The excerpt from The Odyssey that describes the Sirens compares to the Siren Song because in the Siren Song you actually find out that the song talked about in the excerpt is not really as beautiful and jaw dropping as they make it seem. No one knows of the song because everyone who has heard it is dead and the others have forgotten it. This is really important because for those who do not read the Siren Song but read the Odyssey gets a sense that this song that attracts so many people is quite amazing and worth listening to. The reason that many people think that this song is worth hearing is because the voices of the sirens calls out to the people at sea. But it says in the excerpt how some ships sail across the ocean and they listen until they want to and then just sail on, making them a wiser man. The people to sail on is a wiser man because this song that they claim is so glorious is actually just another boring song but the surprising thing is that the persuading works every time.
I read 'Calypso' by Suzanne Vega, and I was struck by how it tore Calypso apart to have to let Ulysses go, but she did it anyway because she loved him. Calypso reflected on the day she first saw Ulysses and rescued him, and how now he is choosing to leave her and return home. She focuses on who she is, but how her love for Ulysses has made him a part of her. She is the beautiful Calypso, alone on her island, but she is also the woman who can 'tell of nights where I tasted the salt on his skin.' But despite Calypso's love for him, Ulysses has always longed for home. And though Calypso kept him there for years, she found the strength to let him go. Calypso saved Ulysses and nursed him back to health, she has loved him and he has become a part of her, but she still loves him enough to let him go.
I read An Ancient Gesture by Edna St. Vincent Millay, and I got a feeling that she was in a great deal of pain. It gave me a peak of distress. The reason behind the pain was not indicated, but I could take a guess on what may have caused her so much pain. Penelope was a woman who was faithful to her husband when he was gone for years and so I believe this is a poem that talks about how much she misses him, but its in first person point of view so how the speaker misses her husband. The thought of him being somewhere else for years makes her burst into tears. I believe that no matter how strong Penelope was she still cried and I think this is what the speaker is saying by repeating "Penelope did this too." She is making a connection between her pain with her husband gone and Penelope and her pain when her husband gone as well. Trying to get the readers a sense of understanding when you don’t have your husband around you by comparing the same pain Penelope felt is what I believe Millay is trying to do.
It’s interesting to see Calypso from a different point of view in the song "Calypso" by Suzanne Vega. In Greek mythology she is portrayed as a temptress, who seduces Odysseus and prevents him from returning home. No one really stops to think that she kept him there because she truly loved him; we just assume that she was the wrongdoer in this case. However the song represents a Calypso who is kind and loving yet lonely until this man comes into her life. She saved him from the sea, nursed him, and kept him as her own. And although it killed her to let him go, she knew in her heart that she had to.
In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, Calypso is depicted as a possessive, love-obsessed nymph who selfishly desires Odysseus. Because of her selfish love for Odysseus she keeps him as her captive on her island. Eventually, Hermes convinces her to let him go. However, in the poem Calypso by Suzanne Vega, Calypso the beautiful nymph is portrayed as a caring and compassionate character. This poem makes readers sympathize with Calypso because it expresses her genuine feelings instead of the feelings of Odysseus. It mentions how lonely she was before Odysseus. It also reminds readers that it was Calypso who rescued Odysseus from the storm. If it weren’t for her, Odysseus probably would have drowned. Furthermore, this poem speaks of how heartbroken Calypso was when Odysseus left her. The poem interprets Calypso’s love for Odysseus as genuine and pure, not selfish or obsessive. The poem also states that although it broke her heart, Calypso unselfishly let Odysseus, the man she loved, leave her.
I reflected on Edna St. Vincent Millay’s An Ancient Gesture and while reading that I was able to meet a completely new Penelope. In most books and poems, it only describes Penelope as the women who waited for Odysseus for twenty years. The books and poems may include her smart plan of avoiding the suitors and her loyalty to her husband. However as I was reading An Ancient Gesture, Millay described Penelope as someone who was filled with an immense amount of sorrow. Penelope who was alone waiting for her husband to come back into her life, in my eyes was given some human characteristics in this poem. When she was sad, she shed tears. This poem also showed Penelope not only in emotional distress but also physical pain from weaving and unweaving every day and night. This poem has re-interpreted Penelope from a strong women figure fighting through the 20 years into someone who should be pitied and consoled.
Suzanne Vega's interpretation of Calypso was strikingly different from Edith Hamilton's interpretation. Vega emphasized on Calypso's loneliness and love for Odysseus. Rather, in Hamilton's interpretation, Calypso is presented as a selfish nymph that kept Odysseus only for herself. There is also a point where Vega gives readers a sense of Calypso as a very unselfish and loving character. It reminds that she was the one who saved Odysseus, and that it broke her heart to let him go. This poem stresses on the feelings of Calypso and the sacrifices she made for him.
Siren Song by Margaret Atwood is a poem walks the reader through what it was like to hear a Siren’s song. The poem draws the reader in by asking questions and referring to the reader as “you.” The reader becomes a sailor and learns how many other seamen were tricked by cunning Sirens. The Siren in the poem acts innocent and tries to get the reader to pity her. She says that she doesn’t enjoy the island where she is, “squatting” looking, “picturesque and mystical.” She tells a “secret” to the reader, which is the song that she sings is really a cry for help. She says, “Only you can, you are unique.” But it is implied that she sings her song and tricked the sailor because the poem ends with, “it is a boring song but it works every time.” I enjoyed this poem because it does not tell a story of a sailor we do not know and how he is fallen victim to a siren’s song, but it walks the reader through the process of getting “tricked” as if the reader was the sailor. The poem is also a little ironic when the siren says, “you are unique at last.” The reason this is ironic is that the sailor then falls into the same trap that many before him have also fallen in to.
