Monologue In The Siree

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.

This poem therefore includes the use of dramatic irony, meaning that the words of the Sirens had a different intent than what is clearly seen, which is known by the reader, but not Odysseus. The Sirens ask Odysseus to “Help [them]!”, which makes him feel like a hero (Atwood, 22). The reader knows that the Sirens only want to kill him, by flattering him first. Although Odysseus knew about the Sirens, at the time, he ignored the knowledge that they only wanted to make him crash and kill himself. This shows that the Sirens’ words were so strong that they could influence him in that way without Odysseus noticing. He is so engulfed into the praise of the Sirens, that he almost lost sight of his goal once again. Next, the author uses repetition of the Sirens, telling Odysseus that “only [he] can” help them (Atwood, 23). This continued the Sirens’ deep adulation in order to tempt him. This repeated use emphasizes the Sirens’ knowledge that his weakness was his pride and arrogance. They knew that the best way to get to him was through his egotism, which only hurt him in the long run.

This poem’s form is clearly adapted to its function because of the one main device that is used to make this poem stand out. The allusion, clearly a reference to the Sirens in “The Odyssey” is the siren’s song itself .The sirens song represents a huge befuddle within readers, and has also been described as the song that nobody has ever heard of because everyone who has heard it has died. This is the most obvious and most notable allusion because according to the lure, Odysseus is tied to the mast of the ship in order to hear the Siren’s Song without jumping overboard (which is what would normally happen due to the songs enchanting power). In this poem, one of the three sirens tells about the song that she sings. Atwood describes in the poem that the anatomy of the song is unknown to all mortals except the sirens themselves. Although, based on the depressing and

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 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.

Depicting the “Siren Song” as seductive and alluring using the guile likings of a female sirens voice with point of view, tone, and diction. Atwood presents her poem in the point of view of the Sirens as she tries to entice the men with her song she cries out “I will tell you a secret to you/ to you, only to you./ Come closer. This song/ is a cry for help: Help me!/. As a result the Siren tries to sound helpless and desperate, needing to be saved by a strong sailor such as Odysseus and other sailors. In addition Atwood uses tone when the Sirens seductiveness try to make the men feel more masculine and special, when they do this by using their cunningness as female Sirens. To seduce the men the Siren sings “Shall I tell you the secret/ and if I do, will you get me/ out of this bird suit?” Therefore this challenges the men by giving them a mission to rescue a desperate and lonely Siren, yet the Sirens plans are different and they rather have an afternoon snack. Furthermore Atwood draws a detailed image using diction when the Sirens use their cunning wits to get the men to their island with their song, they know it works almost every time, the Sirens even state that “the song that forces

Half woman half bird, the sirens perch themselves along mountain tops in the sea, singing an enchanting song to innocent voyagers that pass by, captivating them to jump of their boats and descend to their death. These sirens however are portrayed in many different ways. In Fagles’ The Odyssey, Fagles portrays the sirens as merciless killing machines. However in Margaret Atwood’s poem “Siren Song,” the sirens are portrayed as the victims and that they are the ones that need help from their never ending torture.

In an excerpt from Homer’s The Odyssey and “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, the speaker’s point of view shapes the portrayal of the alluring and dangerous aspects of the Sirens.

In Gerald K. Gresseth's essay “The Homeric Sirens”6 he speaks of the musical element of the sirens as dominating the episode in which they appear. A comparison can be made between the musical aspects of these sea creatures and the singing of the women in Ulysses. He suggests that “magic singing was the central characteristic of the Sirens”.7 This can certainly be seen to be the case in Ulysses where the singing of the barmaids is such a

The poem is seen in Odysseus' point of view and how even with this beeswax covering his ears he still wants to be set free. In the Siren song written by Margaret Atwood, Atwood uses imagery to depict the image of the sirens. The Sirens says "...the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons even

The sirens, on the other hand, are introduced with a desperate note, rushing forth to tempt the men with “their high, thrilling song.” The descriptions of these sirens and the effect they leave on the men is very sensual, with emphasis placed on their “honeyed voices” and “lips” while the throbbing “heart” of the sailor longs for more. These descriptions, coupled with the repeated use of “s” to create an almost snakelike but soothing hiss that mirrors both the scaled animal and the sea’s waves as each word is read aloud, contribute to the sense that these creatures are a dangerous obstacle to

           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

If you were to glance over the words you may mistake the sirens of hospitable hosts. But it is the words recited throughout the poem that express the sirens true intent. The sirens vocabulary consists of beautiful lies and unnerving truths. They invite the sailors to their "peaceful home...to be at rest forevermore." When the sirens continue to reference "evermore" it becomes obvious that the sailors are not meant to leave alive. Sailors are continuously told to "look down" as if this is a form of hypnotism. While hypnotized they will come willingly into the sirens death trap. A more modern example of repetition creating an eerie mood would be The Shining. Instead of "rest forevermore" being repeated the movie repeats the phrase "come play

Through close analysis there are signs of hope Mariana instills in us for both her fate and the return of her lover. In the first stanza on line 6, it is described that ‘unlifted was the clinking latch’ emphasizing her hope for his return, and in the second stanza on line 8, when she ‘glanced athwart the glooming flats,’ although the use of ‘glooming’ is a morbid foreshadowing, Mariana watches her surroundings as if she is waiting for a soldier to return from the battlefield and into her open arms. But as Mariana deteriorates and hope fails her, so does the language in the poem. In the sixth stanza between lines 6 and 8, Mariana descends into madness as her house becomes haunted by ‘old faces, glimmer’d thro’ the doors, /old footsteps, trod the upper floors, /old voices call’d her from without.’ The use of past tense with ‘glimmer’d’ and ‘call’d’ signifies that Marianna is still living in the past, as her libido flows backwards. She remembers happier times because she is haunted, and the psychological reversions as well as physical deterioration move in parallel order, creating overwhelming sense of degeneration and loss. In the last stanza, ‘the sparrow’s chirrup on the roof, /the slow clock ticking,’ this first and second line stood out. ‘The sparrow’ is symbolic because it is a sign of impending death, in Christian symbolism the sparrow was seen as offering