...Sirens are said to be these mythical creatures in Greek mythology whom torment men at sea. Both Margaret Atwood's poem and in Homer's Odyssey, Sirens are portrayed in ways that differentiate the thoughts of them in the past and in the present. Although they do differentiate in various ways, their meaning and image stand the same. In both Homer's Odyssey and Atwood's poem "Sirens Song", Sirens are said to be malicious and bad creatures. They are said to lurk in the ocean tormenting sailors who roam the seas, but despite the harm they can cause, it seems that their deadly melody is a yelp for help. in Homer's Odyssey their song is described as an urgent call, and in the "Sirens Song" it is described as a cry for help. Despite the similarities,...
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...The portaryal of the Sirens and their luring but destructive song is compared in both Homer's Odyessey and Margaret Atwood's poem Siren Song as being inevitable and trecharous to the Odysseus sailors. The leader of the Odysseus recounts about thier encounter with the Sirens and with an ominous tone addreses his crew to heed of the cataclysmic dangers the Sirens are forcasted to perform. The Siren in the poem narrarates her tragedy of causing such pernicious accidents and through her point of view manipulates the reader to belive Sirens have no desire to hurt those who cross their path. In the Odyssey, the leader of the Odysseus applies his point of view on the Sirens by expressing how the song causes his,"...heart inside..." to throb...
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...Isabel Mendoza English 12 S1 Anna Dowlen 12 May 2016 Odysseus the Hero By definition, a hero is someone who is admired for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Odysseus represents the definition of an archetypal hero gorgeously merely from the fact that he receives super-natural help from the gods. He resembles his home (Ithaca) in the way that puts him as the main protagonist based upon his exceptional morals, which were considered to be boundless courage and respect for the gods and their traditions. With his outstanding qualities he is looked upon for guidance throughout the story as he tries to overcome the many obstacles that stand in his way as well. Odysseus is an archetypal hero mainly from the fact that he receives help from the gods. For example, Euanthes who grants Odysseus in his trouble gifts that will get him and his crew the opportunity to regain their strength. He also receives help from an entity named Dawn. In a way this character represents Odysseus and almost foretells the struggles he will later be facing. In a section he introduces this entity, “Young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more we all turned out, intrigued to tour the island.” From there we can see the struggles he faces with himself to overcome the many obstacles that Zeus inflicts on Odysseus in hopes to prevent his journey to go any further. Another characteristic of an archetypal character is one in which all heroes contain a flaw that prevents them...
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...Reporter: Rubelle Hope T. Bantayan BSED-III ENGLISH Glen Serrano Topic: Types of Characters in Fiction In fictional literature, authors use many different types of characters to tell their stories. Different types of characters fulfill different roles in the narrative process, and with a little bit of analysis, you can usually detect some or all of the types below. * Major or central characters are vital to the development and resolution of the conflict. In other words, the plot and resolution of conflict revolves around these characters. * Minor characters serve to complement the major characters and help move the plot events forward. * Dynamic - A dynamic character is a person who changes over time, usually as a result of resolving a central conflict or facing a major crisis. Most dynamic characters tend to be central rather than peripheral characters, because resolving the conflict is the major role of central characters. * Static - A static character is someone who does not change over time; his or her personality does not transform or evolve. * Round - A rounded character is anyone who has a complex personality; he or she is often portrayed as a conflicted and contradictory person. * Flat - A flat character is the opposite of a round character. This literary personality is notable for one kind of personality trait or characteristic. * Stock - Stock characters are those types of characters who have become conventional or stereotypical through repeated...
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...Literary Criticism Review Paradigm: a framework containing your basic assumptions, ways of thinking and methodology about how something should be done, made or thought about. Cognitive dissonance (psychology): the excessive mental stress and discomfort experienced by the individual who: * Holds 2+ contradictory beliefs, ideas, of values simultaneously * Is confronted by new info that conflicts with existing BIV Is/ought dilemma: us aging -> the world as we wish to be OR the world as it actually is HISTORICAL LENS/NEW HISTORICAL LENS Historical criticism -> insisted we need to know a literary piece, that we need to know authors bio, social background, ideas during that time, cultural milieu (environment) New historicism New Historicism: seeks to find meaning in a text by considering the work within framework of prevailing ideas/assumptions of its era. *All about paying close attention to historical context of literary works (e.g: poems, novels, plays) GOALS: 1) Study how a work of literature reflects its historical/sociocultural context 2) Understand how literary works comments on and relates to its context Therefore, approach is interdisciplinary Example of this lens: Always by Erasure MARXIST LENS (Karl Heinrich Marx + Friedrich Engles) * A form of critique for interrogating all societies and their texts in terms of certain specific issues like race, class, and the attitudes shared within a given culture (see terms) * Marxist critique may...