Vega’s version of Calypso was very different from Hamilton’s version of her. Vega focused on Calypso’s life being dull and monotonous every day from endlessly being stuck on the island. Then when she saw Ulysses stranded on the island from the wreck, she was excited that someone was here and something different and new had come up. So she then took care of him and took him in as best as she could and then when it was time for him to leave, Vega also mentioned how Calypso felt kind of torn and very sad when he left. She emphasizes how Calypso had to let him go. Then Vega talks about how Calypso has a garden and how lush and thick it is. Then she switches to Calypso being on the island again and how she is with Ulysses and you can really feel the love and care that Vega portrayed Calypso to really have for Ulysses. She also focuses on the departure of Ulysses and how Calypso is willing to let him go but it’s still very hard for her to accept it all. The ending stanza is about how Calypso is finally accepting of letting Ulysses go and understanding that he has to leave. The tone of the poem is kind of sad because it talks about a lonely life turning into a life with someone that turns into a loved one and then losing that person again and being lonely. So the tone is like the feeling you get when you lose someone dear to you but in the end you have to be accepting of it.
In the excerpt from the Odyssey, the Sirens sing their song, drawing sailors to the shore. The Sirens describe the beauty of of the song and how only a fool would pass up the opportunity to listen. They use temptation as their weapon, drawing in those who are curious to hear. Thus, this excerpt has a seductive tone. However, in Siren Song by Margaret Atwood, the characters are interpreted from a different angle. One of the three Sirens are speaking, describing life on the shore. The reader is a sailor, and the Siren is explaining how much she does not like being who she is. The Siren asks the sailor to come and help, for he is the only one who can do so because he is unique. Unlike in the Odyssey, the sailor is drawn to the Siren through pity. Therefore, the tone of this poem is pitiful and desperate. Though the Sirens are interpreted differently in the Odyssey and by Margaret Atwood, in the end the sailor is still lured into the Siren's trap through the emotions that they feel.
In the poem Calypso, you see how different it is from Edith Hamilton's version of her story. In the poem, Vega shows that Calypso is kind and unselfish and truly loves Odysseus and will let him go because he has a life at home with his wife and wants him to be happy even though she will be sad and miss him. In Edith Hamilton's Calypso, she is just a selfish nymph who tricks him into coming on her island. Vega's goal was to have people see Calypso in a different way and to see her true love and sacrifice rather then her selfishness.
I reflected on the Siren Song by Margaret Atwood. As people know the sirens were almost like mermaids that look beautiful but they have a deadly voice that lures any sailor to them. The sailors on board of a ship that hear of their song will jump ship trying to get to them. The reader that the siren is talking about to would be a sailor. In the Siren Song, the siren is the one talking about how it will lure a sailor. In the beginning of the Siren Song, the siren talks about wanting to get off the island and to do so it needs to tell a secret to the sailor. The sailor can’t resist listening to the siren and the siren knows this. The secret that the siren states is a cry for help that is meant for the sailor, but that is how it tricks each of its victims. They also describe that it is a boring song but it catches the sailor every time.
In the “Siren Song” written by Margaret Atwood, I was taken to an island where the most irresistible music fills the air. This song known as the Siren Song is so enchanting that it can make sailors from passing boats, stop in the middle of their journey in search for the source of this music. Even when beached skulls are in view, the sailors don’t stop in their trails but keep persisting. The source of this song is three bird like creatures that use their cunning skills to trick the sailors into falling into their trap. The excerpt from the Odyssey and this story both have a similar story line, however Odyssey has been reinterpreted into a sailor in the Siren Song. Another difference is that in the excerpt from Odyssey, Odyssey and his men pass the island in their ship resisting the temptation with the help of some wax and ropes. But in the Siren Song, the sailor falls into the creatures’ trap and is supposedly killed. The tone of this story is mischievous because the creatures use their cunning skills to lure the sailors into their trap.
Penelope, wife of Odysseus has always been pictured as the perfect example of a faithful and loyal spouse towards her husband. In Edna St. Vincent Millay’s perspective of Penelope, readers are able to gain a more deeper portrayal of the fact that even though Penelope had always been viewed upon as such a devoted housewife, there were never many accounts on the deeper feelings she had felt inside of her as her husband is away for such a long period of time. Despite the fact that Penelope was a very strong, faithful, brave and determined woman who stayed truthful to her husband, she still continues to undergo the disheartening feelings that come along with being alone all the time and following the same daily routine. Always being persuaded by other men to choose a new king, it gets very stressful having to decide whether or not to go separate ways, or continue being the devoted wife that she is to Odysseus who she doesn’t even know where he is. A sympathetic feeling came over me as I continued to read on the simple, yet daily struggles she endures. Loneliness is difficult to overcome and even though she is viewed mainly as a strong woman, it is relatable to understand why Penelope sometimes cries, The second stanza then recognizes the fact that grief is an ancient gesture and universal things, that it doesn’t mean it should be implied to be something weak, but rather something real and authentic. Odysseus cries to, but not as meaningful as when Penelope cries, her grief is something real and heartfelt and the title of the poem “Ancient Gesture” refers to the domestic relation with how women have always been the ones awaiting for their husbands at home and undergoing the same routine. As opposed to Hamilton’s perspective about Penelope, she is mainly viewed as a very strong, confident woman who knows that her husband is fighting and even though he’s been gone for a long time, she stays devoted. This poem demonstrates a different strength that not many people can picture with Penelope, this strength is the fact that she is able to wipe her tears on her apron and move on with the grief and motionless routine of weaving then unweaving, etc. she maintains to do everyday until her husband finally comes back due to the undying love she’s always felt for Odysseus despite the many years being apart and the uncertainty of their relationship with one another.
In her story, “Siren Song,” Margaret Artwood has created a different perspective on the story of the Sirens. She begins her interpretation with a cryptic remark about a desired song. From the passage, “forces men to leap overboard…even though they see beached skulls,” she suggests that even when death is obviously imminent, men would desperately do anything to hear this secret song. The story goes on to say that no one knows the song because whoever has heard it before either died or forgot the tune. The Siren tries to persuade the reader into coming on their island and help it get “out of this bird suit.” By saying that, we can assume that the Sirens are a trio of bird-like creatures who live on an island. The Siren continues to persist, saying that the reader is the only one who can save it. Using the secret of the song as a reward, the Siren tries to lure the reader onto its island. In the passage, “Alas it is a boring song but it works every time,” the author implies that the reader has finally come to the island, and has been duped by the Sirens.
