Odysseus In The Siren Song

In Homer's epic, the "Odyssey", the hero, Odysseus, encounters the Sirens and their deadly song. Odysseus in the is the only one in his crew to listen to the enchanting song of the Sirens and gives his portrayal of the Sirens. And in Margaret Atwood's "Siren Song", she conveys the point of view of the Sirens to her audience. Through Homer's and Atwood's use of diction and point of view in their literary pieces they are able to exemplify their perspective of the Sirens.

In the "Odyssey", Odysseus and his crew speed towards the Siren's Island, he readies his crew by placing beeswax on their ears so that they do not hear the song of the Sirens. Odysseus is then bounded to the ship and heroically listens to the enchanting song. "So they sent their ravishing voices out across the air and the heart inside of me throbbed to listen longer", Odysseus finds the song of the Sirens charming and enchanting. He wants to continue to listen to the beautiful song of the Sirens, even though it would lead to his death. Through his use of diction Homer is able to
And unlike the Odyssey, which portrays the Sirens as deadly alluring creatures, Atwood portrays the Sirens as a bored and unsatisfied creatures that are miserable on Siren Island. "I don't enjoy it here/ squatting on this island/ looking picturesque and mythical/ with these two feathery maniacs/ I don't enjoy singing", the author presents this perspective to contrast with Homer's portrayal. Through her use of poetic diction she is able to establish a different point of view of the Sirens, a more human point of view rather than a mythical one.

Both the "Odyssey" and the "Siren Song" present two different perspectives of the Sirens. Homer portrays the Sirens as mythical enchanting creatures that lure men to their death. Margaret in comparison portrays the Sirens as an unhappy woman in a bird