Question#l-*Sirens' 2000-AP English: Literature & Conposition Sampletr Ob, the mythical siren's-the womenwith "honeyed"voicespouring from thier iips. For centuriesfamoussirenshave beencelebratedand scorned-From Cleapatrato ldaa llari the sirenbassymbolizedthe wantonwoman? Or is shereally all that bad? In the Odysseyby Homer tbe Sirensare describedto have"ravishing voices" that causethe heros"heart inside me throbbedto listen longer." The sing tbrilling songsof praiseto lure the weak men in Men must stopthe earswith wax + be tied up to avoid theseeeil women. f{arsh words sucha sliced & lavishedare usedwhile descnbingthe preperationfor incounter. Using false promisesthe cunningevii femaleslure the worlds bravestsEongestheroson to a islandwhere they then kill them for firn. The men who hearthe songarepower lessandfly into a sexualfre,trzybeggingto be released But after the sirensisland is passedall is forgoten In SirenSongby Margret Atwood the authorcasta decidedtyfeminist spin on the subject. The sirensarenot beautifrl enchantersbut rather opressedwomen crying out for help. They are tying to be sucsessfirlto break out of their demeaning "bird suits" and stop signingthere boring song. Atwood imFlies the only way thesewomen could haveanypower was by son6slling menwho really held all the power. Seducing& influencing powerful men was, until recenfly,the only way clever womencould makea impact. The sirensaremadeto look & seemslightly ridiculous, patheticcretuires,singing empty songs. Rythmic and soft words and diction raakethe poemal most [ke a nevsr ending cvcle. In the Odessymen are victins of the sirens. In Sirenssongthe sirensare victinnsof the circumstances& the men are snrpidbecausetheyjump of shipsto the island eventhoughthe see"beachedskills. The Odessyis told from I menspoint of view, while siren songis from the femal sirenspoint of view. Womenare somethingto opressto fight & Beat down in The Odessy,just anthoreTrojan army to ddeate. Womenare somethingto pity & savein SirensSong. SampleA In a world wherewomen havebeen deniedtheir ability to work honestlyand havebeenboxedinto complacent sterotypes,their only power-according to society-is their power to seducethroughflattery & sexuality. In Homers descriptionof the Siren's song,Odyseusreactswith a masculinearroganc€,touting his own saenglhto escapeseduction while landing his crew for their loyalty. Ilis voice is somewhatheroic & grandiosashe relaysa fust-hand accountof a dramaticbrush with d€ath,but through his self-congrtulating rnanner,he revealshis limited rmderstandingsf men and women. It is this limited undersEndingand hubri5 ffnmnnatingfrom societythat provokesMargret Atwood to vrdts her poemof protest 'Siren's Song'. Through allusion to classicalbeliefs sheilluminates her ovm frustrationd being confinedto a stereot]'p€& througb repetion sheplaysupon the unfoundedpride of Men like Odyseus. Glyseus is immersedin a sweaty,masculineworld of heraldrytbat is condr:siveto his senseof self-importance.He b€einshis speechwith a vaguelyviolent sonul image. He states"with a sharpsword I sliced an amplewheel of beeswax/ down ido pieces' (3-4). Here a nhalic object, the swor4 orts up a pieceof wax tbat is soft androun4 a distinctly feminine image. The imageryitself srggestsa dominecrceover womenwithin this sick society. Odyseusis united in tiendship with othermen through work and muuul toil as he "stoppedthe earsof my comradesone by one.' (7) The meir cometogptheras comrades,placing wax in their eaxs,as they uqite to facethe commonfoe: fEmaleguile. Odyseusattitudetoward theseme,n is loving begnin and gentle. In Conrast, for the Sire,nsOd:nseus barborsonly aweand suspicion. Odyseusard the beastsare separated not only by the sea& cliffs but alsoby a gp of understanding He describestheir songas 'higt thrillingl' (13) zuggestingtbat the song is aloof yet temlring. The physical place,nentof the sireirs,on the cliffs abovethe sailors,is symbolicaswell. The Sirens