I did my reflection on the Siren Song by Margaret Atwood. The sirens song is used to decoy the sailors from their journey to look for the sound. This song leads the sailors right into death; they trap themselves. In the Siren Song the sailor is what Odyssey reinterpreted as. A line that stood out to me was “the song nobody knows because anyone who had heard it is dead, and the others can’t remember.” This is stating that everyone risked their lives following this song and it they made it out alive it was taken away from thought. What also caught me was at the end where it says, “It is a boring song but it works every time.” This gives us the feel of wanting to know what the song was ourselves and to see what attracted these sailors to it.
Calypso was the nymph who kept Odysseus on her island for many years. She saved him from the storms of the sea. Odysseus was in a sense like her prisoner and she often had affairs with him. One day Hermes came to visit Calypso and tell her it was time to let Odysseus go. She loved Odysseus but did not want to anger the gods, so she released him. From the story, there is a sense that Calypso is somewhat evil or mean. However, from the poem, the sense is that Calypso is innocent and lonely. She seems sad, vulnerable, and hurt that Odysseus left her. She seems a little betrayed that she saved Odysseus’ life and yet he still left her. In this story, it is like Calypso is the victim, not Odysseus. This poem also conveys Calypso as a girl giving up her one and only love; she will never see him again and must accept that. The two images that we get of Calypso are completely opposite.
In "Calypso" by Susan Vega, Calypso is portrayed as kind, unselfish, and genuine. She brings Odysseus to her island when he is in danger. Calypso takes care of Odysseus, and when it is time for him to leave, there is a sense that she is sad and heartbroken. However, in the story Calypso by Edith Hamilton, Calypso is portrayed very differently. Calypso is thought to be selfish and wanting Odysseus only to herself. Calypso tricks Odysseus into staying on her island for self-centered reasons. I find it interesting to see the contrasts between these two interpretations.
In the poem Calypso, written by Suzanne Vega, the author writes about a character named Calypso who lives on an island alone until a man who was drowning at sea comes into her life and eventually lives on the island with her. This man’s name is Odysseus and throughout most of the poem, there is a great feeling of sadness and despair as Calypso tells her story of letting go to the man that she loves. In retrospect, the book Mythology written by Edith Hamilton tells Odysseus’ side of the story. In her writing, Odysseus was trapped on Calypso’s island for several years and was kept as a prisoner. This show’s Calypso as a selfish nymph who kept Odysseus away from his wife, Penelope, and his family. However Vega writes her poem from Calypso’s side of the story depicting a character with genuine love and feelings towards Odysseus. I find Vega’s interpretation to be quite in depth, telling a story from the view point of Calypso. There is heart and sincerity from the words in the poem and there is a true feeling of sadness for Calypso who must let Odysseus go.
I read Siren Song by Margaret Atwood. This piece talks about the Sirens song, and how it tricks people every time. It pulls you into the story by making you feel bad for it. The Siren says that it’s a horrible place with skulls and how the she doesn’t enjoy it there at all. She attracts you even more by telling you the secret of this suspicious song. No one knows what the lyrics are because anyone that has heard it has either died or forgets it. When she tells you the long “the secret” it is very boring and has nothing to it. But by pulling you into this story she catches you because while she is telling you the secret she says it might be boring but it catches people every time. I fine this story ironic because I felt for the siren until I figured out that I was like a sea man who just been tricked by a siren.
Calypso by Suzanne Vega shows her to be lonely and wanting to have someone with her. She was unselfish and let Ulysses go even though that meant that she would have to be alone on her island. She is willing and would help him back on his journey. Edith Hamilton’s version of Calypso describes her as a tempest and unwilling to let go of Ulysses shows that she only cares for her own self. The two poems both show how much Calypso loved Ulysses but Hamilton’s would show that she would not give him up, while Vega’s showed that she was willing to let him go no matter how much it hurt her. Vega also showed that Calypso wanted him to stay but let him go because she knew that he must go and that he could do what he wanted. Stay or Leave. She would have done anything for the one that she loved, even if that meant never seeing them again.
I read “Calypso” by Suzanne Vega. In Suzanne Vega’s reference to Calypso it is basically the same story as Homer’s version but with different tone and meaning. In Suzanne Vega’s version of the story of Calypso it speaks about how she let Odysseus go home and how she was alone after she let go the love of her life. See emphasized the sadness that overcame Calypso that she felt when she had to let Odysseus go after she nursed him to health. “She could taste the salt on his skin”. Homer’s version simply emphasized that fact that Odysseus left the island of Ogygia to go back home. He did mention that Calypso loved Odysseus and did not want to let him go but did not further explain after that. That is the true difference in the two poems. Suzanne Vega went further into depth with Calypso’s feelings and Homer focused on Odysseus’ journey home.
I am interpreting Calypso by Suzanne Vega. A brief summary of Calypso's role.>(In the adventures of Odysseus, a chapter in the book Mythology, Calypso is mentioned as the nymph that housed Odysseus, more like imprisoned him, on her island while he was trying to find his way back home to his family. Calypso had loved him very much and had planned to never let him go. She showered him with much kindness and everything else...besides his freedom. Despite how she treated him, Odysseus still longed for his home. He missed his family and the gods felt sorry for him. In the end, they ordered Calypso to let him go and set him on his journey back home.) In the poem written by Suzanne Vega, Calypso is shown in a different light. The poem itself puts you into Calypso's "shoes". She had lived on that island and was lonely. When Odysseus washed ashore, she nursed him back to health and took care of him. She gave him what he wanted and she was happy and not lonely anymore. I had originally thought of her as being selfish in not letting go of him, when she knew he had a family. After I read this poem though, I started to understand where she was coming from. If someone like him washed ashore on my island and I was lonely, I would not have let him go just like Calypso had to do. When she let him go, she sounded so honorable in the poem as someone who had given up their loved-one so that they could be happy. She sacrificed her happiness for his and accepted her loneliness. She would never see him again and she faced it without regrets.
