In Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus and his crew successfully pass the island of the sirens. The heroic accomplishment is narrated by Odysseus, who escapes the enchanting song of the Sirens. In contrast, in Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song”, a Siren narrates her perspective on luring many men to her island. Both poems highlight the powerful and irresistible song of the Sirens. Homer’s passage emphasizes the masculinity of men and display women as evil creatures.…
In “Homer’s Odyssey” the poem is told from Odysseus point of view. He portrays the Sirens as mysterious and luring. Circes advises Odysseus that the Sirens “spellbind any man alive, whoever comes their way.” Gaining this knowledge, Odysseus made his sailors plug their ears with beeswax so they would avoid hearing the thrilling songs of the Sirens. Odysseus was determined to hear the…
In the "Siren Song" there are three Sirens and in the "Odyssey" there are only two sirens. The Sirens in the "Odyssey" sing a song filled with passion and yearning to lure men to them. The Sirens in "Sirens Song" use a song of secrets to lure the men treacherously to their deaths.…
The Odyssey, penned by Homer, portrays the dangers of temptation by his creation of the Sirens and the Lotus Eaters. Both the Sirens and the Lotus Eaters “[show] no will to do [them] harm” (line #95). Though these creatures show no ill-will toward the crew, they both ultimately lead the crew down a treacherous path of temptation. Some of Odysseus's crew succumbs to the gentle lure and abandon all attempts to see home again by walking out the path of temptation. In “weaving a haunting song,” the Sirens draw the men into temptation by using physical beauty (line #691).…
In book twelve,the picture,and the poem about thee sirens are different and alike in many ways. The sirens can be described as noisy, irritating, and unusual. While the crewmen aren't listening to the sirens sing because they have ear plugs in and Odysseus is listening to the sirens because he feels as an leader he needs to. The painting communicates the idea that the sirens are birds singing. While book twelve communicates the idea that Odysseus talks about his journey and ends it with telling king Alcinous his tales.…
Through Odysseus' point of view, he senses pride and glory by listening to the sirens. Homer states, "So they sent their ravishing voices out across the air and the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer." The author portrays the Sirens as heart touching with their singing. With the imagery applied, Odysseus feels a sense of delighted emotions as he is intrigued by the Sirens. The way in which the Sirens voices are describes as "ravishing" also create a meaningful…
In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer utilizes plot to develop a major motif, the repercussions of succumbing to temptation. One of the most memorable instances when Odysseus gave into temptation was at the island of the cyclops. He gave into his curiosity and he entered the cyclops's home. The aggressive cyclops came home and ate multiple men. Odysseus’s lust for Kleos is also a temptation. He surrendered to it when he reveals his identity to Polyphemus, bringing the wrath of Poseidon upon him and his crew. Only Odysseus survived. Another example of Odysseus giving into temptation is the Siren ordeal, when he insisted on listening to the Siren's mesmerizing song. The crew were made to plug their ears, so that they could sail safely by the Sirens’…
In the story Odysseus by Homer in 800 B.C., the main protagonist encountered the mythical creatures known as sirens and heard their song of death and deception. This creature in greek mythology has not only been portrayed in Homer's work of course but also in Mary Atwood's poem the "Siren Song". Farther than an age apart, both works demonstrate what the sirens do and their song of death however, they do not portray the creature the same way.…
Odysseus put himself on the line to protect his men day in and day out. He knew about the Sirens and how perilous they are “ Then all at once the wind fell, and a calm came over all the sea, as though some power lulled the swell.” (Homer, The Odyssey part 2). The Sirens make men jump off their ship if they hear the beautiful breathtaking voices. Odysseus had his men tie him up to a pole on the ship and made his men put wax in their ears so they don’t hear the voices. His men would know when it was safe to take out the wax when Odysseus calms down and doesn’t move or do actions like he want’s to jump off the ship. This shows an infinite amount of leadership and bravery from Odysseus because he sacrificed himself for the good of his men. He…
