Siren Song

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.

One thing that I liked about this poem was of how it was talking to the reader. Many poems are just stories, but in this one it was trying to gather the audience in by repeating the word 'you' six times.

One thing that I disliked about this poem was the unhappiness throughout the whole poem. Everybody was unsatisfied with where they are and what position they are in with their lives. This made it a dark and gloomy poem, which I do not particularly like.

One thing that confused me about this poem was why everyone in this poem was dressed as birds. The siren is typically in a bird suit, but there were "two feathery maniacs" besides her.

The main poetic device used in this poem is the use of allusions. An allusion is a reference to something in history or previous literature. This poem is alluding to Greek mythology. A siren is a woman/creature with bird. This siren has characteristics that lure sailors in by their beauty, and the siren is killing these people.