Comparison Of The Siren In Homer's Odyssey And Margaret Atwood

Throughout history, there have been a manifold of variations on the mythical Siren. Traditionally told through Greek Mythology, they are mermaid-like creatures who sing beautiful songs that lure nearby sailors to their death by shipwreck. Two variations on this classic character are found in Homer’s Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song”. In both of these pieces of literature, we find very different tone usage, contrasting points of view, and various techniques of conveying the Siren's to its reader.
In the Odyssey by Homer, we see a suspenseful and mysterious tone that makes the Siren's seem evil. By saying things like, “...They bound me hand and foot in the tight ship..” and, “...I signaled my crew with frowns to set me free...”, the …show more content…
This also adds to the feeling of nefarious activity by the Siren’s. As we know from mythology, Siren’s are evil and want to kill as many sailors as they can. This previous knowledge manufactures a feeling of confusion in the audience. Moreover, because the Siren’s are portrayed as singing to only one person, it adds an additional layer of sadness. They are singing so beautifully and personally that their sadness is carried over to the audience. Secondly, the point -of -view used by Atwood helps add to the feeling of personal understanding that the Siren’s have. By saying, “.../I will tell the secret to you,/...”, the audience cannot help but see the Siren’s as innocent creatures which are in need of saving. Lastly, Atwood uses numerous different literary techniques to convey Siren’s and their morals to the audience. Atwood uses polysyllabic vocabulary to portray a sense of intelligence hidden within the Siren’s. She says things like, “...Picturesque and mythical...” to show the audience that the Siren’s are smart and are talking to a specific person about saving them. This use of personal communication helps the audience see that Siren’s are smart and have very advanced methods of getting sailors to listen to their song and ultimately …show more content…
Despite this similarity, they both portray Siren’s very differently. Homer uses several techniques to portray that Siren’s are flat out evil and only want to kill ,no matter what. He shows Siren’s as creatures without souls nor intelligence. Atwood, on the other hand, displays Siren’s as intelligent and mischievous. Her portrayal of Siren’s has them using large words and personal language to make them seem as though they know each and every person and want them to die because of their song. Both of these authors successfully portray the way they view Siren’s and the ways that they trick nearby sailors into wrecking their ships and dying just to hear their beautiful