Prashanth+V.

"Siren Song"

By: Margaret Atwood



Project By: Prashanth Venkataraman

VOICETHREAD LINK: http://voicethread.com/share/1621416/

Song and men that leap overboard – mysteriousness of the song Overall Theme: The true reason for the hopeless yet intriguing cry of the Siren is an SOS. ||
 * **T** || Title |||||||| The title of the poem automatically tells the reader that the poem is describing a sound. The reader is still not aware that the poem is about Sirens, objects of Greek mythology, but that it is a well-known sound. The reader recognizes that it is a well-known song, one for which Atwood does not think it necessary to define. ||
 * **P** || Paraphrase |||||||| The poem is about Greek mythological creatures, Sirens. They sit on a lone island and sing their beautiful song, one so alluring that men jump off their ship and swim over only to be cannibalized by these half women-half bird creatures. The poem describes the true reason behind the song: a cry for help. Atwood tells this as if it is a great secret, talking to the reader as a Siren herself. ||
 * **C** || Connotation |||||||| The poem analyzes a Greek myth and fully provides reasoning for it. Atwood takes on the point of view of a Siren and explains her and her sisters’ beautiful, yet sorrowful song. She explains it in a suspenseful way and reveals the reasoning behind the cry only at the termination of the poem. ||
 * || **Allusion –** The entire poem is an allusion. The poem alludes to Greek mythology (described in Homer’s The Odyssey) and describes well-known creatures of Greek myths, explaining their reason for their cry. || **Suspenseful Rhetorical Questions –** There are a series of rhetorical questions Atwood asks the reader. “Shall […] the secret?” This was done to further increase the marvel around such an appealing song. She is inducing more astonishment from the reader in the phenomenon. || **Enjambment** – Enjambment is utilized in almost every line. This was used to give the poem a free feel. It gives the reader the sense that in fact a story is being told by Atwood. The poet’s lack of punctuation further entices the reader to read on without the usual breaks characteristic to poetry. || **Lack of Rhyme** – The lack of rhyme also provides for the same free nature of the poem the enjambment serves to achieve. There is no rhythm or beat to the poem and the reader is left reading on until he/she learns the “secret.” || **Lack of a Narrative Structure** – Atwood does not use an exposition, body, and conclusion structure. In fact, she just starts with “This is the one song everyone/ would like to learn.” This takes the reader right to the climax, immediately grabbing the attention and carrying it on until finally revealing the “secret” near the end. ||
 * **A** || Attitude |||||||| The poet hides her identity, only providing clues to the reader throughout the poem. The reader can finally conclude that the speaker is a Siren with her pleas to be “out of this bird suit.” The speaker feels regret that she is trapped with her two other sirens, continuously crying out to sailors. The author’s attitude is one of irony: Sirens are seen as horrible beasts, with an inhumane craving for human meat, but Atwood reveals the perspective of the Sirens and their true reason for their cry. ||
 * **S** || Shifts |||||||| The major shift is between lines 9 and 10. The speaker shifts from describing the song and its mysterious history to finally taking on the point of view of a Siren. She directly addresses the reader from this point with the rhetorical question of “Shall I tell you the secret and if I do, will you get me out of this bird suit?” ||
 * **T** || Theme |||||||| Siren – help and true reason behind song
 * **T** || Title |||||||| The title serves to introduce the allusion to Greek mythology, also to introduce the overall subject of the poem: The Siren’s Song. ||

Siren Song Speech Now I’m going to start analyzing the poem. First, even from reading the first stanza, the reader immediately notices the lack of rhyme, rhythm, exposition, and other elements of poetry written by Shakespeare, Keats, and other poets. Atwood does this on purpose, utilizing enjambment almost after every line. This is a key feature she uses to create the suspense and lure the reader into finding out the “secret.” Also, she does not start with an exposition or setting to the poem. Immediately beginning with “This is the one song everyone would like to learn” serves to immediately capture the reader’s attention – almost using a bandwagon persuasion technique. The beginning of the poem is devoted to the background of the myth and the song. Atwood introduces the song’s mysteriousness and appeal. She also notes how men lust for these women, following their beautiful voices only to face death. However, throughout all of this, the identity of the speaker is hidden until the major shift in line 9. She starts the shift with a suspenseful rhetorical question, further giving the reader a reason to read on. The reader is psychologically motivated to read the end of the poem, just to find out the “secret” behind the song. At this shift, the speaker is revealed with the plea to the reader to get her “out of this bird suit.” The attitude of the speaker is sorrowful, yet informative. The seductiveness of the words such as “picturesque” and “mythical” grabs the attention of the reader, much like the Siren Song itself.  Even near the end of the poem, the speaker continues to gather interest from the reader by claiming “only you” can help her. She makes it seem like a direct communication between the speaker and the reader, making the reader give his or her utmost attention Atwood finishes the poem with the secret, maintaining the reader’s interest throughout its entirety. Finally, the message behind the Siren Song is revealed. Atwood’s final note is on how effectively the song captures any man’s attention, as did the poem to the reader.
 * Slide 5 **:
 * Slide 6 **: