Siren Song Analysis

Through the imagery of both Homer and Margaret Atwood we see the difference in the Siren’s attitude in each poem. In The Odyssey, the Siren says, “honeyed voices pouring from our lips.” This imagery is a seductive tactic used by the Siren to lure the men closer. Odysseus tells us that his heart wanted more. This shows how the desire to get closer to the Siren was toxic. In “Siren Song” the Siren uses imagery to mock herself and make the reader feel bad for her. She tells us that she is “squatting on the island looking picturesque and mythical.” It is inferred that she is simply unhappy and bored where she is.

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

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.

"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

For starters, the setting of the movie and the poem are both centralized around Ithaca and scattered Islands of Greece. The Greek mythology was also a main theme in the two, such as Odysseus’s protection by The goddess Athena and the hatred be Odysseus and Poseidon. One of the more difficult aspect that the movie had gotten spot on was the displaying of Odysseus’s leadership throughout the God's (mainly Poseidon's) wrath and the ever enduring seas of Greece. However throughout all of the hardships his crewmen remained loyal to him and his faith that they would one day return to the shores of Odysseus’s mighty Kingdom of Ithaca.

The Siren Vase is typical of its time period by showing a clear picture of one of the many adventures Odysseus was met with. We are able to see Odysseus's ship clearly in the sea represented by the thinned black and wavy lines in the narrow foreground of the vase. We can see the picture of Odysseus begging it seems to be untied due to the seductive

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

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

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.

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.

They become the Soggy Bottom Boys but no one knows who they are. In “The Odyssey” Odysseus tells the king a tale to get a ride on his ship back home. Pete and Delmar get baptized so they can be rid of all their sins and become free, they forget about the treasure they are supposed to find. Odysseus’s men eat the lotus, Odysseus doesn't but his crew becomes very very happy and they forget about home. Pete, Delmar, and Everett hear three women singing in the woods, they go and see who they are and they end up getting lost in the ways of their singing. This represents the sirens in “The Odyssey” the only difference is that Odysseus and his men didn't fall for their tricks. After Everett and Delmar wake up, Delmar starts to think that the women turned Pete into the toad they found in his clothing. This relates to “The Odyssey” because Circe turns men into

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.

Beginning with what is emphasized in Homer’s text, the seraphic song of the Sirens is of big importance in the story of Odysseus’ epic ten-year voyage

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.

Borrowing from German mythology, the poem “Lorelei” begins to exhibit Plath’s fascination with death (Aird 23). Water imagery, rooted in her childhood on the Atlantic ocean, plays a tremendous role in Plath’s poetry. The last years with her father still alive were spent near water (Steve nson, 9-10). The river in the poem symbolizes both the childhood she wishes to recapture and an escape from the life she now leads. The sirens rise up from the bottom of the river, “their limbs ponderous / With richness, hair heavier / Than sculpted marble” (Plath C. 22). They sing hypnotically, making silver promises of a