5/4/14

Siren Song
By Margaret Atwood

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 the beached skulls

the song nobody knows
because anyone who has 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.

   I am currently sitting in the dressing room of the Georgia International Convention Center. I am here for KAR( a dance competition). I chose this poem because one of my contemporary dances is about sirens. The dance is about one siren who falls in love with a man. Sirens are supposed to lure men into their death, not fall in love with them. Throughout the song, the group of sirens attack and eventually kill the siren who went against the rules and fell in love. This poem is exactly what we try to embody in our dance.
   The song of the siren is irresistible. The song is the sirens weapon. They use it to lure sailors into the water and eventually to their death. The song forces men over the edge of their boats. The men "see the beached skulls" but the song is too irresistible.  No one knows the song of the sirens because they are all killed. I find it interesting that the speaker would say "and the others can't remember" because there are usually no survivors. Another interesting component of this poem is that the speaker refers to herself as a "bird". The speaker is squatting on the island like a bird waiting for her prey. So maybe this poem is not about typical sirens? Maybe this poem is about majestic birds who sit on the island. However, it could also be a reference to a weak animal. When I think of the word "bird", I think of a little blue bird or a fragile, harmless bird. I do not associate the word bird with an eagle or a vulture. I believe that the word bird is used to make the sirens look like prey when in reality they are the predators. The speaker states that they are sitting in a trio. This reminds me of the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou". The sirens in the movie are a group of three woman. They wait on a little island/swamp area waiting for men to travel by.
   There is a juxtaposition with the words "fatal and valuable". But if you think about it, fatal and valuable is a phrase used quite often. Are weapons fatal? Yes, but they are valuable in war. The next stanza portrays the speaker luring the listener in. The poem itself is the Sirens' song. The poem is drawing the reader in and forcing them to continuing reading for more. The song seems like a "cry for help" but this could be the Sirens' song. The siren is luring the reader in by portraying themselves as helpless and in need of saving. The last stanza captures this idea perfectly. It says, "alas it is a boring song but it works every time."  The reader has been drawn into the poem. The siren finds calls for help "boring", but it is the only way to draw people into her trap. It also works every time which shows that Sirens always get why they want. They fake and mock calls for help in order to draw people in.
    Well I have finished analyzing the poem, and we already went and performed our Sirens dance(it went really well). Off to a long day of dancing.