Thursday, May 2, 2013

AP Lit 2000 Exam, Question 1, Poem Comparison, Sirens


            The two different passages, The Odyssey and “Siren Song,” utilize two different points of view to portray the Sirens. In Homer’s Odyssey, the point of view is that of Odysseus trying to resist the Sirens, while in “Siren Song” the point of view is that of the Sirens trying to take advantage of passing sailors. Taking the point of view of Odysseus, The Odyssey portrays the Sirens as awful beings that destroy sailors. On the other hand, “Siren Song,” taking the point of view of the Sirens portrays the Sirens as innocent and victimized yet manipulative as well.
            The passage from Homer’s Odyssey focuses mainly on how Odysseus prepares himself and his crew for the passing of the Sirens. Odysseus “stopped the ears of [his] comrades one by one” with wax (Odyssey 7).  Filling the ears with wax, acting as earplugs, indicates the irresistible nature of the Sirens if heard.  Also, the crew “bound [Odysseus] hand and foot in the tight ship – erect at the mast-block, lashed by ropes to the mast” (Odyssey 8-9). The fact that Odysseus has the crew tie him up also portrays the irresistible nature of the Sirens; Odysseus knows that if he hears the Sirens, even though he knows they are pure evil, he will not be able to resist them and will become yet another victim of the Sirens. Through the utilization of Odysseus’ point of view, the passage from Homer’s Odyssey portrays the Sirens as purely evil beings who are irresistible to even the strongest of men.
            “Siren Song,” as opposed to Homer’s Odyssey, focuses on the Siren’s point of view. The poem portrays the Sirens, in the majority of the poem, to be innocent, victimized, and in need of help. The Siren says, “will you get me out of this bird suit? / I don’t enjoy it here / squatting on this island … I don’t enjoy singing” (“Siren Song” 11-17). Through the use of asking for help and stating things that the Siren does not enjoy, the Siren portrays herself as an innocent victim in need of saving, and pleads to the strong sailors to help her. This portrayal seems contrary to that of Homer’s Odyssey, that is until the end of the poem when the Siren says, “Alas / it is a boring song / but it works every time” (“Siren Song” 25-27). These last few lines indicate that the entire poem is in fact the song that the Sirens use to seduce sailors into jumping overboard to their deaths. This manipulative portrayal, the true portrayal of the Sirens, is in agreement with the portrayal in Homer’s Odyssey, but in contrast with the portrayal in the majority of “Siren Song.” However, the innocent and victimized portrayal in the majority of “Siren Song” aligns with the manipulative and irresistible portrayals due to the usage of the innocent and victimized view to accomplish the manipulative goals. The Sirens make the strong sailors believe that they are in need of rescuing and play to the egos of the sailors by making the sailors out to be the only ones capable of saving the Sirens. In doing so, the chivalrous nature of the sailors makes them feel obliged to help the Sirens, but once they jump overboard to help the Sirens they then die due to the fact that the Sirens manipulated the sailors by taking on an innocent and victimized façade.