Siren Song

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From cyclops to minotaurs, Greek mythology has an abundance of creepy creatures to offer, and after reading feminist Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song”, it is clear that sirens are powerful forces to be reckoned with. Sirens are known for luring men to their deaths with their beautiful voices, which gives the reader insight as to what might happen in the poem. The narrator is one of three sirens, and she appears to be telling the audience about the “secret” of the siren song, when in reality, she is singing the song and luring the reader to their ultimate demise. Although the speaker is a siren, Atwood’s poem goes beyond simple mythology. Atwood uses structure, literary devices, diction, and tone to highlight gender inequality and illustrate the idea men should never assume that they are superior to women.
The author’s choice of structure, literary devices, diction, and tone all help get her point across and add to the overall success of the poem. Structurally, “Siren Song” is written in free verse so it is more modern and easier for the audience to understand. Enjambments are also used; they are lines that continue into the next without punctuation. Atwood employs them when she states, “This is the one song everyone / would like to learn: the song / that is irresistible / the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons / even though they see beached skulls” (1-6). While the poem flows smoother with the aid of enjambments, the words that are used have the benefit of pulling the reader in. …show more content…
Atwood uses structure, literary devices, diction, and tone all to get her point across, and she does so in a clever and facetious way. The audience should remember to never assume they are superior to someone because in reality, a person who appears as prey could in fact be a

Siren Song

Peralta Ms. Martin English III February 27, 2024 Siren Song Is life a paradox? In the “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, the Sirens are three mythical creatures that are half-woman and half-bird from Greek mythology who lure sailors to destruction by the sweetness of their song. The Sirens represent the theme of Manipulation and Deception in this poem because they deceive the sailors into believing they are the only ones who can save them. The siren manipulates them into falling into their trap: death…

Words 741 - Pages 3

Siren Song

Peralta Ms. Martin English III February 27, 2024 Siren Song Is life a paradox? In the “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, the Sirens are three mythical creatures that are half-woman and half-bird from Greek mythology who lure sailors to destruction by the sweetness of their song. The Sirens represent the theme of Manipulation and Deception in this poem because they deceive the sailors into believing they are the only ones who can save them. The siren manipulates them into falling into their trap: death…

Words 888 - Pages 4

Comparing The Sirens In The Odyssey And Atwood's Siren Song

Shrouded in an air of mystery, the Sirens and their seductive, yet deadly songs are infamous in the mythology of Ancient Greece. While the underlying dangers of the Siren’s song is present in both texts, Odysseus’s portrayal of the Sirens as cunning seductresses is a stark contrast to that of Atwood’s rendition of the Sirens as unfortunate creatures in need of saving. In Homer’s The Odyssey, the legendary Sirens are described from the viewpoint of a mortal in a darker, more forceful tone, emphasizing…

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Siren Song: The Manipulating Song By Margaret Atwood

The Manipulating Song "Siren Song" is a poem written by Margaret Atwood. This poem gives us a first-person view of a siren. To the siren, this is all the same. She sings the same song that tricks mariners into their trap, but she begins growing bored. In the end, her true nature is revealed (Overview). First, the background of the creature. In Greek mythology, sirens are half-woman and half-fish creatures. In "Siren Song" they sing a song, but that is what sirens do. They sing a song that lures men…

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Odyssey Siren Song Analysis

own way; like The Odyssey and its modern counterpart Siren Song. In the modern twist of The Odyssey you meet the persuasive siren and receive the claustrophobic side of her story. Furthermore, toiling with the reader, she cries to free her from her bird suit in exchange for a secret. Unlike, its originating older sibling it appears to sing a true feel of desperation as the mystic siren attempts to forge a hold on you with it's euthanasia song . Adversely, in The Odyssey the point of view is from…

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Comparing Sirens In Odyssey And Margaret Atwood's Siren Song

Alluring, yet deceiving, Sirens are known as the harmonic femme fatales of the sea in Greek mythology. Both, literature works such as the Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song” portray the deadly seductresses in different aspects. In the Odyssey, Odysseus, the protagonist who shares his journey in a nostalgic tone, depicted the Sirens as bothersome. However, in the “Siren Song”, the poem was told in a first person point of view; therefore, it was told from a Siren’s perspective in a secretive…

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Comparing The Odyssey And Siren Song

set of epic poems about a man named Odysseus trying to get back to his family. “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood is a poem that gives the reader more information about the siren story and enhances the mood of the Odyssey. A painting by John William Waterhouse, “Odysseus and the Sirens”, allows the viewer to picture the siren story in their mind and make the fantasy seem almost true. In the painting “Ulysses and the Sirens”, John William Waterhouse uses the imagery of Ulysses tied up to the ship to show…

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Siren Song Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood’s ten stanza poem “Siren Song” originates from Greek Mythology. The opening of the poem begins with the speaker describing the “song” that makes men beserk and apparently has them “leap overboard in squadrons”(Atwood 4) . Not a soul has heard the song and if they have, they are deceased. The speaker summons us to grasp the secret everyone is dying to know, literally. There's a catch, to the learn the secret you must exchange to help her get out of the “bird suit”(Atwood 12) . She…

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Comparing The Odysseus And Siren Song

texts emphasized many different things. Homer’s text, “The Odysseus”, emphasized the heroism of Odysseus and the steps he had to take to get past the magical powers, of the sirens. On the other hand, in “O’ Brother Where Art Thou”, the three men drank moonshine, one gets turned into a frog, and the songs emphasized. “Siren Song”, wrote by Margaret Atwood, emphasized that they are bored being there even though, they know it works. Although these stories are similar, the authors emphasized their stories…

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Similarities Between Siren Song And The Odyssey

In both The Odyssey and “Siren Song” the subject of the mythological creature, the Sirens, is discussed, but as Homer describes a sailor’s attempt to evade the Sirens’ trap, Margret Atwood depicts a Siren’s attempt to seduce a sailor. These authors do so through use of point of view, diction, and tone. In The Odyssey, Homer uses the point of view of a sailor – Odysseus – to describe the events that transpire. This leads to the creation of a sense of urgency to show the great need of Odysseus to…

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