perch on the proverbial 'pedistool,' are idealizedbut alsofeared The sirensappealto Odyseususing flauery, stathrg'Come Closer,frmous Odyseus-Achaea's Pride & gory-' (14) The sirensplay-uponO$rseus' senseof self-importance.His reactionis physiologica! he reactsto their temptationboth w/ physicaiarrousal& egotistical. He states"the heartinside me tbrobbedto listen longet''. He wants only to hearhis praisessungover & over-he is lead into tempation by his own pride. Margaret Atwood answer'sthe pride, presumptionandhubris reflectedin Odyseus'story with her own 'Siren Song.' Sheis frustratedwith being placedupon a pedisool, with being limited by societyto hing a dangeroussedrcFess,fenrinine and beguiling Odysesus'misconcepions of womenaretruly the views of an entire societyand haveforcedAtwood to fig[t back with the only weaponsshehasld available-4er cunningand powersof flattay & sedrction. Atwoodsvoice is distinctly ironic andbitter towardsthosesheis trying to sedrceinto hearingher song Shenotesthe *leap overboardin squadrons/oren foolishnessof men who allow themselvesto though they seethe beachedsl$ll" (5{). Her tone after theselines becomesbeguiling but also intentionally sarcastic.In a refereuceto the Eythical imageof the 'causes sirensshestaes,'and if I do will you get me ort of this bird suit?' 0t-12) The image of the *bird nrit' the vision of se&rction-{he siren-to becomerediculas&,awkuard- Atwood resortsto flattery of her readeras an ironic device-to prove how hollow the action is andto demonstrateher resentuentat being thoughtof as merely a seductrss insteadof an inteltect. Shestates,'tt to,t only to you',. (20) The repetition of the word you makesthe readerfeel awkwardlyunimporanq & the readerb.g* to geti se* tnat Oey are being panonized Essentially,the first pasaageconveysa senseof machismo& hubris tbrough imagry and a grandiostone. This then becomesthe motivadonfor the secondpoemwhich bitterly remonstratesthesefrlacious stereotvpes. SampleHItrI Thesetwo poemswritten aboutthe Sirensfrom the 'Odlrssey" canbe interpretedin two very diffent ways,yet they hold gushsimilarity. The tone, point of view and diction aretbreevery importantpoetic dwices to be examinedwneo Oisc'ssing &e two differentpoems. The tone of the first poemis cautiousand evenadventursome.@sseus know what the luring sirenswill do to hirn, so he is taking precautionsby stoppinghis crew's sarsand rcking them to bind him. Qdysssusknowsb€tterthrn to let the sirenstake over him. In the secondpoemby MargaretAtwood, the tone is much more a warning evena bit taunting. The point of view of eachis a very importantdevice. In the fust poem,the poemis ftom Odysseus'point of viJw (fust person)' He speaksof his experiencewhen passingthe Sirens. He feels the danger,he is scaredio be lured ir In the Sire' Song,wealsoseeafirstpersonpointofview,butinsteadthistimethenarratoriittresiren "Helpme!",(la}Z),thesiren cries out as sheis webbingher next victimThereare two very difierent t5'pesof diction beingusedin thesetwo poexc,and that is what distinguishedthem from one another. In the first poem,the vniter useswords lile strensth,ravishine,throtbe4 and thrilline to creirtea moreadventrnous tone. On the other handin the "siren Song",Atwood useswords suchas irresistable,ggg lSa4qAgS, andfatal again1e61""1" a moretaunting and wer pertaps lugubrioustone. SampleFFF In the English translationof this episodethe SirensareporEayedas seductiveand mystical creifires. .'