Greek Mythology Essay - 1090 Words

The characters in Greek Mythology can have several different interpretations. Among these characters are the dangerous, yet gorgeous Sirens, bird-women who sit on a cliff singing bewitching songs to captivate the minds of innocent travelers and bring them to their deaths. In Homer’s The Odyssey and Margaret Atwood’s â€Å"Siren Song,† both poets give different portrayals of the Sirens. Homer believes the Sirens to be irresistible in order to establish men as heroes whereas Atwood depicts them as unsightly and pathetic so she can prove men are foolish and arrogant using imagery, diction, and point of view. Homer wants the overall portrayal of the Sirens to be intriguing and desirable because he wishes all to consider Odysseus as valiant. Homer†¦show more content†¦Once the men are drawn to the Sirens, they are stuck and there is no way for them to escape. Furthermore, Homer explains the encounter with the Sirens from Odysseus’ point of view. The Sirens try to attract Odysseus by singing compliments to â€Å"famous Odysseus† so he will think that he is the object of their desire (14). The Sirens are intelligent enough to know what Odysseus’ true weaknesses are, flattery and the desire for recognition; his faults are similar to other men, however they do not yearn for knowledge. When Odysseus sails by, they attack his weaknesses, just as they do the other ships. Nonetheless, Odysseus is able to outsmart them. The Sirens sing to him and promise he will be able to â€Å"[sail] on a wiser man† if Odysseus listens to their song (18). He falls for their t rickery and attempts to join them, risking his life to gain the knowledge that the Sirens guarantee. Odysseus navigates himself through the sea with hopes of becoming smarter. Homer describes the Sirens as beautiful yet cunning because of their ability to identify men’s weaknesses easily. Their beauty attracts men and thus draws them toward their death. Homer’s view of the relationship between Odysseus and the Sirens prove that men are able to overcome temptations. Unlike Homer, Atwood attempts to proveShow MoreRelatedGreek Mythology : Greek And Roman Mythology885 Words   |  4 Pagesvalues of a culture. (Rosenberg) With Greek and Roman Mythology we learn or are introduced to the idea of how the universe is formed, we learn about love and of course we learn about tragedy. Greek and Roman mythology has a strong influence on our culture today. The Greek culture affects our everyday way of life. They created democracy, the alphabet, libraries, the Olympics, math, scienc e, architecture, and even lighthouses. (Unknown) Greek and Roman mythology go hand in hand with gods and heroesRead MoreGreek Mythology And The Mythology1154 Words   |  5 Pagesand lessons of Greek mythology have shaped art and literature for thousands of years. Later Greek writers and artists used and elaborated upon these sources in their own work. 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