My reflection is based on the poem, Calypso by Suzanne Vega. This piece is from the perspective of Calypso. In Suzanne Vega's piece, Calypso lives alone on an island and then, saw a man struggle with the sea. She saved him of dying from the seas because at that moment, he was drowning. She captivated him to accompany her on the island, for years. This poem shows that she has a great attraction and sense of love towards this man because she vividly watched him and saved him from the sea and she was able to taste the salt on his skin. Also, even though she loved him tremendously, she would do anything for him. Calypso was altruistic, benevolent, and willing to let go of him, even if she cared for him deeply. In the song of Calypso by Suzanne Vega, her tone sounds compassionate. When Vega says the words "Where I could taste the salt on his skin," I can imagine her growing so fond and attentive over him. In Edith Hamilton's Mythology, Calypso is a nymph who appears in Homer's Odysseuy. This piece is more based on Odysseuy's perspective. Both Vega and Hamilton had the same fact that Calypso saved a man(Odysseuy) from the sea. Though, in Hamilton's Mythology, Odysseuy was trapped as a prisoner. After 7 years, Zeus sent Hermes to tell Calypso to release Odysseuy. In my aspect, I like Vega's way of telling Calypso's perspective because it is way more simple and it shows some depth of the words, such as "The sand will sting my feet, and the sky will burn." I believe this means even though it would be such a burden to be alone on that island again, Calypso would let him go because she loves him deeply.
The poem about Calypso by Suzanne Vega depicts a whole new perspective about Calypso compared to the story about her in Edith Hamilton's "Mythology". In this poem about Calypso, she is portrayed as a loner. Before Odysseus arrived at that island, Calypso had no one. She was living on that island alone and with no friends or companions. When Odysseus arrived at the island, she kept him there because she was lonely and needed company. It was difficult for her to let him go since she finally had a companion to keep her company on such a deserted island. In the poem, there is a lot of repetition about letting Odysseus leave her. She seems like she really wanted someone to be with her on that island so that she is not so lonely. However, Edith Hamilton's version depicts Calypso as a character who demands that Odysseus should stay there with her and be her prisoner. The story was never told in the perspective of Calypso and it just portrayed Calypso as someone who wanted Odysseus as her prisoner. In the two stories about Calypso, they are the complete opposite of each other.
I chose to reflect on Calypso by Suzanne Vega. Calypso has been re-interpreted from the Calypso portrayed in Edith Hamilton's Mythology by going from the selfish, possessive enchantress, to the nurturing, loving, and bond forming companion. According to Edith Hamilton, Calypso wants Odysseus to stay with her forever because she is selfish, but in the song by Suzanne Vega,it was shown that her love for Odysseus was strong and true enough for her to choose his happiness over her own by letting him leave.
'Siren Song' by Margaret Atwood takes the reader through the eyes of a sailor passing by their island on his ship. They are the sirens, and are trying to lure the sailor (you) into their grasp. They say how their song is the song that everyone cannot resist, even when they see skulls of the previous victims on shore. The Siren pretends to be helpless and tries to elicit pity from the sailor.
In the excerpt from 'The Odyssey', the sirens persuade the sailors to come listen to their song and assure them that they can just listen until his heart's content and then sail on, while the truth is that they cannot resist and will have to be restrained.
In the 'Siren Song' she tricks the sailor into believing that he alone is special, that only he can 'save' her. Finally once the sailor gives in, he has fallen into their trap, and is just like every sailor before him. 'It works every time.'
An Ancient Gesture by Edna St. Vincent Millay has a tiring and insincere tone. Millay emphasizes that Odysseus, unlike Penelope, was not actually crying real tears, “But only as a gesture,—a gesture which implied. To the assembled throng that he was much too moved to speak.” It is possible he only cried to avoid addressing the people. Penelope actually cried in worry and fear while faithfully waiting for her husband’s return. In Edith Hamilton’s Greek Mythology, Odysseus genuinely yearned for his wife Penelope. According to Edith Hamilton, Odysseus was more heartfelt and sincere, while in retrospect with “An Ancient Gesture”, Odysseus only wept as a gesture.
“And more than once: you can't keep weaving all day,” can literally mean that Penelope was weaving the shroud for Odysseus’ father. Metaphorically, it also implies that Penelope’s emotions were weaving back and forth and she was unsure about what may have happened to Odysseus and if he was ever going to return to her.
In the poem "Siren Song" Margaret Atwood tells a tale focusing on the irresistible song that was sung by the Sirens to lure sailors to their doom. This version is told from the point of view of one of these sirens. The siren talks about the song, which sparks curiosity in the listeners. When it says “anyone who herad it is dead, and the others can’t remember” this makes the listener want to hear the song even more. The siren continues to intrigue the reader by saying it will “tell you the secret” or “this song is a cry for help: Help me”. Suddenly, the story twists and it is revealed that the creation suspense and curiosity was a part of the plan to lure the listener to their doom, and the song itself is actually somewhat boring. The author may have thought that it was not the song that killed the men, but their curiosity to hear the song.