Heroes are characterized by their intelligence and resourcefulness, strength, bravery, and loyalty. Based on this description, Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, is a hero. In the section “The Cyclops”, Odysseus represents these five characteristics in many forms. His bravery is shown when he approached the Cyclops, Polyphemus, while trapped in his cave, to yell about not obeying the gods’ rule of treating guests well, as he was not, to Odysseus and his men. A portion of what he told Polyphemus was, “We would entreat you, great sir, have a care for the gods’ courtesy; Zeus will avenge the unoffending guest.” While hollering at him, Odysseus was very much in danger of being eaten alive, being so close and yelling at…
Odysseus has been doing this through the whole book to his crew. The first major time was when he and his crew went into the cave of the cyclops. This next quote was right before Odysseus and his crew were going to stab the cyclopes in the eye. “‘Courage- no panic, no one hang back now!’”(9.422) Even thought they knew that they had to get out of that situation but yet he wanted to seem heroic but really he almost got everyone killed. This is also showing that he is just a guy that wants to to be know for saving everyone and not known for a good leader. My next quote comes from when Odysseus asks his crew to go into the woods to find Circe’s halls. None of the men want to go into the woods because they just got done with rowing a ship for days on days. Odysseus talks them into going into the woods finally but they don't want to. “And so, numbering off my band men-at-arms into two platoons...” (10.222-23) Odysseus had no clue what was going to be on the island but he sent out two groups of men to find out who lived on the island and if they could stay there. He has no clue of who lives here if they are nice or not so really he just a whole bunch of men into war empty handed. My finally quote is when he had to be the only man to live through the sirens. So he plugged ears of his crew members and had them tie him to then mass of the boat. “...I stopped the ears of my comrades one by one.”(12.193) Odysseus could have whent around the island but Odysseus had to be the greatest man alive to hear the Sirens and still be able to tell the…
How can one little song kill the bravest sailors? There are beautiful mythical creatures that are usually portrayed as birds or mermaids that attract innocent sailors by singing a song to lure sailors in to kill them. “The Sirens” and “Siren Song” both portray the Sirens and are part of the Odyssey. Although the two stories have many similarities, one of the stories is told by the Sirens perspective. That story is “Siren Song”.…
The sirens are portrayed differently in the Odyssey and in the “Siren Song”. The change of tone, point of view, and diction between the two sends a different portrayal of the sirens. The tone and point of view play a big roe in both of these writings. In the Odyssey the tone is suspenseful.…
A siren; part woman, part bird; a mythical creature who is one of many sea nymphs. Sirens can be portrayed differently as each author/artist creates a new profile for them in each of their pieces of art. Tone is created in the actions of the sirens in many different works like The Odyssey, by Homer, Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song,” and John William Waterhouse’s Ulysses and The Sirens. Some could be similar to others or they could differ. The sirens in the epic poem, The Odyssey; Margaret Atwood’s poem, “Siren Song;” and Waterhouse’s Ulysses and the Sirens all convey a specific tone that depicts the sirens as confident, threatening, and secretive.…
First, nearing the end of the Epic, Odysseus continues to use his intelligence to overcome obstacles and hardships. Upon one attempt to return home, Odysseus must pass the island of the Sirens. He has his men plug their ears with beeswax but not before he tells them his place in the plan: “Take me and bind me to the crosspiece half way up the mast; bind me as I stand upright, with a bond so fast that I cannot possibly break away, and lash the rope's ends to the mast itself. If I beg and pray you to set me free, then bind me more tightly still.” Even though Odysseus gives into the weakness of the sirens’ song, he is unable to escape from the bonds of the rope and his previous intelligence saves him. Once he arrives in Ithaca, Odysseus once again uses his intelligence to overcome his suitors and reclaim his estate. When he first encounters the people of his land, he wisely chooses to remain anonymous, avoiding an unplanned struggle or fight. Odysseus then reveals himself to his son and few servants to plan an attack on the suitors. At a contest to see if anyone can string Odysseus’s bow, the hero plans his attack after stringing the bow and firing on the suitors. His son and servants have the other arms and they massacre the entire group of suitors. This was one of Odysseus’s final acts of brilliance to conclude the epic.…