Comparison of the Odyssey and “Siren Song”
Homer’s Odyssey and Atwood’s “Siren Song” are both poems about the greek myth of sirens that compare different points of view by using imagery and tone. The Odyssey tells the view of a greek hero that must escape death by passing the sirens without being tricked by their luring song. “Siren Song” tells the point of view of one of the siren’s, she cries for help from the sailors, and then admits that she was trying to trick them into dying. The poems use different imagery and tone to tell their contrasting points of view. The poems both use the ancient greek myth of sirens, and their main characters use cleverness and trickery to succeed in their mission. Odysseus successfully escapes with his life,
In the Odyssey by Homer, the Sirens are an obstacle in which Odysseus and his crew must encounter. The "Odyssey" and Margaret Atwood's poem "Siren Song" portray the Sirens differently by using tone and point of view. Both poems include the Siren, but they are seen differently by the use of the poetic devices. The poetry in the Odyssey has a tone that includes fear and suspense. As the ship gets near the Sirens, Odysseus and his crew start to worry if they would accomplish their journey alive. The
are emphasized. Homer's story the Odyssey emphasizes these three things: Odysseus heroism, the magic power of the sirens, and the steps Odysseus uses to get past the sirens. On the other hand, “Oh Brother Where Art Thou,” emphasizes the following things: Pete gets turned into a frog, men drink moonshine, the sirens song. Finally, Margaret Atwood’s poem “Siren Song” emphasizes these three things: Siren does not like being stuck on island, the content of the song, that they were bored on the island
In an excerpt from Homer’s The Odyssey and “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, the speaker’s point of view shapes the portrayal of the alluring and dangerous aspects of the Sirens. In Atwood’s poem, the Sirens are described as alluring from one Siren’s point of view due to their knowledge of how to appeal to men’s desires to be heroic, while in Homer’s excerpt, Odysseus’ point of view believes that the Sirens are appealing solely to him. For example, Odysseus describes the Siren’s voices as ‘honeyed
be put on paper, The Odyssey is a fantastic story that utilizes the Hero's Journey to describe the amount of trials and struggles the hero, Odysseus, had to endure. One of these trials was to face the captivating Sirens. The excerpt, in general, describes the hardship and struggle it takes to avoid the Sirens. However, in Margaret Atwood's poem, Siren Song, the narrator happens to be a Siren, so the overall tone is very much different than that of the excerpt from The Odyssey. The two works show that
“Circe’s Power,” alters Homer's original depiction of Circe from being an evil nymph using her powers for her benefit, using her power to create better men for their own good, to produce the theme that power is used as a lesson. For instance, in The Odyssey when Odysseus’ men arrive on Aeaea, Circe land, they walk right into the palace. She turns them into swine, however Odysseus does not know for sure. Odysseus decides to sneak around. Odysseus thinks that “she [will] turn [them] into pigs or wolves
Homer’s Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s poem “Siren Song” present mysterious sirens who lure men by singing a song. Homer and Atwood both demonstrate the enticing nature of sirens and their melody by incorporating tone and diction. Both Atwood and Homer display an enticing tone when describing the sirens, which demonstrates that they are enchanting, yet dangerous creatures. For example, Homer writes, “thrilling song ‘come closer famous Odysseus…moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song!” The
Siren Essay In mythology, Sirens are portrayed as feminine seductresses who lure in nearby sailors with their tempting voices to draw in heroes with their song to their deaths. They appear as one of the many obstacles that falls upon the fabled Odysseus in Homer’s poem, The Odyssey. However, in Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song”, the reader is able to receive insight on what the Siren’s are thinking because it is written from the Siren’s point of view. Atwood’s poem uses a humorous tone to characterize
seen when comparing works of literature on a similar topic, such as Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song” and Homer’s depiction of sirens in “The Odyssey”. In Greek literature and mythology, Sirens were a commonly reoccuring mythical creature. They were often described as half bird and half woman, and they would lure nearby sailors to shipwreck on the coast of their island with their enchanting music and voices. Although both authors are writing about the same subject, the way that the sirens are portrayed
Homer's Odyssey Homer's Odyssey is probably the most famous and well-known epic of all time. This tale relates the adventures of the archetypal hero, Odysseus. Odysseus' long journey home takes him to many different places where he encounters many different monsters and creatures, but there are certain recurrent elements throughout. The most common themes in the Odyssey are forgetfulness, willingness to risk pain for pleasure, and sexual temptation. When comparing the Sirens episode
The Odyssey is the most famous epic in all of Greek mythology. The purpose of The Odyssey was to teach the reader about life lessons. Since it is so long, a reader can gain multiple pieces of wisdom from this single story. One of the best known sections of The Odyssey is The Sirens, in which Odysseus and his crew are tempted by the song the beautiful sirens sing. Thanks to Circe, Odysseus knows that he must resist the urge to jump into the water with the sirens because it will lead to death. To
In the poem, Odysseus encounters the Sirens and their alluring song that threatens to lure the men to their death. In order to prevent from falling into the trap, Odysseus had to “slice and ample wheel of beeswax down into pieces, kneaded them with my two strong hands” (Homer 3-5). The use of the words
The Cunning and Deceitful Women of Homer’s Odyssey One of the most famous works from the early Greek era is Homer’s Odyssey. It details the journey home of a war hero, Odysseus. His homecoming entails many adventures, each presented as a separate episode that he must overcome. Though the varied episodes differ in terms of characters and settings, most are based on similar patterns of plot and theme. The themes that are most emphasized are forgetfulness, a willingness to risk pain for pleasure
Greek Mythology have multiple interpretations. Among these characters include the dangerous, yet gorgeous Sirens, bird-women who sit on a cliff singing bewitching songs that captivate the minds of innocent travelers and entice them to their deaths. In Homer’s The Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song,” both poets provide different representations of the Sirens. Homer portrays the Sirens as irresistible in order to establish men as heroes, whereas Atwood depicts them as unsightly and pathetic
women as Sirens we must first turn to the Odyssey in order to understand the characteristics usually attributed to these mysterious and deadly creatures. In Greek mythology Sirens were sea Nymphs who lured sailors to their deaths with their alluring song. In the Odyssey Odysseus is warned about the sirens who “enchant all who come near them”.3 He orders his men to plug their ears with wax so as not to hear their song. He himself cannot resist the opportunity to hear “the sweetness of their song”4 so
the Odyssey, in which Odysseus and his men are always encountering situations where they are tempted to accomplish what is risky. Homer uses figurative language in his story by developing the theme that there are Dangers in Temptations of one that does not follow the rules. For example, the story “The Sirens” in The Odyssey, on lines 690-691 Odysseus says “or know what death we baffle if we can. Sirens weaving a haunting song over the sea.” This metaphor is comparing death to the Sirens, this