Odyssey by Homer

In Greek mythology, a popular topic was that of the sirens and how they use their song to lure in sailors to their island. The excerpt of Odyssey by Homer uses very revering imagery to describe the song of the sirens, whereas the “Siren Song” uses a rather antagonistic form of imagery. Along with the contrasting uses of imagery, both the tone and the point of view differ in substance. Homer has a very admiring tone towards the sirens, which he expresses through his first person encounter as a sailor, while the “Siren Song” employs a hateful tone that is expressed through the point of view of a siren (first person).

The imagery of the two passages differ in the respect that Homer reveres the song of the sirens while the siren in “Siren Song” directly contrasts the reverence of Homer by providing very antagonizing imagery towards her duty. In Odyssey, Homer expresses his admiration for the sirens by exclaiming “...was racing past and burst into their high, thrilling song.” Using words such as “thrilling” allows the author to express his admiration subtly through the use of careful diction. While Atwood, in Siren Song uses imagery to express the provocative attitude of the Sirens, in which Atwood explains that “the song(Siren’s Song) is irresistible: the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons.” This is Atwood describing the seductive nature of the Siren’s Song.

The tone of the passages very contrasting. Homer explores an admiring tone while the siren speaks of her duties in a very despicable, hateful tone. Although the sirens song is deadly, Odysseus still finds the song very appealing. Evident by his exclamation of, “... and the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer.”, emphasizing his infatuation with the beauty of the song. On the contrary, the Siren has a very strong disliking for the song that she is singing. She states, “I don’t enjoy singing.”, which could be seen