The translation from
the Odyssey and the poem The Siren Song contrast each other by their different
point of views on the events that take place on the island, the alarming versus
the alluring tone, and the end result.
In
the episode from the Odyssey the scene is immediately set up differently,
because in The Siren Song the perspective is from the actual siren, whereas in
the Odyssey it is from the men’s point of view. In the Odyssey episode the man
is trying to prevent the men from being allured by the sirens: “I stopped the
ears of my comrades one by one” (7). In the poem the men do not want to be
killed by the sirens, and they are aware of the dangers. They appear to have an
awareness of what is going on at the island, and they are scared that they
might share the same fate as the other men that went to the island. Their feelings
are expressed in their perspective, because they are focused on their actions.
The Siren Song introduces an entirely different approach: “This is the one song
everyone would like to learn: the song that is irresistible” (1-3). Sirens appear to believe that the men are more
intrigued by their song, when the men really just want to get pass the sirens
and live. Their point of view includes the idea that they are irresistible. The
first poem illustrates the perspective of a man, and the fear that he has of the
sirens, while The Siren Song illustrates their need to attract the men.
The tone in the Odyssey episode contrasts the tone in The
Siren Song, because the men are alarmed, and afraid of the sirens, while in the
other poem the tone is alluring and secretive. During the poem the men “flung
themselves at the oars and rowed on harder”(22), because they just want to get
away from the sirens. Their actions
express a sense of urgency, since the description is more about the men’s
actions and them trying to escape the island. The tone of The Siren Song is a
reflection of the sirens: “I will tell the secret to you, to you, only to you.
Come closer” (21). The poem draws the reader in just as the sirens allure the
men onto the island, and is a reflection of their captivating nature. As the
poem continues the lines are more and more directed at the reader, and the tone
becomes almost alarming, because the reader has almost fallen in the same trap
as the men.
At the end of The Siren Song the end result of the siren’s
description is that the reader has become the victim, because we have been
drawn into the scene at the island. The sirens appear to win, because they get
the victim and acknowledge that “it is a boring song but it works every time” (26-27).
In the Odyssey episode the poem seems to contrasts The Siren Poem ending,
because the men escape from the island: “But once we’d left the Sirens fading
in our wake, once we could hear their song no more, their urgent call” (25-26).
The endings of the poem contradict each
other, because in the first poem the men get away, and they survive their encounter
with the siren. In the other poem the Sirens believe they never fail, because
no one can get away from them. The endings illustrate the differences in the
perspectives of the men and the sirens, and show the siren’s confidence, and
the men’s relief that they got away from the island.
The Siren Song and the Odyssey episode show the
differences in perceptions of the occurrences at the island through their perspectives,
tone, and end result.
