Group+9

Group 9

Lauren- I went back and edited parts of the new paragraph you formed and added a sentence or two.

Atwood uses tone, diction and imagery symbols to explore how the Sirens are viewed and how they view themsleves

different views of structure

The “Siren Song” depicts a foreboding story about men that brave the sea, only to be lured overboard by the song of a mysterious creature. The imagery of this poem, both metaphorical and literal, describes the allure of women. Margaret Atwood addresses the danger of temptation and how falling into it can be consequential. She states that it “works every time” which is suggesting that women are manipulative and deceptive. Men fall into the enticing traps of women, which are often fatal. This poem emphasizes the power of language and action and how they are both sometimes understated. Although the siren is represented as a captivating song, it is meant to be deceiving, as is the case with many irresistible desires. Lines 10-12 are key to understanding the poem, because they are the first indication that the sirens resent Homer and the image he created for them. Atwood uses tone, diction The first two stanzas have elegant phrases like “to leap overboard in squadrons/even thought they see beached skulls,” and the tone is that distant and remote eloquence we’ve all come to expect from assigned poetry. There is also repetition of “the song,” and each time it’s mentioned, its impact is described in larger and more forceful ways, from a song that everyone likes to a song that drives people mad. In lines 10-12, the siren asks “will you get me out of this bird suit?” The phrase bird suit is a little funny sounding, and its ring of everyday speech sort of deflates the epic climax that the repetition of “the song” was building up towards. This deflation is a microcosm of the entire point of the poem. The sirens are addressing Homer in this poem, because through his work, he’s turned them into deadly mythical creatures, and they don’t like that idea. The siren even outright says, “I don’t enjoy it here/squatting on this island/looking picturesque and mythical…I don’t enjoy singing.” Like the phrase bird suit deflated the epic feel of the poem, so the sirens, through the poem, are saying they want to deflate their unwanted image.

Atwood uses   to explore how the Sirens are viewed and how they view themselves. At first glance, the poem appears to

Atwood uses structure, diction and symbolism to explore the true nature of the Sirens. Structure is very important for setting the stage of this poem. The first two stanzas have elegant phrases like “to leap overboard in squadrons/even thought they see beached skulls." The tone is that distant and remote eloquence is often felt when reading antiquated poems. There is also repetition of the phrase "the song." Each time it's mentioned, its impact is described in larger and more forceful ways, from a song that everyone likes to a song that drives people mad. In lines 10-12, a major shift occurs through diction. The siren asks the audience, "will you get me out of this bird suit?" The phrase bird suit is aberrant, and its ring of everyday speech deflates the epic climax that the repetition of "the song" was building up towards. The phrase "bird suit" was chosen to shake the reader out of the expectations the first stanza leads you to. The sirens are addressing Homer in this poem because through his work, he's turned them into deadly mythical creatures, and they are opposed to that idea. The siren even says “I don’t enjoy it here/squatting on this island/looking picturesque and mythical…I don’t enjoy singing.” The deflation of a grand-scale poem felt at "bird suit" is a microcosm of the entire point of the poem. They want to deflate their image. As per Homer's tales, they are the epitome of the femme fatale, the woman men should avoid if they want to live. They've been branded as foolproof temptresses who have a song, a call, that "works every time." Manipulative and deceptive. And an ugly reputation to live with if it is, indeed, not true. This poem is the Sirens pleading their case to Homer, and the world in general, anyone who has heard of them, that this is not the way things really are, and the message is quite clear through the structure, diction and symbolism.