Odyssey/Siren Song Essay

Homers epic poem Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus encounter with the witchs and their deadly song which is shown in Margaret Atwoods poem Siren Song. When comparing each text, it is found that the Sirens are lay outed as temptresses that trap you with their beautiful, h atomic number 53yed voices.The smell in the epic poem is bright in the beginning when Homer writes Helios burning rays and the sun at high noon. As the poem progresses, it takes on an ominous tone that shows Odysseus self-control as he stops the ears of his comrades one by one with beeswax. He also has his men bind him hand and foot in the tight shiplashed by ropes to the mast. These two examples show Odysseus fighting against his impulse to listen to the Sirens song.When Homer writes and the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer it shows how very hard it is for Odysseus to ignore the Sirens call. In Margaret Atwoods poem, the tone that is set is one of bereavement. The three Sirens understand that they are beautiful and that their call is tempting to every man but they consider the song as a cry for help. The Siren that is speaking in Siren Song refers to her trio as fatal and valuable.Imagery is used in both of the texts to portray the Sirens as beautiful women. For example, from Homers first-person point of view, they have honeyed and ravishing voices, and from Atwoods first-person point of view, the Siren speaks of the trio as picturesque and mythical. The Siren that is speaking in Atwoods poem refers to her trip as feathery maniacs. The imagery in this poem makes you pick up a subtle tone that the Sirens are like temptresses. They reel in the men with their gorgeous, tricky call even though the men can see the beached skull which symbolizes their fate of death. Their song may be boring but, in the Sirens words, it works every time.