Analysis of Margaret Atwoods

A detailed Summary of Analysis of Margaret Atwoods

From its undistinguished title and neat, fluid three-line stanzas Margaret Atwood's "Siren Song" permits the reader to clearly and accurately absorb her theme. Yet, her allusion to Homer's great work, the "Odyssey", requires the reader to know the importance of the charming song of the fabled Sirens. First referenced in Greek mythology, the Sirens were sea nymphs blessed with an inviting song of intoxicating voice that lured sailors to their deaths. Atwood uses this mythical image to provide the foundation upon which she builds the subject of her poem. She illuminates the relationship between temptation and the price of fulfilling it. Her attempt might be directed appropriately to the nature of the male ego (Homer's victims were, of course, men) or determined to encompass all who face temptation. Whether it is a married man facing a tempting adulteress, a junkie with a sweet needle loaded in her hand, or a reader engrossed in poetic verse, temptation, unchecked, can crash a victim upon its' shores. Void of a complex or ambiguous title, she clearly presents the subject matter in the same manner.

In the last third of the poem, the fluidity of verse encourages a sense of urgency and desperation. Atwood heightens the reader's anticipation: "I will tell the secret to you." The Siren floods her pleading with the word "you" six separate times in the last third of the poem. As a poetic device, this repetition demands special attention; the word "you" is hypnotically used in rapid-fire succession. As the verbiage mesmerizes the reader, the Siren surreptitiously issues the command to "come closer" with a gentle, enticing air. Thus, the reader is drawn towards the edge of his temptation, or the anti-climax of incitement. Atwood's last stanza emphasizes that the result is always the same. No matter how enticing, how promising, how safe the temptation reveals itself to be, it always ends the same way: badly-just another "beached skull."

Atwood teases the reader by provocatively describing the song as "irresistible" in the first stanza. Like the lure of the Sirens themselves, Atwood provides an almost sensual intrigue to continue reading by asserting the song "forces men" to their fates. She further entices the audience by inferring the "beached skulls" are the remnants of those that have passed and failed this temptation before. In third stanza At

Some common words found in the essay are:
Homer's Odyssey, Siren's Song, Margaret Atwood, Siren Song, , tell secret, don't enjoy, song irresistible, song forces, beached skulls, fatal valuable, third poem, secret siren, sirens themselves,

Approximate Word count = 852
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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