Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song” is a short poem that takes Homer’s original Sirens from the myth and gives one of them a modern voice. Recall that Odysseus’s men tie him to the ship preventing his hearing the irresistable song of the Sirens, which lead to a listener’s death.
In a sarcastic but world-weary tone (”Alas”) the Siren/speaker is talking to a potential victim. He is listening and therefore cannot resist: he has heard the song. But what is this song? Notice how the Siren leads her victim down the slippery slope of flattery and damsel-in-distress cajoling to achieve her purpose. She whines about her outfit, her companions (there were three Sirens often depicted as birds,) and her desires to flee. He falls like a rock. She finds the process effective, but boring. She is used to seeing men leap overboard “in squadrons” to get to her. It’s her life.
Atwood may be saying that the seduction process is so certain that it’s “boring.” And even though there are the “bleached skulls on the beach,” the happy candidate slated for death marches on to the lyrical song of the Siren, symbolic, of course, of the archetypal lure of the deadly female — the femme fatale.
Here’s a link. Give this one a read.
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/siren-song/
Deconstruction fun with “There was once”
May 12, 2008 · 1 Comment
Margaret Atwood’s poetry and fiction are among the best. My first encounter was The Robber Bride, followed by The Handmaid’ Tale, Alias Grace, The Blind Assassin, and Oryx and Crake in that order, I think. Most of these were published in the ‘9o’s. They are not “light” reads. Atwood’s worldview sometimes conflicts with mine, but she is insightful and tells her captivating stories with masterful style.
She’s often satirical as in the terse “You fit into me:”
You fit into me
like a hook into an eye
A fish hook
An open eye
I like her penchant for the unexpected, the unconventional, the twist. Her ear for speech is superb. And in this dialogue poem — “There was once” — she’s at her best. She employs the humble fairy tale to satirize political correctness and more. It’s not public domain, but I’ve linked to the Mississippi Review’s online copy, right after the “Bad News” short. Read it in the characters’ voice, and I promise it will be worth the extra click.
(I’ve posted on her “Siren Song.”)
Categories: English matters · Poetry essays/criticism · Social commentary
Tagged: Atwood, English, fairy tale, language, lesson plan, literature, poetry, political correctness, satire, society, There was once, writing