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.
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