Mona Hossain
Ahmed Negm
Sayyada Rai
Alexis Wheatstone
Mrs. Price
June 1, 2009
The Siren Song
Since the beginning of time, women have often been objectified as frail, beautiful,
sexually alluring creatures, with no other object or design but that of enticing men. The Siren
Song, by Margaret Atwood, addresses the way in which women use this stereotype of their own
sex to their advantage in attracting men, feigning vulnerability, making a man feel unique,
calling out to him for help, and then trapping him. This is depicted through the way in which the
speaker addresses the reader; she first engages them with the mystery of the Siren’s song,
alluring them further with the promise of a secret she will tell to only them. Similar to the way in
which a woman would attract a man, the speaker feigns weakness, calling out to the reader for
help, and then entrapping them. The Siren song alludes to the myth of Ulysses, by Homer, in
which Sirens are the woman headed, bird bodied creatures that sit on their Island, and lure sailors
to their death with their beautiful song. According to The Odyssey, Ulysses, aware of the danger
as his ship approaches the Island of Sirens, gives his shipmen wax to put in their ears, and to
prevent himself from steering toward the Island and crashing into the deadly rocks which
surround it, has his shipmen tie him to the front of the mast. In this way, Odysseus and his ship
successfully passed the Island of Sirens. This allusion to the mythical sirens is evidently a
microcosm for the power of feminine allure, an idea which Atwood satirizes in The Siren Song.
Throughout the poem Siren Song by Margaret Atwood, imagery is used to emphasize the
feminist subtext in this poem. For example, in the second stanza, the speaker uses imagery to
describe the danger of the song, the alluring and irresistible siren song which eventually leads to
a sailor's death. “Forces men to leap overboard in squadrons even though they see the beached
skulls.” This quotation clearly shows the power that the song has; its beauty makes the sailors
leap overboard and rush to the island, disregarding the dangers such as “beached skulls”, and the
rocks surrounding the Island. The speaker is warning the reader of the danger they will face if
they allow themselves to be lured in, just as how the sailor was warned before reaching the
island. As the poem carries on, the reader becomes further engaged by the speaker, feeling
allured and anticipating the secret which the speaker promises to reveal. In the fourth stanza, the
speaker attempts to be creating a bond with the reader, flattering him/her, and personalizing the
poem as though she is talking specifically to the reader, further engaging the reader by saying,
“will you get me out of this bird suit”? I will tell the secret to you, to you, only to you”. The
“bird suit” refers to the myth of Odysseus once more, in which the sirens were described three
creatures who were part woman, and part bird. The speaker further goes on to cry out to the
reader for help, evoking in the reader a feeling of pity for the speaker, as the siren song would in
the sailors, causing them to rush eagerly towards their death. Further on, imagery is used to
describe the beauty of the siren, “squatting on this island looking picturesque and mythical”. This
displays the Sirens as objects for display, designed to lure men in, just like the beauty of a
female. Finally, pity is evoked in the reader for the speaker once more with the lines “with these
two feathery maniacs. I don't enjoy singing this trio, fatal and valuable in this way, the speaker
cunningly convinces the reader that she is vulnerable and in need of the reader’s help, eventually
luring them in to their destruction. Throughout these various uses of imagery, Atwood depicts
there is a sexual/feminist connotation behind the myth of the Siren. Imagery is used to emphasize
the theme of feminine allure, the power female posses in attracting men and having their bidding
done, simply by feigning vulnerability, and promising a secret in a satirical tone. In addition,
with the use of words like “picturesque and mythical” as the speaker describes herself, Margaret
Atwood suggests that women will always be objectified as sexually appealing, physically
beautiful things, but also satirizing the way in which women often use this predicament to their
advantage.
In this poem, Atwood satirizes not only the sirens from Homer’s myth, but the way in
which women use the generalization that they are frail, sexually appealing creatures, to their
advantage, attracting men with their beauty and helplessness. This is shown through the way in
which the speaker entraps and engages the reader by inviting them in, singling them out as a
unique individual, calling out to them for help: “ I will tell the secret to you, only to you “ ( lines
19-20),just as a siren would sing to the sailors, and a woman would attract a man. The speaker
tricks the reader as a siren would the sailors, by engaging them with the promise of a secret, then
entrapping them further as she feigns vulnerability. The speaker puts on an almost desperate tone
while they are speaking specifically to the reader in the third through to the seventh stanza, as we
see words such as “will you get me out?” “I don’t enjoy” “a cry for help”. These further make it
evident that the speaker is trying to engage the reader by playing the role of distressed,
vulnerable female. Satire is emphasized with the shift in tone in the last stanza to a
condescending or patronizing tone when the speaker says “it is a boring song but it works every
time.” (Lines 26-27), signifying that the speaker has trapped the reader, no longer feigning
helplessness. The patronizing tone is emphasized further, because the speaker is also bored with
their station in luring sailors to their death, and readers to the end, through the use of words such
as “Alas” and “boring song”. Evidently, the speaker has trapped countless readers in the same
way, alas, “it is a boring song but it works every time”. Atwood also suggests a
feminist tone in the poem, by portraying the sirens in as powerful, cunning creatures, who can
attract men simply by feigning vulnerability, calling out for help to the sailors, making them feel
unique and needed, and leading them to their deaths.
Although the poem alludes to the myth of Odysseus, the dominant theme in Siren Song
lies underneath it; it is the power of female attraction. Atwood is suggesting and moreover
satirizing, that through the ages, women have been stereotyped, objectified as creatures who are
only physically beautiful and insipid, that they are designed only for the sexual pleasure of men,
but however, some women, like the sirens in Homer’s myth have used this stereotype to their
personal advantage in a way that is empowering to females. Such a theme reflects the media of
today; in movies, music and television, women are seen using their physical beauty to attract
males, convincing them to do their bidding. Such displays have had a profound effect on the
females of today’s youth, who subjugate themselves to the same type of predicament. Atwood is
evidently aware of this underestimation of the female mind, and satirizes the way in which
women use this stereotype to their personal advantage.