Siren Song + Qs

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 5

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 10

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 15

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. 20

Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!

Only you, only you can,

you are unique

At last. Alas 25

it is a boring song

but it works every time.

— Margaret Atwood, 1976

1. What are the various meanings for the word “siren”? Look for illustrations or descriptions of sirens and record the most significant information. Does a knowledge of how a siren might have appeared (& where dwelt) contribute to your apprehension of some of the language of this poem?

2. What is a “siren song”—does this term also have several meanings? Spell them out.

3. What form does this poem take: is it a dialogue, an apostrophe…or what?

4. What imagery is evoked in the second “paragraph” (lines 4-6)? How does it fit with the import of the poem

5. a) What is the tone of this poem? Where does a shift occur, and how?
b) Is the speaker in control of the import of the poem, or is the poet? How so?a) What is the speaker’s tone? What things do we learn from the speaker?
b) Does the speaker control the meaning of the poem, or does the poet. How so?