...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...
Words: 368 - Pages: 2
...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,...
Words: 263 - Pages: 2
...The decieving Sirens with their chanting but deadly songs have lived many sailors to their death. In Homer's epic poetry, "Odyssey" the portrayals of the Sirens differ than Margaret Atwood's "Sirens Song." Atwood utilizes first person point of view while Homer incorporates Odyssey's point of view. Thus, this results affecting their diction and mood in which they demonstrate different behaviors from the Sirens. Homer introduces a solution to avoid the calls from the Sirens. He explains the situation his characters will have to endure. Thus, the Sirens would have to take a different approach to lure in the sailors. Homer's application of first person point of view only exhibits the affect it has toward one person. Sirens only approach is to...
Words: 302 - Pages: 2
...In The Odyssey and The Siren Song, both Homer and Margaret Atwood depict women as beautiful yet manipulative creatures. The Sirens are mythical beings that are half human half bird whom are defined as dangerous yet beautiful creatures that no man could resist, except for Odysseus. Odysseus and his men approach the island of the Sirens, and Odysseus, as instructed by Circe, plugs his men's ears with beeswax and has them bind him to the mast of the ship. Although Homer’s The Odyssey connotes the Sirens as vicious and eerie, Margaret Atwood’s Siren Song depicts the creatures as mysterious yet beautiful creatures, which is conveyed through each author’s use of figurative language and diction. In The Odyssey, the Sirens are characterized as irresistible yet evil creatures. No man can resist them, except for Odysseus. He was able to resist the temptation by tying himself down and putting beeswax in his shipmates’ ears, so that they can avoid the women as well. Homer proves how inevitable the Sirens voices are by...
Words: 695 - Pages: 3
...Sirens are creatures infamous for their beautifully deceptive song. Homer's "Odyssey" and Margaret Atwood's "Siren Song" portray the sirens as fatal and alluring. The authors' employment of point of view offers both the victims and the perpetrator's perspective, allowing the audience a glimpse into the Sirens' nature. Diction plays a key role in dictating the connotation (and therefore, the representation) of the Sirens' behavior. In addition, Homer's Odyssey is written in the victim's perspective. The victim, Odysseus, describes the compelling force of the Sirens' song, and how they called out to him. They directly addressed him, using flattery to entice him into hearing their song. This demonstrates the Sirens are intentionally seeking...
Words: 307 - Pages: 2
...Imagine a world where you are not able to do anything except sing. You are stuck on an island with two other people but can only sing. This is reality for the Sirens in the epic the Odyssey by Homer and the poem Siren's Song by Margaret Atwood. The Sirens are characters that have enchanting voices and makes anyone who hears them never want to go home, even the strongest people. However, these two writings are very different. The poet’s interpretation of the Sirens give us sympathy for the Homer's Sirens. This is because the two works describe two drastically different characteristics, such as how they feel. Homer describes the Odyssey Sirens as being scary and even enticing. Homer uses capturing language to tell of Odysseus’s voyage through...
Words: 400 - Pages: 2
...Sirens and their luring songs appear in both Homer's Odyssey and Margaret Atwood's "Siren Song." Nonetheless, the reader's experience greatly differs from reading about sirens in one poem to reading about them in the other. This is greatly due to the difference n point of view in each poem and to the similar tone each author creates. When comparing the portrayal of sirens in each poem, it is evident that each has its own point of view. In the Odyssey, the sirens are described from the viewpoint of Odysseus and the other sailors. Odysseus explains that when the sirens noticed their ship, they approached the vessel and "burst into their high, thrilling song..." Since the sirens are being described by sailors, the sirens' victims, the sirens...
Words: 288 - Pages: 2
...Twelve of Homer’s The Odyssey are probably the most famous of the epic. This is because of the fact that this is where much of the action of Odysseus’s journey back to Ithaca is described. However, these books work greatly as a whole. The Odyssey’s Book Nine through Twelve contain many major themes that help develop the characters in the collective piece. These selected books from Homer’s The Odyssey have many themes and values that including the importance of loyalty. Odysseus is often portrayed as a very loyal person. The very point of his journey is to return to his home in Ithaca to his wife and son. Odysseus is also very loyal to his crew and goes to great lengths to ensure their safety, such as using wax to put in their ears so that they could not hear the songs of sirens. Loyalty is also important to many of the creatures that Odysseus and his crew...
