Siren Song by Margaret Atwood

1.  Original Text

This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:

the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls

the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique

at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.

2. Reaction to the poem

My first impression was that this poem was about a woman who tells a man who is trying to court her not to come. She warns him that the men who have come for her are either dead or so scared that they forgot about her. No matter how hard she tries to warn him, he comes to her and let’s himself be immersed in her allure. She begs him to free her of this curse, but when he comes to her, he is destroyed just like the other men before him. At the end of the poem she gives up and allows him to be destroyed, saying that the song isn’t worth it but works every time.

3. Paraphrase the poem

Everybody wants to learn

this song: the song

that no one can resist:                                                                                                                 

the song that makes men

to leave safety and homes in flocks

even if they’ve witnessed the skeletons of others

the song no one has ever learned

because anyone who’s ever listened to it

is dead, and those who aren’t, can’t remember it.

Should I tell you the song’s secret

And what will you do for me if I do, can you get me

out of this curse?

I don’t like doing this to people

living in this jail

looking like a drawing and impossible to exist

with these crazy looking birds,

I hate being a part of and singing with

this group, deadly and expensive.

I’ll tell you the secret of the song,

just you, only you can,

Come close to me. This song

is me begging for help: Save me!

Just you, you alone can,

you are different

finally. Sadly,

this song is really lame

but it never stops them for coming.

 4. SWIFTT
SW = Syntax/Word Choice

                The author choice in words is extremely clever in some cases. For example, the author uses the word irresistible to show that it is impossible to move away and leave the island. The author also uses the word squatted to show that it is actually a bird-like creature sitting on the island. “Help me!” allows the reader to see that the siren is trying to act weak in front of her prey. The author uses the word unique to let it show that the siren is flattering the men by telling them that they aren’t actually being lured in because they are different.

I = Imagery

Margaret Atwood uses many choice words and phrases to allow readers to picture parts of the poem. The first would be “squadron” and “beached skulls”, which allow readers to imagine men jumping from ships in throngs and passing numerous other dead men on beaches. Atwood also uses the words “bird suit” and “feathery maniacs” to allow readers to fully imagine how the sirens look.

F = Figurative Language

There aren’t many instances in which Atwood uses figurative language but there are some cases. One would be when the siren asks to be free of a “bird suit”, which could be alluring to the curse that was put on them. The other time would be when she talks of “feathery maniacs” she is talking about sirens who are mythical creature who lure in men with their song.

T = Tone

                The tone of the poem is at first calm and sad at the stupidity of men who will never stop till they die. As the poem goes on the tone begins to become manipulative and pitiful because the siren is asking for help even though the person will die no matter what. At the very end of the poem, the tone turns neutral and evil with a sinister feeling when the siren says that the song always works.

T = Theme

                The theme of “Siren Song” is to never trust those who have certain reputations for destroying those around them. The theme is centered around the song of the siren and how it lures in men who think they must save or help the siren when, actually, they are going to their graves.

5. Conclusion

                Parts of my initial reaction were incorrect. Instead of alluding to a woman who was being courted by throngs of men, the narrator was actually a siren who was luring in men by pretending to ask for help and telling them that everything was okay because they were different. I thought that the bird suit was some sort of bad history, but it was actually a curse that had sentenced the siren to the island to forever bring men to their deaths.