Poem Analysis Numero Uno!!!

Siren Song

By: Margaret Atwood

poem number 201. 

This is the one song everyone

would like to learn: the song

that is irresistible:

the song that forces men

to leap overboard in squadrons

even though they see the beached skulls

the song nobody knows

because anyone who has heard it

is dead, and the others can't remember.

Shall I tell you the secret

and if I do, will you get me

out of this bird suit?

I don't enjoy it here

squatting on this island

looking picturesque and mythical

with these two feathery maniacs,

I don't enjoy singing

this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,

to you, only you.

Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!

Only you, only you can,

you are unique

at last. Alas

It is a boring song

but it works every time.

Allusion

One of the literary devices in this poem is the allusion to the three sirens in Greek Mythology that were called Seirenes. The Sirens were given the body of birds, this is what Atwood refers to when the speaker says "bird suit" and "feathery maniacs". The sirens would sing songs to entice sailors to come closer to the island they lived on, then the sirens would drown their victims. The knowledge of this story helps to create an image of three creatures that lure passing sailors into their web with song. You know the Siren's intentions as soon as you read the title, but Atwood's twist makes the speaker seem as though she is unhappy and needs help. The speaker lures the passing sailor into her trap by making him feel unique and special by saying that he is the only one that can save her. The speaker gains the sailor's trust by enticing him with secret, forbidden knowledge of the Siren's song, but in the end the secret song was the one she has sung to him. 

Repetition

Another literary device in this poem is the repetition of the words only you. It gives the sense of the speakers urgency and desperation to be freed from the island, even if these feelings are fake. Actually many pieces of this poem are repeated to create the emotions of desperation and urgency which help the Siren's song become more believable. For example the words "I don't" are repeated,  " I don't enjoy it here" (13), and "I don't enjoy singing" (17), this helps the Siren seem innocent and it helps to hide the fact that she is the predator and the sailor the prey.

Reflection

I picked this poem because it reminded me of a song about someone lying to the singer like a Siren lies to the Sailors. After reading this poem I realized that there was similarity between the two, but I also thought of Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale and its feminist qualities. So after reading the poem again and a few moments of thought I realized that this poem could also be about feminism. The Siren could be portrayed as a "Damsel in distress" that men, the sailor, think need help getting out of their "bird suit". When actually the "Damsel in distress" is capable of handling the problem on her own, shown through the fact that her task was accomplished by the end of the poem. Also the line "looking picturesque and mythical" (15) makes me think that Atwood was saying that women are not some object to look at, they have brains and are just as smart and clever as men. I cannot tie the rest of the poem to this theme so I believe they are more qualities of the poem that can be interpreted this way instead of the whole poem.