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Siren Song Margaret Atwood Analysis

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Mythical creatures known as Sirens have a feared reputation among sailors who are lured by their seductive songs to their deaths on the rocks surrounding their island. These Sirens are known for their appearance in Homer’s epic, The Odyssey where they attempted to lead Odysseus and his crew to their demise with their mysterious song. These Sirens also have a role in the poem “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood. Homer portrays the sirens as seductive, irresistible, and powerful while Atwood portrays the Sirens as deceptive, cynical, and pathetic. The contrast between Atwood’s melancholy Sirens and Homer’s malicious Sirens is shown through literary devices such as diction, imagery, point of view, and tone. The contrast between Atwood’s …show more content…

Imagery helps portray Homer’s Sirens as seductive. One will be seduced if they hear “[the Sirens’] honeyed voices pouring from [their] lips”. The image created by “honeyed voices” brings to mind sweetness and temptation, descriptions that are synonymous with seduction. Homer’s Sirens are portrayed as alluring through use of imagery. The Sirens “sent their ravishing voices out across the air”. The image created by “ravishing voices” brings up the physical image of being submersed in their mysterious songs, an alluring image. In contrast to Homer’s seductive Sirens, Atwood’s are deceptive. This is shown through use of imagery. Atwood’s Sirens are superficial as described through imagery. The Sirens plead, “will you get me out of this bird suit?”. “Bird suit” creates an image in the reader’s mind of someone wearing a fake looking bird costume in attempts to deceive others. Atwood’s Sirens are fraudulent as depicted by imagery. Atwood’s Sirens “force men to leap overboard in squadrons even though they see the beached skull”. Having enough influence on someone to make them take a leap, a huge thought out movement, even when a “beached skull” is near makes the men seem outright irrational. As they aren’t, the Sirens must have tricked them into taking this action. In conclusion, Atwood’s deceptive Sirens contrast with Homer’s seductive Sirens as shown by

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