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Weaving symbolism in the odyssey
The sirens odyssey symbolize
Compare and contrast the sirens in the odyssey and the siren song
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The Odyssey, by Homer, and the “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood both portray the sirens as irresistible, while using differents points of view and forms of imagery. In both of the poems, the sirens are portrayed as irresistible, which allows them to lure men to their death with their song extremely easily. Although, the imagery used in both poems is very different. In the Odyssey, the voices of the sirens are described as “lovely” which made him “crave” to listen to their dangerous song (Homer 745-746). This imagery depicts the sirens as charming and tempting since Odyssey is so intrigued by them. However, the tone of the “Siren Song’ is pitiful. Atwood portrays the sirens as helpless and makes it clear that they do not “enjoy it here” (Atwood
13). Even though the tones are contrasting, both of them indicate to the reader that the sirens are impossible to resists. To continue, the point of view vary an exceptional amount. The Odyssey, the poem is being told from Odysseus’ point of view. In the Odyssey, the voices of the sirens made Odysseus “crave to listen,” which shows how much power they had over this man (Homer 746). On the contrary, the “Siren Song” is told by one of the sirens. The siren intrigues the men by convincing them that they are “unique” and the only one who can save her. Therefore, the points of view are very different, while still making it clear that the sirens have an extremely amount of control over the men. Overall, The Odyssey, by Homer, and the “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood both portray the sirens as irresistible, even though they are using different points of view and imagery.
The story of Odysseus' encounter with the Sirens and their enchanting but deadly song appears in Greek epic poetry in Homers Odyssey. The Sirens in the ‘Siren Song’ by Margaret Atwood,are portrayed in a variety of ways. The Sirens are lethal,underprivileged and deluding.
Tens of thousands of stories fit into the hero’s journey archetype created by Christopher Volger. Out of these, a large number of them are stories with remakes that share notable resemblances in their heroes’ journeys. However, none of these quite match those very strong similarities found between Homer’s The Odyssey and Joel Coens’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? These stories share crucial components of the hero’s journey whether it be “crossing the first threshold,” where the main characters of both stories begin their long adventure that transforms them into heroes; “the supreme ordeal,” where the main characters are both deprived of the opportunity to get home sooner; or “return with elixir,” where Odysseus and Ulysses both return to their homes alive the comfort of their wives. In their major plot points, the novel The Odyssey and the motion picture O Brother convey obvious similarities in key elements of their heroes’ journeys such as “crossing the first threshold,” “the supreme ordeal,” and “return with elixir.”
The human need to be relatable is unquenchable. We love to be able to see parts of ourselves in others, and to be able to feel like our idols are not untouchable. The Hero’s Journey format is one that can be found in almost any story, even in real life. Overall, it is the perfect recipe for keeping readers engrossed. Another place the journey has shown up is in Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand and Odyssey by Homer. These two stories—one a biography, the other, an epic poem—are so effective in their storytelling, it is easy to see how authors today continue to use the same method to make stories that grab the readers’ attention. What makes them most alike, however, is the emotions and thoughts they have the power to provoke.
Has heroes changed much between The Odyssey and Wonder Women? They're not completely the same, but practically go through the same things but in different situations. What is a hero to you? Could they be male or female? Are heroes even real? There are more similarities between Odysseus and Wonder Women. They both have many similarities in their journeys/quests.
Throughout modern history the ancient Greeks and their stories have influenced our culture and way of life. Many of the ancient Greek myths are those of caution that teach us moral lessons. For example, the myth of Odysseus and the sirens, told by Homer in The Odyssey, teaches us to resist the urge to indulge in temptations. Odysseus and his crew are travelling near the island of the sirens when Odysseus plugs the ears of his crewmates with beeswax and has them tie him to the mast so that he can listen to the sirens’ song and not crash their ship onto the rocks as they pass the island. Odysseus and his crew safely pass the island of the sirens without any casualties and continue on their journey home. Author Margaret Atwood and artist John William Waterhouse both display their brilliant ideas about the myth of Odysseus and the sirens using poetry and painting. Both Ulysses and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse and “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood use the myth of the sirens to show that during their lives, people often encounter bad temptations that can lead to their demise and should pay no attention to such temptations.
Odysseus uses his brain to sail past the Sirens without being entranced by their sweet song. A Siren is a bird-woman who bewitches everyone that approaches. The Siren women sing a seductive song. Their song has many powers. As Nugent says “as in the days of the musician Orpheus, music still has power to soothe the savage beast, to ally anxiety, and to connect with the divine through contemplation” (Nugent 45-54). Circe tells Odysseus, “There is no homecoming for the man who draws near them unawares and hears the Siren’s voices” (Homer XII, 40). . Odysseus follows the advice Circe gave him to put beeswax in his men’s ears so they will not be entranced. Odysseus then tells his men “but she instructed me alone to hear their voices…”(XII, 160), when, truthfully, Circe states, “But if you wish to listen yourself, make them bind you hand and foot on board and place you upright by the housing of the mast, with the rope’s ends lashed to the mast itself”(XII, 49). In this way, Odysseus is being selfish only wishes to know the Siren’s sing so he will...