. . . sails on, a wiser marL" indicatesttrat theyfeel like they are helping rren, howeverthey arejust luring them in the toneis a much more fgsiti_veone than lvlargaretAtwood's poem. The poemportryesthe Sirensin needof help. 1'nesirenspretend.to be in need ofassistanceand call out to any passingships. The point of view also changesvaries. In the translationOdysseusis telling the story of how he heardthe siren's song and lived to tell aboutit the portraSralis influencedby a man,who is the primary target of the sirens. In the poem,one of the sirensis speakingabofi how shefeels aboutsi'rgng. Now it seemsthatthe sirensarethe onesthat needthehelp. SamoleT The mythical Sirensof Homer's QSES are often a gmbol for the influence of women on pining andlwesick men -sirsri Their tricks and tenptations are almost unavoidable. Suchis the casein the original story of the io Homer's Odvssey andin ldargret Atwood's 'Siren Song." The trro rylo4g* poraay the Siren'sfrom the original point of view of OCysseus andfromthe pointofviewofoneofthesirens. Ihepoet'svariancesintone,pointofvie*,andimagerycreate two contrastingviews of the nytlr The ottting from the Odyssevsharesthe original tone of the work It is determined,shownthroug[ Od5nseus, but also pining. The detemdnationof Homer's pieceis shoqmthroughthe measurestakenby Odysseusand his crewto resistthe 1ue of the sirens. The Ilhican warrior "stoppedthe earsof [his] comradesoneby one," in hiiattemp to shieldthem from the rntalizirrg song Likewise, the ctew bound him to the mastso that he could hearthe songwithout harm. As the Sirensbegin to sitg, Odysseus'tone chaogesto one pining to stopthe ship and longing to staywith Ai Ueautifirlvoices. His men, howevet,still determined,*[bound him] fasler, with rope on chafingrope." While the tone of this passagecent€rsati ,oa strcngthand resistance,in Atwood's poem,the tone is cjm.icaland uninterested-The Sfu€ntells th,ereadir *I don,t enjoy it here.' Shebelifles her fellow singersssd elainrstbat the listnsr is "uique." However,tlre tone ctrargesin the last itan a. Wherethe speakerhad Pwiously shown a cymcal look at her daily occupation,here shechangesto a-tooeof satisfustionas shebascoaxedin anothermen "at lasl" Sincethe point ofview in Homer's epic is that of Odysseus,his male desiresandvunerablestatedominetethe passage. He hearsthe Siren's songasthe most beautiful soundin the worQ without their protection,Ocysseusandhis -eo are powerlessagainstthe Sirens'call. Odysseus'point ofview is on the defensiveside ofthe story In *Siren Songl, the taralizer usesher femininity to oftalt a "poor me" *tiude which sheusesto her advadage. Odysseusfeels .ttj neart inside ne ttlrybl to list€ll longer," brs the Sirenclaims "I don't elrjoy singing,' ard rallies her listenerto help her off of the istandHer point of view is carcfirlly plannedand monotonous,brutas shecapnres yet anothersailor tbrolg[ her tric1ery, shetells &e reader'it worb errerytime." The imagery of both piecescreatesa sharpcontrastin the portra)at of the Sirens. The dangerof the creaturesis empbasizedin the Odvsseyas the me,n"flung themselvesat the oarsandrowed on harder,"to preventOd5nseusfrom following their'honeyed voices" to the shore. The crew figbrs to avoid *their higb, tbrilling song." The Sirem,however, crqrt€s an imagesof safetyas sheclaims sheneedssomeoneto 'get me out of this bird suit." Sheadmitsthat the island is "picturesEre and mythical" but insist that her cohortsare "feathery maniacs." The imagesAnrood createsare intendedto assuresafetyto the Siren" unsuspediry victim. Thesetwo portrayalsof the mytical SirensinHomer's Odvssevand Afivood's "Shen Song" are sharplycontrasted tbrougb the use of point of view, tone, and imagery. As the contasting views of male andfemale develop,the "weaker sex" is glorified by upsettingthe male's tnrst and prevailing Sampie)C( Poemsare often vritten asre,flections.They can rdect ideas.occr::rences,or eveneachother. N{argaretAtwood's *SirenSongi'andpartofHomer'sOdrssevbothreflectonthesongofthesirensofGreelcmythology. However,thepoem" eachappoach their subjectfrom different points of view and with different tonesand diction. In llomer's Odvssev,Odysseusmolds wax with his hands"to seal [his men's] ears." He himself is tied tigbtly down so he will be physically unableto folow the siren's sweetvoices. The menrow on as Odysseusis torturedby the song. Only after they are far pastthe sitetr's land camehe be setfree. Convenely, in