“If your life changes, we can change the world, too” Yoko Ono once said. The powerful figure protested against anti-feminism peacefully, supported by a strong voice inside her that spoke of gender equality and rights. Similarly, “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood battles to revise the idea that men are more powerful compared to women through the story of a Siren. In Margaret Atwood’s “Siren Song,” Homer’s portrayal of the Sirens in The Odyssey is critiqued in order to remove the detrimental effects of an androcentric perception. The Odyssey points at an authority in power that men have compared to women. In the epic poem, Odysseus prepares his crew as they sail towards the Sirens’ island, avoiding the tempting songs by blocking their ears with …show more content…
The Siren of Atwood’s poem points out that, “Alas / it is a boring song / but it works every time” (25-27). The Siren attempts to call out the men as easily swayed by labeling her song as boring but effective. The method creates a sense of stupidity in men’s choices, putting the Sirens at power. “Siren Song” also brings purpose to the symbolization of Sirens in order to prove the fact that the women are not objects or monsters, but rather humans as well. Their glory is seen as power, shown when Atwood writes, “the song / that is irresistible: / the song that forces men / to leap overboard in squadrons” (2-5). The intention of the quote is to give men a submissive character, able to be easily swayed by a boring song. In comparison, The Odyssey describes the Sirens as having “honeyed voices pouring from [their] lips” (17). Atwood changes their sweet but sticky song into one that shows triumph over the men’s supposed inability to resist temptations. The idea that all men are like such groups them together at the bottom- a lower status in society that gives women more authority. “Siren Song” attempts to put down the viewpoint of women lacking important character qualities when in comparison to men, connecting to a theme of entirely androcentric systems not being the correct way of