Atwood Siren Song

Siren Song

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 the see breached 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 ti works every time.

Margaret Atwood

In "Siren Song," Margaret Atwood uses diction, tone, mood, and allusions to illustrate how women are cunning, and can easily lure a man so that she may do with him as she pleases. Her poem has many images of the the stereotype that women are inferior, unintelligent, and helpless. However, the amazing thing about this poem is that Atwood uses these stereotypes as amunition; she twists and transforms them to show what women are really capable of.

The poem alludes to Homer's "The Odyssey," by using a siren (a beautiful woman that is also part bird) as the speaker. She is telling her story to any man willing to listen and take on the challenge. She is singing so that she does not have to sing again, to find a man who is able to save her from "this bird suit." The dominant repetition of "Help me," and, "Only you," follows the stereotypical woman who depends on a man to do everything. The tone and mood of the poem throughout most of the poem is helpless, powerless, feeble, and even disabled.

However, the men are ignorant to the fact that this is the exact state of mind the siren wants them to have. She intentionally boosts his ego by saying "Only you, only you can, you are unique." The very last stanza is where everything shifts in favor of the women. "At last. Alas it is a boring song but it works every time." Cunningly, the siren allowed him to think that she was helpless so that she could pounce on him when he least expected it. The poem represents how men and maybe even society are small minded to the capacity of women. I believe Atwood is encouraging women to allow these stereotypes to be placed on them. Only so that when they are broken, it is even more of a suprise.

(This poem reminds me of Lysistrata and the scene between Myrrhine and Kinesias. I guess it was meant for me to always remember the theme "The Power of a Woman." LOL)

Plog #1: The Good-Morrow

THE GOOD-MORROW
by John Donne

I WONDER by my troth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved ? were we not wean'd till then ?
But suck'd on country pleasures, childishly ?
Or snorted we in the Seven Sleepers' den ?
'Twas so ; but this, all pleasures fancies be ;
If ever any beauty I did see,
Which I desired, and got, 'twas but a dream of thee.

And now good-morrow to our waking souls,
Which watch not one another out of fear ;
For love all love of other sights controls,
And makes one little room an everywhere.
Let sea-discoverers to new worlds have gone ;
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown ;
Let us possess one world ; each hath one, and is one.

My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears,
And true plain hearts do in the faces rest ;
Where can we find two better hemispheres
Without sharp north, without declining west ?
Whatever dies, was not mix'd equally ;
If our two loves be one, or thou and I
Love so alike that none can slacken, none can die.



Love can be a very strange, confusing, and ambiguous feeling/emotion. Few people are born with the capability to express it in a smooth, flowing, and understandable fashion. John Donne was one of those persons who could make it crystal clear of how he was feeling. In the "Good-Morrow," through the structure and careful selection of words, Donne demonstrates how he can reveal his emotions, affection, and love to his significant other.

The structure of the poem works similar to an hourglass for there are three different stanzas; the past, the present, and the what falls ahead. In the first stanza, the speaker describes his initial approach to love. At this moment, he was very promiscuous saying that "If ever any beauty I did see, Which I desired, and got..." and "But sucked on country pleasures, childishly?" The way he handles his love life is very explicit and even pig like. Words like "troth" and "snorted" give you the image of a pig, an animal many consider nasty and unruly.

All of this was done until he meets his lover and he arrives to the present in stanza two. The first line says "And now good-morrow to our waking souls." The image that is created is one where the speaker literally wakes up from his dream. Waking plays an important role in the meaning of this sentence on a metaphoric level. Things that are associated with waking are a sunrise, a new day, or a new beginning. So on a deeper level from the first two lines, the speaker is saying good morning to the new beginning which we both do not fear.

The last stanza depicts how the speaker sees the future. He believes that they are a great (maybe even perfect) couple by saying "Where can we find two better hemispheres." He and his significant other are two halfs to a whole or two hemispheres to the earth. They come together better than any others to make this whole/"earth"/love. The poem concludes with the idea that their love is eternal. He says that their love will not decay, weaken, or die.