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...Stage dramas are created to engage viewers and convey the themes and ideas of the playwright. Stage dramas rely largely on spoken language. Through spoken language characters are created and refined. Davis’ language choices have developed the characters in a way that portrays the characters to be exaggerated colonial stereotypes. Characters are the most vital element of a stage drama; they create the link between the audience and the drama. It is through Jack Davis’ writing that we are led to feel particular ways about most of the characters. No sugar is a play that makes an impact. Jack Davis has chosen not to construct realistic characters, but instead characters that fit into and even sometimes challenge the stereotypes placed on Aboriginal people. Although some characters are exaggerated stereotypes there are also many that aren’t. Every character is constructed in a different way, through dialogue and action. No sugar focuses on the hardships faced by an - albeit stereotypical of the 1930’s - Aboriginal family during the continued colonisation of Australia. Gran is the matriarchal figure of the family; she is the one that tries to ensure the continuation of the Nyoongah culture. She is characterised as strong and often stubborn. Her stubborn attitude throughout the play represents, in some ways, Aboriginal stereotypes. The way that Davis has constructed her creates a bond between her and the audience; the audience becomes attached to her. Through Davis’ choice, Gran’s...
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...All movies, books and even plays regarding heroic figures use the same archetypes for their characters. An archetype signifies a symbol which connects to literature, art, and real life. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, the plot revolves around a group of stranded boys on an island that witness changes in themselves. Throughout the story, each character has an archetypal symbol that connects to a hero’s journey. These archetypes represent the guideline that allows the story to be read through the archetypal literary lens. In literature, the archetypal literary lens allows the reader to read a story by recognizing symbols, character types, and motifs. With this in mind, Golding uses Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack to display the various...
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...The Politically Correct Private Investigator: Not Much Different From The Old Guys People who read detective/Private Investigator (P.I) fiction do so because they are attracted to certain elements that they can expect and enjoy from this genre. Indeed, it seems de rigueur that the hero should have certain character traits and face certain problems in certain ways. In a chapter titled “The Private Investigator,” in fact, we read that a typical investigator will be, male, hard-boiled, an expert on the city, a loner, streetwise, tough, physical, and a mixture of an idealist and cynic. In, however, “Lost Polars,” we see that the author wants to add the novelty of a female character, while maintaining the integrity of the detective genre. Therefore, in Shelley Singer’s depiction of Barrett Lake, the salient and correlative aspects of the archetypal qualities of a private investigator are not tainted with progressive, feminist values. Even though Lake is a woman, she still typifies the noir, solitary hero who stands up for justice even in the face of circumstances that would break the morale of anyone else. This is Singer’s big trick on the audience. We see, for instance, Lake’s intuition, coupled with her quick-thinking, which assured her successful investigation into Judy Garbman’s murder. She’s a woman who does this, but there’s nothing really “feminine” about this process. Her willingness to calm and collectively rationalize and reason, while the rest of her reunion...
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...Ladee Calhoun Hamilton British Literature 1 October 2015 The Ruler After the fall of Roman Empire was the rise of a new religion, Christianity. The Christianity religion was the doctrine or belief that there is only one god which differ the Roman culture. The poet as historian is known as the scop in the Anglo-Saxon culture. To understand culture, one has to understand the belief set. The hero is the most dominant archetype in Beowulf because it deals with the fraternity warrior’s culture. Although the pluralism of Anglo-Saxon culture is very similar to our American culture, the archetype of The Ruler takes place in America today because everyone wants to take control and have power over their own lives and others around. In Literature, an Archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal pattern or human nature. There are many set archetypes; The Innocent, The Lover, and The Rebel. However, the one that dominates the most in Anglo-Saxon culture is the Hero. “I’ve never known fear, as a youth I fought in endless battles. I am old, now, but will fight again, seek fame still, if the dragon hiding in his tower dares to face me” (Beowulf’s Last Battle 607-610). In Anglo-Saxon culture being boastful and prideful is praised because it is a characteristic of a Hero. The poem itself was named after Beowulf to show that he was the dominant hero, the one who stood in the spotlight. “Then he stepped to another still body, clutched at...
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...fairytales contain character archetypes, but they also include situational archetypes such as quests, impossible tasks, or the triumphs of the poor. Although all fairytales have different plots, they are all extremely similar to each other due to the common motifs and archetypes that are present in all fairytale stories. To determine whether a story is a fairytale or not is incredibly easy because one can easily discover numbers of motifs and archetypes that are exhibited throughout the story. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is a story about a girl named Dorothy who is sent to fulfill arduous tasks and lengthy quests in order to find her way back home. As she tries to find her return home, she has many rough encounters with evil but is assisted by various characters and eventually returns home safely. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz would be considered a fairytale because of the common motifs and archetypes that are present and consistent throughout the story. The motifs and archetypes in the story are the hero, the trickster, the talking animals or objects, the glorified human strength of kindness, and the guardian. The hero archetype in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz proves that this story is a fairytale and is evident through the actions of Dorothy. Dorothy is a little girl from Kansas that is taken away from her homeland by a cyclone that took her and her house into a wonderful country known as the Land of Oz. Dorothy is considered the hero archetype because the story revolves...