Atwood's poem-the readeris askedif he or she would like to leam the sougtbat no personcanresist The readeris aske4 in exchangefor hearingthis sweetsong if he or she will setthe speakerfree. He or shewill be the only personto know the song and althoughit is *bo'i"g" "it works wery tine." The two poemstell a similar story,but from very different points of view. Homer's poem is viritten in third person It tells the tale of Od5nsseus' stnrggleaginst the ternptationof the Sirens. The readeris not drawn into the action, but merely an obsen€r. However, Atqnod's poem drawsthe readerinto the event It is written in first person,using pronounssuchas "f' and *you.' This poem is askingthe readerdirectly if thEywill listen to the song The speakeris a siren attsryting to lrne anotherpersoninto her world The readerfeels morea part of the action and experieucessomeof the temptationOd5nsseus felt. Thougb, the poemscontain similar messagesof tempatio4 Atwood's poemis more effectivebecauseit allows the rcad€rsinto the action and portrap the sirensas more deviouscreatures. In addition to contr:astingpoint of view, the two poemshavedifferent tones,as well. Odvssevis written in amore dlamatic Inanner. The situation surroundingOdysseus'resistanceto the songis described Homerwrites of "the Sirens [sensing]at orce a Sip. . . racing pastand [bursting]into their higb, tbrilling son." Odysseusstrainsto break ftee, but is held and forced to resist. The overall tone of Homer's poemis very dramatic. Couversely,Atwood's poemis extremely nrysterious. The songis describedas *secret' No one knows the song*becauseanyonewho hasheardMs dea{ andthe others can't temember." The poemis a little elusivebecausethe readerneverknows what is going to happe,n The tonesof the t'wo poemsporfray the Sirensas dranr,aticin oneversion andextremelymysteriousin the oths. As well as tmiquetonesand poids of view, O4yssw and *Siren Songl'eachemployunique diction. Odyss€Vcontains more imagery and descriptivewords in pornaying the sirens. Their voicesare describedas"honeyedvoices poruing from [theu] lips." The q/ordschosenby Homer are soft andflowing. As O$mseuslistens to the song "tb€ heartinside him tbrobbedto listm lmga." In 'Siren fungl Afwood usescontrastingwordsto enrphacizethe power of the sirens. The fiffh stanzasecmsodd asit says,'I don't enjoy it here . . this islandlooking picturesqueand mythical." Also, the readeris told he or sheis unique multiple times,but the last line states,"it worlcseverytime." In Atwood's poenq the sirensarepocral'ed as confusing and t€nslous throughthesecontrastirg words. Odvsseyand *Sireir Songi pornay tbe sirensdifferently throughthe useof unique point of view, tong and diction SampleCC Both Homer and Atwood porray the sire,nsin s similar mznner. Their mutually uniquemethodssharecommontone towards their subjects. Both authorsporbay to the rcaderthe sirensasdeceptiveand flarering Homer tells his story in first personthroughthe eyesof Odysseus.His porfrayal of the sirensis thus subjectedto the views of Odysseus'character. The tore of the passageis fearfirl and suspenseful.We are shownthe fear of both Odysseus and his crew. Any force which instills tbe desireto be bound to a ship's mastfor fear of its seducingnatureis indeeda frightful idea The passageis given a hint of suspensewhen we are madeto wanderwhat will becomeof Odysseusandhis crew. WilI the crew disobeyhis ordersanduntie him? Their absolutefear of the situationis shovmagainwhen "they flung themselve.sat the oarsand rowed on barder." Homer showsthe natureof the sirms throughtheir song His diction showshow they flatter Odysseus.They call to hint, dsscriling the taits he aspiresto the most: thoseof the hso. They call "famous Odysseus"andlabet him s[6[2s3's pride and glory,' andtheir songis *thrilling.' Who would not be tbrilled to be famousand all the ravein you homeland? Atwood paints for rs a sirnilar porcait for th€ sir€ns. Shetoo writes in the first person,hlt