My Act of Resistance

Part 1:
Today, wore a sign that said "My purity is my sanity," along with Shoji and Aliyya. Throughout the day, I did not get any bad feedback from my peers. Occasionally a few people would ask why I was wearing the sign. I personally decided to wear the sign to show that keeping your "purity" or your virginity is not a bad thing. It protects you from so many things such as; HIV/AIDS, other STD's, and pregnancy. Yes, there are condoms and they are like more than 90% effective in preventing pregnancy but it is not 100%. There is still a slim chance the worst could happen. Also, condoms stop most STD's, not all. Abstaining is the only way to stay fully protected from all sexual dangers/negative consequences. Also, abstinence will avoid all of the mental baggage from having sex. Overall, this was a good experience. I didn't talk with anyone who truly and fully disagreed with the message we was trying to portray. There were a couple people, my close friends, who made a couple jokes at my sign saying that it was a little feminine. However, that helped me to prove my point that females are not the only ones who need to worry about abstaining. That's why there was a 'representative' from each gender. Females= Shoji & Aliyya Males = Montrell. YAY!!!!!!!

Part 2:
Originally I planed to be silent for a week to demonstrate how people who work in sweatshops have no voice in the way they are treated. During this week I was not going to wear any brand that uses sweatshops like Nike. However, I was not able to start when I wanted to. I wanted to start Thanksgiving morning. That entire weekend I was forced to talk because my brother and grandfather had come to Milwaukee to celebrate the holiday. I still want to do this even though it probably will not be counted for a grade. I will officially start my other resistance this Wednesday. I can't start tomorrow because I have a huge TOK presentation to do and I have prepare non name brand outfits. Lastly, I am wondering if I should extend my term of silence as a means to show how dedicated I am to this cause and regretful I am for not starting when I wanted. If anyone gets to this point, please respond so I can know what to do.

Lysistrata Post #10: Final Thoughts

Im sad we are done and moving on from Lysistrata. :'( [Tearz pouring from my face LOL!!!] But it was a great reading from the humor (puns especially) to the symbolism present. I think "Lysistrata" destroyed "Hedda Gabler" and "The House of Bernarda Alba." The humor played a major role but overall it did a much better job of grabbing and keeping my attention. I also felt it allowed the men to play a bigger role than the other two plays, more so than Bernarda and her story. One thing I believe it lack in was length. I wish it was longer so that I could still be laughing at the puns and the actions between the men and women. More or less, change can be good and its time to move on to a new piece. Question is, can it top "Lysistrata?"

Lysistrata Post #9: The Boycott Was Awesome!!!

This play was not only hilarious but remarkable because of the fact Kathryn Blume was able to illustrate her purpose and do it by herself. I doubted that she could perform a one woman play without too much confusion but she delivered a wonderful play. It didnt follow the plot of Lysistrata exactly but I understood that certain characters or scenes were similar to those in the "Lysistrata" play. (Lysistraten = Lysistrata; Jack = Kineasis; ect.) What made the play more enjoyable was the fact a lot of friends from school was there. Michael Guardalabene especially made it funny with his over response to the acting (at appropriate times of course.) Overall, I loved it and would definitely go see it again and recommend it to my friends.

Lysistrata Post #8: Lysistrata vs. Everyone Other Female

Finally, we have a winner!!!!!!!! A woman who was successful in achieving her goal. No doubt she stands above Adela, Hedda Gabler, and just about every other woman we look at in the past plays. Lysistrata was able to portray masculine and feminine qualities. She was the base and strength to the other women and held her ground as a confident "general." What was really surprising was how the women in Lysistrata scared and manipulated the men using household items. The other women in previous plays used masculine tools; i.e. the pistols and Bernarda's cane. Two last things I found pleasing, the women did not commit suicide. The stood their ground and defend their beliefs through the ups and the downs. Lastly, the women in Lysistrata also demonstrated a strong bond between "sisters." Its sad how they demonstrated a deeper connection than the blood sisters in "The House of Bernarda Alba." They tore each other down instead of building each other up to over come and conquer their mother.

Lysistrata Post #7: What Do The Men Really Love?

Again we know that the men believe that the "hell" with women is not as bad as the "hell" without them. (Can never forget the fact they caved in one day, weak minded fools.) However, the a very important question presents itself, "Do the men really love the women, or just the pleasure they provide?" I completely believe they only loved the women because of the sex they provided. In the beginning we already saw that the men viewed the women as objects or property. The men also overlooked every other aspect the women were responsible. They were not enthusiastic at all that their house would be untended to and their children neglected. Kinesais was very dehumanizing to his child when he said please take "it" (referring to his kid) to the house. Another play should be made to illustrate how the women would fight back to gain their respect and not just to end a war.