"Siren Song" AP Poetry Practice

The poetic works of Homer and Margaret Atwood use varying techniques to portray the mythological Sirens as fatally seductive.

The Sirens’ selection of detail is important in the “Siren Songs” of both works.  The Odyssey’s Sirens sing of their “honeyed voices pouring from [their] lips” (17).  This imagery is sweet, smooth, and tempting.  Their song beckons Odysseus to throw himself overboard with their seductive diction.  Odysseus acknowledges their beauty, noting the “ravishing” nature of their voices and how “the heart inside [him] throbbed to listen longer” (20).  Their multi-faceted attractiveness helps the Sirens to begin to lure Odysseus into their trap.  Similarly, Atwood’s Siren Song creates a physically tempting image of the singer. The singer describes herself as “picturesque and mythical” (15).  She also contrasts herself with her fellow Sirens, calling them “feathery maniacs,” and she asks her audience for salvation (16, 21).  Not only does her description of her situation make her appear more beautiful in comparison with her surroundings, but it also conveys a false impression of innocence and vulnerability, both of which are usually considered appealing characteristics of women.  Both sets of Sirens come across as desirable women in order to tempt and seduce their audience.

While the Sirens make themselves appear to be beautiful and vulnerable, both works make it clear to the omniscient reader that the Sirens are in fact deceiving and murderous.  Both target the specific person who is listening to the song.  In the case of The Odyssey, the Sirens refer to “famous Odysseus—Achaea’s pride and glory” (14).  Odysseus, notorious for his hubris, will likely be tempted by their flattery of him.  They also lie to Odysseus, telling him he will grow in wisdom from hearing their song (18).  Odysseus may feel tempted to leap to them in pursuit of knowledge because he may not realize that they are being dishonest and deceptive.  In Atwood’s poem, the Sirens give the listener a sense of self-importance, telling him two different times, “Only you”: only you, the listener, deserve to hear my song, and only you can save me from this cliff (19, 23).  A proud sailor may feel that attending this singing creature is his duty, if he is that necessary to her.  He does not realize that the Sirens probably says that to every traveler that passes by, all of whom take the bait and jump to their deaths.

A notable difference between these two works is where the reader derives background information on the Siren Song.  Odysseus knows better from the start.  He knows the seductive power of the Sirens, which is why he orders his men to tie him to the mast.  While the reader of the epic can still be impressed by the seductive, albeit dishonest, nature of the song, he may not feel pity for Odysseus because the hero knows exactly what he is in for.  In contrast, “Siren Song” is more tragic because the listener does not realize the danger of the song until it is too late, even though he has already heard the brutal honesty of the Sirens in the second stanza.