I'm reflecting on "An Ancient Gesture" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. In Mythology, Penelope is displayed as a housewife, who is very faithful and loyal to her husband. Her spouse, Odysseus, was a sailor on a great adventure that gave him a reputation and an image of being brave and heroic. Penelope was portrayed as just a loyal wife in the story of The Odyssey. But in Penelope's perspective of her husband's adventures has deeper feelings and more emotion than is displayed in the actual story. Penelope was alone for about 20 years and she patiently waited for her husband's return. There were men who came to her everyday proposing to her and offering to give her a better lifestyle and satisfy her lonely feelings that she has when her husband is away. She devises tricks to delay the men who are frequently making propositions to her, one of which is to be weaving a burial cloak for Laertes and claiming that she will choose a suitor when she has finished. For three years, she undoes part of the shroud every night so she can redo it the next day. In the poem, they go in depth with contrasting the speaker's difficult lifestyle to Penelope's hardships that she had to face. With the contrast of Penelope's life, it shows that the speaker is realizing that there are relevant stories and situations that happen in everyone's life. The first stanza talks about how hard it is to keep weaving and undoing it on a daily basis. Also, the other hardships such as being lonely without their significant other, and not knowing if it's worth the wait to keep fighting with your patience for them to return. They have a relevant feeling that shows that you put your lover before you and in return, they put themselves and their reputation before you. So the priorities between the two lovers differentiate depending on what they want to do in life. Penelope waited for Odysseus patiently and always remained faithful to him. But Odysseus put his adventures and reputation before Penelope and made her wait 20 years before he returned to her. In the second stanza, it talks about relevancy in the gestures that are performed. The speaker wipes their tears, just like Penelope did when she only wanted to be with Odysseus. Also, the line ''To the assembled throng that he was much too moved to speak'' refers to the people that were amazed by the adventures Odysseus went on and the effect his reputation had on how other people saw him as a major heroic figure at the time. But he learned bravery and patience from Penelope, because she was the one who suffered because she had to wait, while her husband was proving to the world that he was a hero.
In Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, we are given the perspective that Calypso is selfish and possessive. For many years, she held Odysseus captive on her island and made him “a virtual prisoner” (213). Odysseus longed to return home to his wife and his son, but it is said that Calypso planned on never letting him go. She kept him on the island for years and years, as he became more and utterly wretched. She finally let Odysseus leave the island in the end, however, but only from Hermes prying her to let Odysseus return on his journey home. On the other hand, Suzanne Vega’s “Calypso” shows a totally different side to Calypso than the one we saw in the Ms. Hamilton’s book. In Suzanne Vega’s “Calypso,” Calypso is seen as a weak and fragile creature. She is gentle and kind-hearted. The only reason she held Odysseus on her island for many years was because she was lonely. She lives on an island all alone and only wanted companionship. Odysseus provided this companionship for her and that was all she wanted of him. When he left, she was heartbroken. She wanted very much for him to stay, but she did not try to stop him. Against what she had felt deep down in her heart, she let him go. Through this poem, readers are shown are a much more compassionate, sensitive, and softer side to Calypso, as it was written in her point-of-view. We are shown what she is feeling about all that is happening deep down inside. No longer is she just the selfish nymph who kept Odysseus away from his home for many years, but a gentle nymph whom arouses sympathy in the readers through her pain and loneliness.
I choose to read "An Ancient Gesture" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. As I read this poem i thought that penelope was feeling a lot of discomfort. I think she was feeling a lot of pain because her husband was very brave and was a hero. He was never home because he was busy saving people and being a hero. While he was out saving the world, Penelope was at home and being faithful to her husband. She was very beautiful and could have any guy that she wanted. There were guys that would come to her and confess how beautiful she is, but she did not give in to their compliments. She was faithful to her husband and just weaved all day. She told the men that when she is done weaving she will be with them. But early in the morning she would wake up and undo the weaving she has done and start all over again. That way she would only be with her husband. In this poem it talks about how she misses her husband. Even Penelope thinking about how her husband is gone for so many years, brings her to tears. Penelope is a strong women, but even if you are strong, this situation will bring you to tears. Edna is comparing how she would feel if she was in Penelope's position, and it would probably be the same way it says Penelope reacted. For example it says " I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron, and then it says penelope did this too." As you can see that Edna is trying to show that she has a connection to Penelope and can see how Penelope is in pain. Edna is telling the readers that she is in the same situation and showing how she feels, by comparing it to Penelope's same pain, to emphasize the situation of how much distress she is going through. That is what i got from reading this poem.
The excerpt from The Odyssey that describes the Sirens compares to the Siren Song because in the Siren Song you actually find out that the song talked about in the excerpt is not really as beautiful and jaw dropping as they make it seem. No one knows of the song because everyone who has heard it is dead and the others have forgotten it. This is really important because for those who do not read the Siren Song but read the Odyssey gets a sense that this song that attracts so many people is quite amazing and worth listening to. The reason that many people think that this song is worth hearing is because the voices of the sirens calls out to the people at sea. But it says in the excerpt how some ships sail across the ocean and they listen until they want to and then just sail on, making them a wiser man. The people to sail on is a wiser man because this song that they claim is so glorious is actually just another boring song but the surprising thing is that the persuading works every time.
ReplyDeleteI read 'Calypso' by Suzanne Vega, and I was struck by how it tore Calypso apart to have to let Ulysses go, but she did it anyway because she loved him. Calypso reflected on the day she first saw Ulysses and rescued him, and how now he is choosing to leave her and return home. She focuses on who she is, but how her love for Ulysses has made him a part of her. She is the beautiful Calypso, alone on her island, but she is also the woman who can 'tell of nights where I tasted the salt on his skin.' But despite Calypso's love for him, Ulysses has always longed for home. And though Calypso kept him there for years, she found the strength to let him go. Calypso saved Ulysses and nursed him back to health, she has loved him and he has become a part of her, but she still loves him enough to let him go.
ReplyDeleteI read An Ancient Gesture by Edna St. Vincent Millay, and I got a feeling that she was in a great deal of pain. It gave me a peak of distress. The reason behind the pain was not indicated, but I could take a guess on what may have caused her so much pain. Penelope was a woman who was faithful to her husband when he was gone for years and so I believe this is a poem that talks about how much she misses him, but its in first person point of view so how the speaker misses her husband. The thought of him being somewhere else for years makes her burst into tears. I believe that no matter how strong Penelope was she still cried and I think this is what the speaker is saying by repeating "Penelope did this too." She is making a connection between her pain with her husband gone and Penelope and her pain when her husband gone as well. Trying to get the readers a sense of understanding when you don’t have your husband around you by comparing the same pain Penelope felt is what I believe Millay is trying to do.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to see Calypso from a different point of view in the song "Calypso" by Suzanne Vega. In Greek mythology she is portrayed as a temptress, who seduces Odysseus and prevents him from returning home. No one really stops to think that she kept him there because she truly loved him; we just assume that she was the wrongdoer in this case. However the song represents a Calypso who is kind and loving yet lonely until this man comes into her life. She saved him from the sea, nursed him, and kept him as her own. And although it killed her to let him go, she knew in her heart that she had to.