Words: 566 - Pages: 3
...peacefully, supported by a strong voice inside her that spoke of gender equality and rights. Similarly, “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood battles to revise the idea that men are more powerful compared to women through the story of a Siren. In Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song,” Homer’s portrayal of the Sirens in The Odyssey is critiqued in order to remove the detrimental effects of an androcentric perception. The Odyssey points at an authority in power that men have compared to women. In the epic poem, Odysseus prepares his crew as they sail towards the Sirens’ island, avoiding the tempting songs by blocking their ears with...
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...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...
Words: 493 - Pages: 2
...Both Homer's epic The Odyssey and Margaret Atwood's poem "Siren Song" underscore the enchanting but deadly temptations of the alluring mythical sirens. While both poems incorporate first-person points of view, their perspectives, as well as their tones, differ drastically. The former, making use of aggressive diction and the latter, making use of persuasive diction, show difference of objectified and humanized women. While both demonstrate similarities, they also have radical differences. "Siren Song" and The Odyssey both are told from a first-person point of view but their perspectives of male and female is just one of the many differences between the two works.In the former, Margaret writes, "This is the one song that everyone would like...
Words: 674 - Pages: 3
...Homer’s The Odyssey is important to the history of literature, but there is one part of Odysseus's adventures that have interested readers since the book was released, the part where Odysseus encountered the sirens. These interested readers often make different versions of this excerpt, from books to short stories to movies. In this essay, though, the focus is going to be purely on a single poem by Margaret Atwood, “Siren Song”, and how this poem and the original text comparably convey the sirens. The tones expressed to the reader from Odysseus’s poem is desperation. Odysseus’s heart “throbbed to listen longer” (20) to the siren’s “ravishing voices” (19). Odysseus was desperate to be released for the ropes that bound him to the boat so that he could go to the sirens. The tone used in “Siren Song” is misery. The siren notes how she doesn’t...
Words: 556 - Pages: 3
...In Homer’s The Odyssey, the author tells us of a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism. The Odyssey is a display of a journey of determination, willpower, patience, and virtue. The author tells the tale of Odysseus, on his voyage home to Ithaka. This is happening after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus, the main character, goes through a series of many unforeseen trials and tribulations in this exemplary journey. This exemplifies his character and displays him as a hero in the eyes of the audience. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character. Odysseus is displayed as not only a hero but also as a good leader to his men. Throughout all their trials such as the Sirens, Polyphemus (the cyclops), and the enchantress Circe, Odysseus is displayed as clever, patient, cunning, and fearless. Odysseus made decisions not only for himself but also for his men as well. For example, he did not leave his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters when they clearly had no desire to go back to Ithaca; he knotted them onto the boat and left the island. He was determined to get home with as many of his men as he possibly could, though they repeatedly disobeyed him. Odysseus is one of history's greatest leaders and this is a vital part of what makes him such an epic hero Another characteristic that stand out and makes Odysseus a hero is his ability to overcome his obstacles in order to reach his goal. Odysseus is faced by many...
Words: 955 - Pages: 4
...dangerous. In Greek Mythology, the dangerous ladies are known as the Sirens. They were said to live on an isolated island where many sailors passed. Though no one knows for sure who their parents are, some sources say that the Sirens could’ve came from Phorcys, the sea god, or Achelous, the river god, and one of the Muses. In Greek Mythology, Sirens were creatures of destruction who sang to kill, but in the end, what killed themselves was their pride. The Sirens were said to be companions of Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. When Persephone was taken by Hades, god of the underworld, the Sirens prayed for wings so they could look for her across the sea. Some versions, however, state that Demeter punished the Sirens by turning them into birds because they didn’t watch over...
Words: 461 - Pages: 2
...The Odyssey Haleigh Pavy O’ Brother where art thou is a great representation of the Odyssey. It shows great representation of the characters and mood and also of each other. It turns a fiction epic to a real life story. The Odyssey is a epic about how this king named Odysseus went over seas to the Trojan War. He was there for ten years, on his journey back he got cursed by a cyclops, he got all his men killed and he got stuck on circes island for seven years. Then after twenty years of being gone he finally returns home to suitors, impersonators, and he returns disguised as a beggar. O’ Brother where art thou is about how three escaped prisoners go off to find “treasure”. Everette who represents Odysseus really just wants to get home with...
Words: 502 - Pages: 3
