201. The Siren Song (pg 271)

The Siren Song had several literary devices that enriched the reading of the poem. There is diction. Words such as "irresistable" to describe how hard it is to avoid being enchanted by the song. "Forces men overboard" as if they have no choice. "Unique" as used to trick the men into thinking that only they can help them. "Picturesque" to describe how flawless and beautiful that they are. "Every time" is used also which is used to show how foolproof and easy it was to lure the sailors to their deaths. These words bring together a picture of the sirens and what they do. It shows how they use their voices and their song to bring men to their death and yet they don't care, they just make it appear to be a cry for help so that the sailors die. The diction shows just how vunerable the men are and just how much of the power the sirens had over them.
The point of view was also important. In the beginning, the point of view appears to be indifferenct or from the third person but when it says "I don't enjoy squatting on this island looking picturesque and mythical" it is revealed that it is the actual siren talking. It brings a different dimension to the poem and almost makes it seem like the siren doesn't want to do what it does, but it does anyway. "I don't enjoy singing this trio, fatal and valuable." It knows what its doing and it follows through anyway. In the beginning of the poem only the sailors and their deaths were in the question, but now the siren is pulled into the mix and makes for an interesting and debateable poem.
When I was first reading the poem I had no idea what it was talking about but then I remembered from the recesses of my brain that the sirens were in mythology. Freshman year english we read The Odyssey and the sirens were in it. I think that the poem could not only be a nod Greek mythology and a twist on the sirens themselves but possibly relating to something in real life. The song of the sirens could be the lure of something bad that someone is drawn to which leads to their ultimate downfall. Even the simple things in life--the lure of the computer, TV and other distractions when you know you have a test the next day and because you are lured in, you end up doing poorly on the test or failing. Or even a man cheating on his wife with a woman he is being lured in by that in turn, ends his marriage and wrecks his relationship with his children. But I think that that theory could be comprimised because of the switch that the siren is telling the story of what they do. Possibly someone who knows that they are doing something that will potentially ruin them but does it anyway just because they know they can and they have all the power to do so. It makes you realize that what you have the potential to do might not always be the most moral thing to do. It could be looked at from both sides--the men, and the sirens.