ReplyDeleteIn Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, Calypso is depicted as a possessive, love-obsessed nymph who selfishly desires Odysseus. Because of her selfish love for Odysseus she keeps him as her captive on her island. Eventually, Hermes convinces her to let him go. However, in the poem Calypso by Suzanne Vega, Calypso the beautiful nymph is portrayed as a caring and compassionate character. This poem makes readers sympathize with Calypso because it expresses her genuine feelings instead of the feelings of Odysseus. It mentions how lonely she was before Odysseus. It also reminds readers that it was Calypso who rescued Odysseus from the storm. If it weren’t for her, Odysseus probably would have drowned. Furthermore, this poem speaks of how heartbroken Calypso was when Odysseus left her. The poem interprets Calypso’s love for Odysseus as genuine and pure, not selfish or obsessive. The poem also states that although it broke her heart, Calypso unselfishly let Odysseus, the man she loved, leave her.
ReplyDeleteI reflected on Edna St. Vincent Millay’s An Ancient Gesture and while reading that I was able to meet a completely new Penelope. In most books and poems, it only describes Penelope as the women who waited for Odysseus for twenty years. The books and poems may include her smart plan of avoiding the suitors and her loyalty to her husband. However as I was reading An Ancient Gesture, Millay described Penelope as someone who was filled with an immense amount of sorrow. Penelope who was alone waiting for her husband to come back into her life, in my eyes was given some human characteristics in this poem. When she was sad, she shed tears. This poem also showed Penelope not only in emotional distress but also physical pain from weaving and unweaving every day and night. This poem has re-interpreted Penelope from a strong women figure fighting through the 20 years into someone who should be pitied and consoled.
ReplyDeleteSuzanne Vega's interpretation of Calypso was strikingly different from Edith Hamilton's interpretation. Vega emphasized on Calypso's loneliness and love for Odysseus. Rather, in Hamilton's interpretation, Calypso is presented as a selfish nymph that kept Odysseus only for herself. There is also a point where Vega gives readers a sense of Calypso as a very unselfish and loving character. It reminds that she was the one who saved Odysseus, and that it broke her heart to let him go. This poem stresses on the feelings of Calypso and the sacrifices she made for him.
ReplyDeleteSiren Song by Margaret Atwood is a poem walks the reader through what it was like to hear a Siren’s song. The poem draws the reader in by asking questions and referring to the reader as “you.” The reader becomes a sailor and learns how many other seamen were tricked by cunning Sirens.
ReplyDeleteThe Siren in the poem acts innocent and tries to get the reader to pity her. She says that she doesn’t enjoy the island where she is, “squatting” looking, “picturesque and mystical.” She tells a “secret” to the reader, which is the song that she sings is really a cry for help. She says, “Only you can, you are unique.” But it is implied that she sings her song and tricked the sailor because the poem ends with, “it is a boring song but it works every time.”
I enjoyed this poem because it does not tell a story of a sailor we do not know and how he is fallen victim to a siren’s song, but it walks the reader through the process of getting “tricked” as if the reader was the sailor. The poem is also a little ironic when the siren says, “you are unique at last.” The reason this is ironic is that the sailor then falls into the same trap that many before him have also fallen in to.
Vega’s version of Calypso was very different from Hamilton’s version of her. Vega focused on Calypso’s life being dull and monotonous every day from endlessly being stuck on the island. Then when she saw Ulysses stranded on the island from the wreck, she was excited that someone was here and something different and new had come up. So she then took care of him and took him in as best as she could and then when it was time for him to leave, Vega also mentioned how Calypso felt kind of torn and very sad when he left. She emphasizes how Calypso had to let him go. Then Vega talks about how Calypso has a garden and how lush and thick it is. Then she switches to Calypso being on the island again and how she is with Ulysses and you can really feel the love and care that Vega portrayed Calypso to really have for Ulysses. She also focuses on the departure of Ulysses and how Calypso is willing to let him go but it’s still very hard for her to accept it all. The ending stanza is about how Calypso is finally accepting of letting Ulysses go and understanding that he has to leave. The tone of the poem is kind of sad because it talks about a lonely life turning into a life with someone that turns into a loved one and then losing that person again and being lonely. So the tone is like the feeling you get when you lose someone dear to you but in the end you have to be accepting of it.
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ReplyDeleteIn the excerpt from the Odyssey, the Sirens sing their song, drawing sailors to the shore. The Sirens describe the beauty of of the song and how only a fool would pass up the opportunity to listen. They use temptation as their weapon, drawing in those who are curious to hear. Thus, this excerpt has a seductive tone. However, in Siren Song by Margaret Atwood, the characters are interpreted from a different angle. One of the three Sirens are speaking, describing life on the shore. The reader is a sailor, and the Siren is explaining how much she does not like being who she is. The Siren asks the sailor to come and help, for he is the only one who can do so because he is unique. Unlike in the Odyssey, the sailor is drawn to the Siren through pity. Therefore, the tone of this poem is pitiful and desperate. Though the Sirens are interpreted differently in the Odyssey and by Margaret Atwood, in the end the sailor is still lured into the Siren's trap through the emotions that they feel.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem Calypso, you see how different it is from Edith Hamilton's version of her story. In the poem, Vega shows that Calypso is kind and unselfish and truly loves Odysseus and will let him go because he has a life at home with his wife and wants him to be happy even though she will be sad and miss him. In Edith Hamilton's Calypso, she is just a selfish nymph who tricks him into coming on her island. Vega's goal was to have people see Calypso in a different way and to see her true love and sacrifice rather then her selfishness.
