“The Odyssey” the Author Homer

In the passage from “The Odyssey” the author Homer, portrays The Sirens as persuading yet irresistible creatures through the use of tone, point of view and imagery. The Sirens tries to Persuade Odysseus and his men by saying “Come closer famous Odysseus- Ancheas pride and glory-moor your ship on our coast so you can hear our song; never has a sailor passed our shores in his craft until he has heard the voice pouring from our lips and once he hears to his heart consent sails on, a wiser man.

”(Homer lines 14-18).

The tone persuading portrays The Sirens by telling the readers that they tried to persuade Odysseus to come closer to them and to keep on listening to there voice trying to lead Odysseus and his men to their demise. Telling him he will become wiser men if he keeps on listening to there songs. Along with the tone persuading The Sirens can also be viewed as irresistible. “So they sent there ravishing voices out across the air and the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer. I signaled the crew with frowns to set me free.” (Homer lines 19-21).

The tone irresistible portrays The Sirens because in this line Odysseus can not resist The Sirens, throbbing to listen longer Odysseus signals his men with a frown letting them know he needs help to get away from The Sirens. The point of view also affects how The Sirens can be seen by the readers.

In Homer’s story it is told by Odysseus, showing the readers more of the negative sides of The Sirens. This would be most effective because it shows the victims view on how The Sirens used their to try and lure sailors in. Homer also uses imagery to portray The Sirens. “So they say their ravishing voices out cross the air.”(Homer lines 19). This shows the reader how powerful The Sirens truly are as they send out their loud voices across the air. “Kneeded them in my two strong hands and the wax soon grew soft.” (Homer lines 4-5). This imagery is displaying The Sirens as dangerous since Odysseus filled his men’s cars with beeswax to keep his men from hearing their voices so they can help him and themselves stay alive.

While The Sirens are portrayed as persuading and irresistable in The Odyssey, Author Margaret Atwood has a poem ‘Siren Song’ that portrays The Sirens as manipulative yet helpless. “I will tell the secret to you, to you, only to you. Come closer.” (Atwood lines 19-21) The Sirens

are manipulating the sailors by telling them that they have a secret to tell so that the sailors come closer. “This song is a cry for help. Help me only you, only you can, you are unique.” (Atwood lines 21-24). This tone views The Sirens as helpless creatures that are trapped. At the same time they are also telling them that the song is a cry for help making the sailors feel bad for them, making them believe that it is okay to listen to their song. They tried making the sailors feel special by telling them that they are unique. The point of view of this passage is one of The Sirens. This helps the readers portray The Sirens by showing what trickery they used to kill the men. It also compares how The Sirens view themselves rather than how the victims view The Sirens like in “The Odyssey.” Imagery is also shown by the author on how The Sirens are perceived. “… Squating on this island looking picturesque and mythical.” (Atwood lines 14-15). This portrays The Sirens as very attractive and legendary to the salarios they are capturing, this also explains one of the reasons why the men can not resist The Sirens.

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