Analysis of Margaret Atwood's "Siren Song"
Mak Wing Lam, Amber
ENGE 1320
Dr. Suzanne Wong
27 February 2015
The Cage-Bound Bird
In Greek mythology, there are half-bird half-woman creatures called Sirens who use their wonderful singing voice to lure sailors to jump into the sea and drown. “Siren Song”, a poem by Margaret Atwood, is a retelling of the classic Greek tale from the Sirens’ perspective. In the poem, one of the Sirens complains to the reader about her situation. She is assigned by gods to stay on a secluded island along with two other Sirens, with nothing to do but obey her duty of enchanting sailors over and over again. Deprived of liberty to break free from this restraining position, the Siren expresses her exasperation and frustration, and requests help from the reader. However, as the poem unfolds, her cry for help turns out to also be a trick to lure unassuming men to her rescue. At the end of the day, she is unable to leave her designated role. Through the depiction of a desperate Siren, the writer is hinting at the difficulties faced by women in real life as well. Women are constrained by plenty of societal expectations and roles imposed upon them, just like the Sirens. For instance, in the workplace, it is less common and expected for women to take on advanced or managerial positions; in the household, they are the housekeeper and caregiver; in a romantic relationship, they are expected to be submissive and visually pleasant, etc. It can be difficult and frustrating to break free from these expectations. The poem is about the distress a woman experiences about being stuck in a designated role and trying to break free. This distress is caused by the reluctance of having to give up the mental comfort provided by following her role, the fear of betraying her group, and the lack of ability and means to break free from her designated role. Firstly, although part of the speaker wants to be liberated from her fixed role, she is reluctant to abandon the sense of comfort and fulfillment she feels
ENGE 1320
Dr. Suzanne Wong
27 February 2015
The Cage-Bound Bird
In Greek mythology, there are half-bird half-woman creatures called Sirens who use their wonderful singing voice to lure sailors to jump into the sea and drown. “Siren Song”, a poem by Margaret Atwood, is a retelling of the classic Greek tale from the Sirens’ perspective. In the poem, one of the Sirens complains to the reader about her situation. She is assigned by gods to stay on a secluded island along with two other Sirens, with nothing to do but obey her duty of enchanting sailors over and over again. Deprived of liberty to break free from this restraining position, the Siren expresses her exasperation and frustration, and requests help from the reader. However, as the poem unfolds, her cry for help turns out to also be a trick to lure unassuming men to her rescue. At the end of the day, she is unable to leave her designated role. Through the depiction of a desperate Siren, the writer is hinting at the difficulties faced by women in real life as well. Women are constrained by plenty of societal expectations and roles imposed upon them, just like the Sirens. For instance, in the workplace, it is less common and expected for women to take on advanced or managerial positions; in the household, they are the housekeeper and caregiver; in a romantic relationship, they are expected to be submissive and visually pleasant, etc. It can be difficult and frustrating to break free from these expectations. The poem is about the distress a woman experiences about being stuck in a designated role and trying to break free. This distress is caused by the reluctance of having to give up the mental comfort provided by following her role, the fear of betraying her group, and the lack of ability and means to break free from her designated role. Firstly, although part of the speaker wants to be liberated from her fixed role, she is reluctant to abandon the sense of comfort and fulfillment she feels