ReplyDeleteI reflected on the Siren Song by Margaret Atwood. As people know the sirens were almost like mermaids that look beautiful but they have a deadly voice that lures any sailor to them. The sailors on board of a ship that hear of their song will jump ship trying to get to them. The reader that the siren is talking about to would be a sailor. In the Siren Song, the siren is the one talking about how it will lure a sailor. In the beginning of the Siren Song, the siren talks about wanting to get off the island and to do so it needs to tell a secret to the sailor. The sailor can’t resist listening to the siren and the siren knows this. The secret that the siren states is a cry for help that is meant for the sailor, but that is how it tricks each of its victims. They also describe that it is a boring song but it catches the sailor every time.
ReplyDeleteIn the “Siren Song” written by Margaret Atwood, I was taken to an island where the most irresistible music fills the air. This song known as the Siren Song is so enchanting that it can make sailors from passing boats, stop in the middle of their journey in search for the source of this music. Even when beached skulls are in view, the sailors don’t stop in their trails but keep persisting. The source of this song is three bird like creatures that use their cunning skills to trick the sailors into falling into their trap. The excerpt from the Odyssey and this story both have a similar story line, however Odyssey has been reinterpreted into a sailor in the Siren Song. Another difference is that in the excerpt from Odyssey, Odyssey and his men pass the island in their ship resisting the temptation with the help of some wax and ropes. But in the Siren Song, the sailor falls into the creatures’ trap and is supposedly killed. The tone of this story is mischievous because the creatures use their cunning skills to lure the sailors into their trap.
ReplyDeleteAn Ancient Gesture by Edna St. Vincent Millay:
ReplyDeletePenelope, wife of Odysseus has always been pictured as the perfect example of a faithful and loyal spouse towards her husband. In Edna St. Vincent Millay’s perspective of Penelope, readers are able to gain a more deeper portrayal of the fact that even though Penelope had always been viewed upon as such a devoted housewife, there were never many accounts on the deeper feelings she had felt inside of her as her husband is away for such a long period of time. Despite the fact that Penelope was a very strong, faithful, brave and determined woman who stayed truthful to her husband, she still continues to undergo the disheartening feelings that come along with being alone all the time and following the same daily routine. Always being persuaded by other men to choose a new king, it gets very stressful having to decide whether or not to go separate ways, or continue being the devoted wife that she is to Odysseus who she doesn’t even know where he is. A sympathetic feeling came over me as I continued to read on the simple, yet daily struggles she endures. Loneliness is difficult to overcome and even though she is viewed mainly as a strong woman, it is relatable to understand why Penelope sometimes cries, The second stanza then recognizes the fact that grief is an ancient gesture and universal things, that it doesn’t mean it should be implied to be something weak, but rather something real and authentic. Odysseus cries to, but not as meaningful as when Penelope cries, her grief is something real and heartfelt and the title of the poem “Ancient Gesture” refers to the domestic relation with how women have always been the ones awaiting for their husbands at home and undergoing the same routine. As opposed to Hamilton’s perspective about Penelope, she is mainly viewed as a very strong, confident woman who knows that her husband is fighting and even though he’s been gone for a long time, she stays devoted. This poem demonstrates a different strength that not many people can picture with Penelope, this strength is the fact that she is able to wipe her tears on her apron and move on with the grief and motionless routine of weaving then unweaving, etc. she maintains to do everyday until her husband finally comes back due to the undying love she’s always felt for Odysseus despite the many years being apart and the uncertainty of their relationship with one another.
In her story, “Siren Song,” Margaret Artwood has created a different perspective on the story of the Sirens. She begins her interpretation with a cryptic remark about a desired song. From the passage, “forces men to leap overboard…even though they see beached skulls,” she suggests that even when death is obviously imminent, men would desperately do anything to hear this secret song. The story goes on to say that no one knows the song because whoever has heard it before either died or forgot the tune. The Siren tries to persuade the reader into coming on their island and help it get “out of this bird suit.” By saying that, we can assume that the Sirens are a trio of bird-like creatures who live on an island. The Siren continues to persist, saying that the reader is the only one who can save it. Using the secret of the song as a reward, the Siren tries to lure the reader onto its island. In the passage, “Alas it is a boring song but it works every time,” the author implies that the reader has finally come to the island, and has been duped by the Sirens.
ReplyDeleteI did my reflection on the Siren Song by Margaret Atwood. The sirens song is used to decoy the sailors from their journey to look for the sound. This song leads the sailors right into death; they trap themselves. In the Siren Song the sailor is what Odyssey reinterpreted as. A line that stood out to me was “the song nobody knows because anyone who had heard it is dead, and the others can’t remember.” This is stating that everyone risked their lives following this song and it they made it out alive it was taken away from thought. What also caught me was at the end where it says, “It is a boring song but it works every time.” This gives us the feel of wanting to know what the song was ourselves and to see what attracted these sailors to it.
ReplyDeleteCalypso was the nymph who kept Odysseus on her island for many years. She saved him from the storms of the sea. Odysseus was in a sense like her prisoner and she often had affairs with him. One day Hermes came to visit Calypso and tell her it was time to let Odysseus go. She loved Odysseus but did not want to anger the gods, so she released him. From the story, there is a sense that Calypso is somewhat evil or mean. However, from the poem, the sense is that Calypso is innocent and lonely. She seems sad, vulnerable, and hurt that Odysseus left her. She seems a little betrayed that she saved Odysseus’ life and yet he still left her. In this story, it is like Calypso is the victim, not Odysseus. This poem also conveys Calypso as a girl giving up her one and only love; she will never see him again and must accept that. The two images that we get of Calypso are completely opposite.
ReplyDeleteIn "Calypso" by Susan Vega, Calypso is portrayed as kind, unselfish, and genuine. She brings Odysseus to her island when he is in danger. Calypso takes care of Odysseus, and when it is time for him to leave, there is a sense that she is sad and heartbroken. However, in the story Calypso by Edith Hamilton, Calypso is portrayed very differently. Calypso is thought to be selfish and wanting Odysseus only to herself. Calypso tricks Odysseus into staying on her island for self-centered reasons. I find it interesting to see the contrasts between these two interpretations.