...g of the Sirens and end up as one of the corpses in their “meadow.” The Sirens have the power to “spellbind any man alive” with their “high, thrilling songs” and preventing them from ever making it home. A man lured by the Sirens will never see his wife or “happy children” again. His story will be over, and he will be lost forever. The Greeks rely on their story and legacy to retain their identity and memory after death. The Sirens represent distractions that lure travellers from their journey and decrease or completely remove their determination to return home. When a man stays true to his purpose and avoids any Siren-like distractions, he lives and comes home to a wonderful family. When a man makes himself susceptible to any Siren’s call, be it from an actual Siren or just something tempting enough to sway him from his task, he is destined to fail and be forgotten.
In the Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, there are many themes that serve to make a comment about the meanings of the story. The theme of women in the poem serves to make these comments but also establishes a point of view on women in the reader. From this point of view, a perspective is developed into the "best" and "worst" in women. Achievement of this is through the characterization of many women with single notable evil qualities. Similar to the biblical story of Adam and Eve, Eve like the many women in the Odyssey brings about pain and suffering for mankind. Contrary to the depicting of women as roots of evil, the reader sees the other traits of women that are most desirable. The roles of these women are achieved by their portrayal throughout the poem. This in return has a significant affect on how the poem and the message that is conveyed.
Over the centuries, many epics have been told, as to inspire us all and provide entertainment. However, there are none as befitting to be the greatest epic as Homer's the Odyssey. It is one of the oldest, but also one of the greatest ever told. Over the years there have been many adaptations to the epic, as to mold this ancient story to one we can relate to and is familiar to us. One example, which I will discuss, would be the Cohen Brothers' 'O'Brother, Where Art Thou?', which is a story about 3 men who are trying to find a treasure after breaking out of prison. I will compare the text with the adaptation, and contrast each one's differences.
...y sirens represent half-women, half-bird creatures who lived on an island. They used to sing in beautiful voices to lure sailors off their course. When Odysseus was sailing by the siren's island, he made the rest of his men plug up their ears and ties him to the mainmast. This way, he got to hear the beautiful sound of their voice without being driven to suicide. In this story the women weeping over Lautaro were compared to the sirens, and some sailors going to tie themselves to the mainmast in an attempt to mimic Odysseus. There is a contrast of these stories with the quotes from the villagers.
In Greek mythology, Sirens are half-bird and women that reside in Islands and lure men through flattery. Just as how in the Greek mythology, Homer’s The Odyssey, men are warned to plug their ears so that they could resist hearing the singing sirens. Men have to do this in order to prevent them from jumping overboard, because no man has ever ever returned as they are lured to their death by the Sirens(Atsma). “Siren Song” is included in Margaret Atwood’s 1974 poetry collection, You Are Happy (High Beam Research). The reference to The Odyssey, is relevant because the poem is intended to be between a Siren and a man hearing her speak, just like in the Greek myth. The poem opens with a Siren explaining what happens to men that hear her song. In
Then there was the time when he and his men were captured by the cyclops and trapped in his cave. He got then Cyclopes drunk then stabbed him in the eye. Then the next day Odysseus tied himself and all of his men to the bottoms of the sheep so when the cyclops grabbed the sheep and took them outside he couldn't tell that they were there. Another example is when passing the sirens whose sweet song lured men to their deaths he had his men tie him so that he could not move, then had them put earplugs in (on themselves and not him) so that he would be able to hear the siren song and drown while his crew navigated the
In the Odyssey, Homer takes a bristly approach towards the portrayal of the men. On line 4, Odysseus describes that he “kneaded them in my two strong hands”. Homers choice is these words communicates the men’s power and creates the stereotype that men are all able bodied. He uses Odysseus to portray the strong characteristics that all men have and show his viewpoint of the capabilities of men. Throughout the excerpt, Homer exhibits the able-bodiness of men and shows that men should be put in a higher regard in society. Homer chose to include words such as ‘steadfast’ and ‘comrades’ to describe his men (8,27). The words that he used are showing that his men are loyal to him and they can get through any obstacle that comes to them. Homer is attempting to glorify the strength that men are capable of. In “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, she apathetically depicts that men are less intelligent than the average women and do not deserve to be higher in society. Atwood describes the song as “the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons even though they see the beached skull” (4,5,6). The excerpt conveys that the men’s stupidity blinds them from seeing their obvious death. She attempts to put down the stereotypes put on women and offer a new viewpoint of the sirens. She is countering Homer’s viewpoint by showing that men aren’t as intelligent as shown in the
When having an adventure in mind, an individual also has factors that go along with the quest. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey and Kira Salak’s travel memoir, The Cruelest Journey, readers learn that people take on quests for various reasons. Homer’s writing revolves around a protagonist Odysseus, who goes on a 10 year voyage back to his home in Ithaca. Similarly, in Salak’s excerpt, the explorer goes on a 600-mile journey down the Niger River. Both texts provide a purpose for a journey by having a sense of adventure, receiving respect, and proving others wrong.
In the book the Iliad, The Odyssey, and Works and days, there are many things that can be similar when talking about Greek heroes and the world of Greek poetry. The stories and topics are describing similar events during this time of the eighth and seventh century B.C. In the end, however, they do have some differences in some parts when describing or explaining certain situations and ideas. The world of Greek heroes is written like a story; or Epic Poetry. That is what The Iliad and The Odyssey are; Epic Poetries. They are telling a story of a great hero and their adventures. On the other hand, the more realistic Greek World that is being described in Works and days is a Didactic poem, which tells more of a moral or message to the reader.