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 beached skulls
the song nobody knows
because anyone who had 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.
1) What is the tone of the poem? Does it change? Explain.
2) (a) What does the Siren reveal about the song? (b) The Siren describes the song a “fatal and valuable.” Why might it be valuable?
3) (a) How does the speaker of “Siren Song” say she feels about being a Siren? (b) To whom might the Siren be speaking as she describes her feelings?
4) Think of the Siren in the poem as representing women, and the victim in the poem as a representation of men. What relationship between men and women does Atwood portray in this poem? In other words, what is Atwood, the author of the poem, saying about men and women?
5) In mythology, the Sirens represent temptation, and their song would change depending on who they were singing to. What are some ideas that the Sirens could be mentioning to Odysseus in order to lure him to them? Explain.