shetakesthe role of a siren herself. By doing this, the poen becomesthe Siren's song malcingit aptly titled Atwood showstle sirens' tickery by not showingthe audiencetbat the siren is actuallyusing its charrring songuntil its too late. Shetoo flatters the iistenerwith her diction The word "you" is usedoften asthoughto askfor "help." Shecriestbat "only you" canhelp, "only you. . . .. and flattersmore by saying"you aie mique." By meking herselfseemhelpless.Atwood's speakerseducesevenmore. The audienceis madeto feel sorry for the sire,n.Sheis not wil, just misundersloodwe shouldgo to her and help her. Therein Iies the trickery. Sheusesher flatering diction to counterwen her own negativeimagery(the fearful "beachedslilll" even we aremadeto ignore). Both authorsportraythe sirensasfearfi:l, yet seductive. To submitto their beautifiri songis to die, but who could resist? The mighty Odysseusevenis asf immnns,andwe the readertoo aretricked, despitehow clever we are. SampleB hedator & Prey Homer and Atwood presentthe compiexityof the myth of the Sirensthrough different points of view, with different tones,and telling imagery. Homer tells the story of a manclwer enoughto hearthe siren's songandnot losehis life, whjle Atwood is a siren,a predator,waiting to trick men on to her island. The tonesof the passages are quite different In both worls, however,trickery and clevernessis used- Odysseusescap€s with his life, and the sirenwins, saylng"AIas it is a boring songbut it worls werytime.' The tonein Homer's passageis strongandpowerfrrl. "Now with a sharpsword . . Helios' buming rays. . .shipwas 1scingpasf" arephrasesusedto illusuate fhis tone. However, asHomer's tone hasmasculinequalities,Atwood's hasfeminine ones. Her tonais crafty, thenpleading *Comecloser. help .. me! Only yort' only you can' ttre sirenscreams,pleadingfor attention Thesetwo passagesare tite two halv€sof a whole. Od;rsseus is prey, tying fiantically to escapedeatb.while the sirenis a carnivorouspredator,singlg for her sqpper. The teryo of the trro passilgesis also quite different Homer's is Erickea like a scurryinganimel,while Afwood's is deliberate. Atrrood evetrusespmctuation to her advantagein the last tbreestanzas.The last line of eachstalza is broken,forcing the teader'seyeto the ne:d stanzawithout realizingthe frickery. In the sameway the Sirenslure meninto thereclEches,Homer qplitshis passageinto threesectionsaccordingto the crew's state: at first they are sailing then preparing and finally escaping. The imageryin both passagesis also quite different andrevealing. Homer's words arenr(culine, powerful, and battle ready. He useswords like "sharD,""sEengtb,""srong" "hands,""chume4" "Iacing" "sharpe'word-"The imageryis that of a rnanwho is not onlysailing by the Sirens,but going to war with them. Homer descdb€sthe Sirens'songas "1xyishing," *hig&,""thrilling;"&"trg-nt" TheirvoicesmakeOdysseus'hearttbrobandtherealnostisasenseofsensualitytakenfrom this inagcy. Atwood's iaagery is far from masculineandlesssexual. The words 'tird suit' and "squatting' almostgive the of a ridiculous situation- However,'feathery menisss' and "fatal andvaluable" give off a more seriousimageanatone. The imagerymakesthe readeridentify and feel pity for this poor sire,rlfor shebateswhat sheis. By the end of her pleading the readerbasbeensuckedin, like the menwho "leap overboardin squadrons"mentionedin the first sanza. The poem beeinssedrctively menacing thenbecomesalmostwhiny and innoced, andfinally endswith the samegraveeand clever (fatal ) tone. Thesetwo passages6as[ sing the songof oposing sides,yet they havemuch in commorl They both usetrickery to escapeor catchthet kill, andthej both areconfidentin their abilities exceptfor equalmomentsof weakness(Odysseus beeginghis men to untie hinl Sirennot "enjoying it here.. I don't enjoy singng) in both passages.yet the two s-ongsarethe natrJralg6ngsof an animal andits hunter.
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