Female Stereotypes In Margaret Atwood's Siren Song

Adept Deceiver Margaret Atwood, author of “Siren Song”, is regarded as one of Canada’s finest living writers. When asked why a numerous amount of her poems and other short stories revolved around feminism, she responded with a simple statement, “I began to do what all poets do, describe the world around me.”(Poetry Foundation). By having the poem being told to a man, from the perspective of a woman, Atwood is better able to incorporate her views into the piece. By doing so, Atwood uses the poem “Siren Song” to criticize female stereotypes of both the Ancient Greece in which the poem takes place, and those of the 1970’s, when the poem was written (Santos Scholars). She uses the character of the siren to describe the strength and ability …show more content…
In “Siren Song,” Margret Atwood uses loaded language and symbolism to establish the role human emotions play in deception. The pathos used in “Siren Song” forms a connection between the poem and the real world while developing the tone. Without the emotions of humanity, the Siren Song would not be successful. In the first stanza of the poem, Atwood automatically develops a mood of anticipation and suspense; “This is the one song everyone, / would like to learn: the song, / that is irresistible:” (Line 1-3). After reading this, the audience’s attention is captivated, and they are anticipating learning the more about the song. In stanza four, the speaker is talking to the reader directly, “Shall I tell you the secret, / and if I do, …show more content…
“The song that forces men, / to leap overboard in squadrons, / even though they see beached skulls.”(4-6); the author is saying the song is so intriguing, even though the men see the skulls on the island, they continue to leap towards it. Atwood uses the word “force” as if resisting the song is impossible. The inveigle language of the siren has the men under a trance because of how enchanting it is to their ears. In stanza 3, Atwood associates the siren song with death, foreshadowing the denouement of the poem. “The song nobody knows, / because anyone who has heard it, / is dead…” (7-9), that should be an instinctive warning that something is amiss, but the speaker uses a shift to move the audience’s attention from the song to the siren herself. Atwood describes the siren as discontent with her life, “I don’t enjoy it here, / squatting on this island, / looking picturesque and mythical…” (13-15). The siren is being mendacious. The image she portrays to have of herself helps play into the effectiveness of the deceptive Siren Song. It entitles the audience to let their guard down, because they believe she is truly unhappy. If the siren was to say she relished in her lifestyle, it would cause the audience to be more suspicious of her ulterior motive. Another example of exemplar diction is in Stanza 7, “I will tell the secret to you, / to you, only to you. / come

Show More

Female Stereotypes In Margaret Atwood's Siren Song

Related Documents: Female Stereotypes In Margaret Atwood's Siren Song

Whale Rider Odyssey