysseus was not being selfish because he took one for the team listening to the songs. The songs sung could change Odysseus’ desire to go home and ruin the whole plan. Once passed the Sirens, they encounter another island, Helios. His men, specifically Eurylochus, suggest that it would be a good idea to rest up on the island for the night. Odysseus reluctantly agrees but warns “…keep your hands off all the herd or we will pay the price” (12.346). But if it was not important enough, Circe had also informed the crew. Odysseus was being a sensible captain, trying to protect his men from danger. His men had completely disregarded the warning, with no self control. Partly, this is Odysseus’ fault because being him the captain, he should have been able to keep control of the men and not be reckless and fall asleep. Helios is definitely incensed and asks Zeus for revenge on the men after they have sailed off. This demonstrates the early consequence plagued on the men. Either Odysseus never returns home or he does through plenty of struggle and the loss of the entire crew. And lo and behold, Zeus strikes the ship with a lighting bolt killing all but Odysseus. Odysseus’ courage act got them past the Sirens, but his lack of supervision resulted in the deaths of all his

The Odyssey, is a series of books about the epic journey of the hero Odysseus, the legendary king of Ithaca. Throughout the book Homer tries to establish theme by showing things may not appear as they seem and that many actions have its consequence. Odysseus barely came out alive with Scylla because of her appearance and his crew died due to their excessive pride. Homer uses figurative language, such as similes and repetition, to develop theme.

Once the men are drawn to the Sirens, they are stuck and there is no way for them to escape. Additionally, Homer explains Odysseus’ encounter with the Sirens from Odysseus’ point of view. The Sirens try to attract Odysseus by singing compliments to “famous Odysseus,” so he will assume he is the object of their desire (14). The Sirens are intelligent, and therefore determine what Odysseus’ true weaknesses: flattery and the desire for recognition. His faults are similar to other men; however no other men share Odysseus’ unique wish. When Odysseus sails by, they attack his weaknesses, just as they do to the other ships, but Odysseus already is prepared. The Sirens sing to him and promise he will be able to “[sail] on a wiser man” if Odysseus listens to their song (18). His plan almost fails because the song captivates Odysseus and, thus, attempts to join the Sirens, risking his life to gain the knowledge that the Sirens guarantee. Odysseus navigates himself through the sea with hopes of becoming more intelligent. Homer describes the Sirens as beautiful yet cunning because of their ability to identify men’s weaknesses easily. Their beauty attracts men and thus draws them toward their death. Homer’s view of the relationship between Odysseus and the Sirens prove that the Sirens are extremely tempting and the men cannot help but fall for them.

Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey follows Odysseus on his long journey home. The Epic also includes the stories of Odysseus’ family left behind: the travels of his son, Telemachus, and how plenty, of what we would now call “home wreckers”, suitors pressured his wife, Penelope, into marrying one of them. The characters are beautifully crafted and the story is truly epic. All the elements presented can bring in any reader from any century, the Cyclops, the Gods, the trickery of Penelope, and the disguises of Odysseus, are all legendary literary hooks . There are many things to learn—about writing, about the world around us, the world ahead of us, and the past behind us—from The Odyssey. (26) It is undeniably evident that this ancient text has

           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

Odysseus is warned by Circe that the sweet voices of the Sirens’ bewitch anybody who comes near to them and that “there is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares and hears the Sirens’ voices” (Pauline Nugent). As curious as Odysseus is she knows he can’t pass up the opportunity of getting to hear the sweet seductive voices of the Sirens’. Circe knowing very much how Odysseus so helps him devise a plan so that he can hear the Sirens, and his fellow shipmen cannot. She tells Odysseus to have his men melt beeswax and plug there ear and if he wants to listen “...make them bind you hand and foot on board and place you upright by the housing of the mast, with the ropes ends lashed to the mast its self”(12;48-51). Odysseus