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...In the stories Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief and “The legend of Perseus”, the Legend of Perseus is modernized in Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief by changing the events, Hero Archetypes, and themes. Have you ever wonder how Roman stories are like today and how they are made modern to meet your expectations? Events are one of the main thing modernized from ¨The legend of Perseus¨ to Percy Jackson the Lightning Thief. The events are modernized through the Hero’s Journey because in “The legend of Perseus” Perseus never meet the mentor and instead journeyed on his own “Perseus bid his mother good-by and set out to search for Medusa” (D'aulaires,117) unlike Percy Jackson who had several mentors Grover, Poseidon, and Chiron (Percy Jackson...
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...“ Song of the Sirens” Long afloat on shipless oceans I did all my best to smile Til your singing eyes and fingers Drew me loving into your eyes. And you sang "Sail to me, sail to me; Let me enfold you." Here I am, here I am waiting to hold you. Did I dream you dreamed about me? Were you here when I was full sail? Now my foolish boat is leaning, broken love lost on your rocks. For you sang, "Touch me not, touch me not, come back tomorrow." Oh my heart, oh my heart shies from the sorrow. I'm as puzzled as a newborn child. I'm as riddled as the tide. Should I stand amid the breakers? Or shall I lie with death my bride? Hear me sing: "Swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you." "Here I am. Here I am, waiting to hold you." In “Song of the Sirens” it tells about a young man that falls in love with the beautiful music of a siren. He is drawn to her and his ship is broken on the rocks because he is trying to get to her. In the end of the song she sings to him telling him to keep swimming even though he is drowning. This song is in some ways like Margret Atwood’s poem “Siren Song” in her poem she tells about a siren who is telling a story to a certain person about the sirens song. In the end of the poem you find out that she tricked by singing him the...
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...“The first myths of mermaids may have originated around 1000 B.C. — stories tell the tale of a Syrian goddess who jumped into a lake to turn into a fish, but her great beauty could not be changed and only her bottom half transformed. Since then, many other mermaid stories have appeared in folklore from various cultures around the world. For instance, the African water spirit Mami Wata is mermaid in form, as is the water spirit Lasirn, who is popular in folklore in the Caribbean Islands” (Castro). The Aquatic Ape Theory explains why humans, unlike any other ape species, has lost its hair, walks upright, talks and has a large brain, through living in an aquatic environment, foraging for marine food. The suggestion is that our ape ancestors, millions of years ago, came down from trees and began to forage for food, like shellfish and seaweed on beaches or wade in the shallows. When wading, an ape is forced to stand upright, so evolution would favor apes who are better able to do this, as they are more able to stand upright in the water, gathering food, for a longer time. If an ape becomes used to standing upright in the water, they may also begin to do the same on land, where they find this has an advantage. It would certainly be beneficial to mothers with newborns who will find they have their arms free to carry their child and even feed it at her breasts while she is walking. Also by standing upright she is able to carry marine food, in her hands, from the shallows to land...
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...In the Odyssey by homer, Odysseus and his men were sailing when they come across The Sirens. The Sirens are two women who try and make those who come across them to live in their past. They live on an island and one pulls men in by their beautiful voices as They sing about Odysseus’s past. Scylla represent those who live to make people dread or gloat about their past. The other (Charybdis) is a whirlpool that will destroy everything in the future much like a person who wants to see you fail as a you try and succeed. Both of the sirens had an option, Scylla gave him the choice to take only 6 of his men leaving him to live and go free. Charybdis was going to ruin the whole ship taking everyone with her. “Charybdis terrified us all,” (12. 305) having said this, it gave the men no hope onto what their destiny was. The men were too focused on the future that they did not realize that the past was going to catch up. “When we saw Charybdis, we were afraid we’d be destroyed.” (12. 316-317). Odysseus had a future of finally going home to see his wife and kid which would be taken from him if he took the route of Charybdis. Before he knew it the past had snuck up and took his men with him. “Then Scylla snatched away 6 of my companions, right from the ship,” (12. 317-318). Knowing that he has to pick his own poison, Odysseus had to made the rather quick and selfish decision by looking at the future so him (Charybdis) that he never stopped to think instead of having to live with himself...
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...Perspectives on Sirens Society has proven to be evolving throughout the years, as the problems are being addressed and taken into account. However, many still get distraught when glancing back into the ways of the past, even conveying their opinions in miraculous ways to provide their perspective on how it should be. There are many forms of doing so, and one way is in the form of a poem to express different sides to people or characters. In relation to one of the world-wide conflicts, gender inequality, Homer’s expression of women in the Odyssey, has caused poets, such as Margaret Atwood with Siren Song, to provide depth to their personalities. With the Sirens, Homer uses a more peculiar tone to describe the harpies, a deviant view on the powerful beings; while Margaret provides more human and complicated traits. Margaret purposefully displays the Sirens as more relatable and creates them to have a drastic shift in power and emotion, giving more perspective on the creatures and detail on who they are compared to Homer’s depiction of their overall character. In Siren Song, the Poet provides a more complicated personality to the Sirens, developing more pathetic and frustrating ruses, compared to Homer’s more immortal and powerful description. For instance, the Sirens are described as more alluring and haunting, drawing men in to die with attributes such as when “...the wind [falls], and a calm [comes] over all the sea...” to lure the men even closer because “[lulling] the swell”...
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