A comparison of the Sirens in "the Odyssey" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
The Sirens in the Odyssey and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Men have been having problems with women for centuries. Some women yell, some of them are moody, and some lure in men with their singing so that they can be killed. The Sirens in the Odyssey and in O Brother, Where Art Thou? are very similar in the way that they are portrayed. While they do have some differences (they can’t just be the exact same thing), they are more or less the same. This paper should hopefully explain how they are different and similar. Singing is one of the major traits of the Sirens in all interpretations of the Odyssey. Obviously, the Sirens were fantastic singers, as they can make men do things that they wouldn’t otherwise do. But in both versions, there are different things that happen to the men. In the epic, men are lured in and, well, killed. In the movie, the Sirens got Odysseus and co. drunk until they passed out. They also turned in Pete to the police for a reward (while Elmer thought he was turned into a toad). Beauty is in the inside, but it helps to not be a half-bird, half-woman monster. Well, that’s only in the poem. In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Sirens are actually very beautiful women. Part of the charm in the movie is that they look and sound very amazing. In the Odyssey, no self respecting man would touch those things with a ten foot pole. The Sirens obviously sing songs, as they are in fact SINGERS. However, there are two different versions of the song. In the poem, the song is stroking the sailors’ ego and complimenting them on themselves. Whereas in the film, the Sirens sing “You plus me and the devil make three.”, which is not only highly creepy, but also very different than the original song. The Sirens always had a knack for tricking men. Odysseus and Everett are two very intelligent men. Odysseus was always known for his cunning. Everett was sent to jail for practicing law without a license, which is still no small feat. But, they both