ReplyDeleteIn the poem Calypso, written by Suzanne Vega, the author writes about a character named Calypso who lives on an island alone until a man who was drowning at sea comes into her life and eventually lives on the island with her. This man’s name is Odysseus and throughout most of the poem, there is a great feeling of sadness and despair as Calypso tells her story of letting go to the man that she loves. In retrospect, the book Mythology written by Edith Hamilton tells Odysseus’ side of the story. In her writing, Odysseus was trapped on Calypso’s island for several years and was kept as a prisoner. This show’s Calypso as a selfish nymph who kept Odysseus away from his wife, Penelope, and his family. However Vega writes her poem from Calypso’s side of the story depicting a character with genuine love and feelings towards Odysseus. I find Vega’s interpretation to be quite in depth, telling a story from the view point of Calypso. There is heart and sincerity from the words in the poem and there is a true feeling of sadness for Calypso who must let Odysseus go.
ReplyDeleteI read Siren Song by Margaret Atwood. This piece talks about the Sirens song, and how it tricks people every time. It pulls you into the story by making you feel bad for it. The Siren says that it’s a horrible place with skulls and how the she doesn’t enjoy it there at all. She attracts you even more by telling you the secret of this suspicious song. No one knows what the lyrics are because anyone that has heard it has either died or forgets it. When she tells you the long “the secret” it is very boring and has nothing to it. But by pulling you into this story she catches you because while she is telling you the secret she says it might be boring but it catches people every time. I fine this story ironic because I felt for the siren until I figured out that I was like a sea man who just been tricked by a siren.
ReplyDeleteCalypso by Suzanne Vega shows her to be lonely and wanting to have someone with her. She was unselfish and let Ulysses go even though that meant that she would have to be alone on her island. She is willing and would help him back on his journey. Edith Hamilton’s version of Calypso describes her as a tempest and unwilling to let go of Ulysses shows that she only cares for her own self. The two poems both show how much Calypso loved Ulysses but Hamilton’s would show that she would not give him up, while Vega’s showed that she was willing to let him go no matter how much it hurt her. Vega also showed that Calypso wanted him to stay but let him go because she knew that he must go and that he could do what he wanted. Stay or Leave. She would have done anything for the one that she loved, even if that meant never seeing them again.
ReplyDeleteI read “Calypso” by Suzanne Vega. In Suzanne Vega’s reference to Calypso it is basically the same story as Homer’s version but with different tone and meaning. In Suzanne Vega’s version of the story of Calypso it speaks about how she let Odysseus go home and how she was alone after she let go the love of her life. See emphasized the sadness that overcame Calypso that she felt when she had to let Odysseus go after she nursed him to health. “She could taste the salt on his skin”. Homer’s version simply emphasized that fact that Odysseus left the island of Ogygia to go back home. He did mention that Calypso loved Odysseus and did not want to let him go but did not further explain after that. That is the true difference in the two poems. Suzanne Vega went further into depth with Calypso’s feelings and Homer focused on Odysseus’ journey home.
ReplyDeleteI am interpreting Calypso by Suzanne Vega.
ReplyDeleteA brief summary of Calypso's role.>(In the adventures of Odysseus, a chapter in the book Mythology, Calypso is mentioned as the nymph that housed Odysseus, more like imprisoned him, on her island while he was trying to find his way back home to his family. Calypso had loved him very much and had planned to never let him go. She showered him with much kindness and everything else...besides his freedom. Despite how she treated him, Odysseus still longed for his home. He missed his family and the gods felt sorry for him. In the end, they ordered Calypso to let him go and set him on his journey back home.)
In the poem written by Suzanne Vega, Calypso is shown in a different light. The poem itself puts you into Calypso's "shoes". She had lived on that island and was lonely. When Odysseus washed ashore, she nursed him back to health and took care of him. She gave him what he wanted and she was happy and not lonely anymore. I had originally thought of her as being selfish in not letting go of him, when she knew he had a family. After I read this poem though, I started to understand where she was coming from. If someone like him washed ashore on my island and I was lonely, I would not have let him go just like Calypso had to do. When she let him go, she sounded so honorable in the poem as someone who had given up their loved-one so that they could be happy. She sacrificed her happiness for his and accepted her loneliness. She would never see him again and she faced it without regrets.
My reflection is based on the poem, Calypso by Suzanne Vega. This piece is from the perspective of Calypso. In Suzanne Vega's piece, Calypso lives alone on an island and then, saw a man struggle with the sea. She saved him of dying from the seas because at that moment, he was drowning. She captivated him to accompany her on the island, for years. This poem shows that she has a great attraction and sense of love towards this man because she vividly watched him and saved him from the sea and she was able to taste the salt on his skin. Also, even though she loved him tremendously, she would do anything for him. Calypso was altruistic, benevolent, and willing to let go of him, even if she cared for him deeply. In the song of Calypso by Suzanne Vega, her tone sounds compassionate. When Vega says the words "Where I could taste the salt on his skin," I can imagine her growing so fond and attentive over him. In Edith Hamilton's Mythology, Calypso is a nymph who appears in Homer's Odysseuy. This piece is more based on Odysseuy's perspective. Both Vega and Hamilton had the same fact that Calypso saved a man(Odysseuy) from the sea. Though, in Hamilton's Mythology, Odysseuy was trapped as a prisoner. After 7 years, Zeus sent Hermes to tell Calypso to release Odysseuy. In my aspect, I like Vega's way of telling Calypso's perspective because it is way more simple and it shows some depth of the words, such as "The sand will sting my feet, and the sky will burn." I believe this means even though it would be such a burden to be alone on that island again, Calypso would let him go because she loves him deeply.
ReplyDeleteThe poem about Calypso by Suzanne Vega depicts a whole new perspective about Calypso compared to the story about her in Edith Hamilton's "Mythology". In this poem about Calypso, she is portrayed as a loner. Before Odysseus arrived at that island, Calypso had no one. She was living on that island alone and with no friends or companions. When Odysseus arrived at the island, she kept him there because she was lonely and needed company. It was difficult for her to let him go since she finally had a companion to keep her company on such a deserted island. In the poem, there is a lot of repetition about letting Odysseus leave her. She seems like she really wanted someone to be with her on that island so that she is not so lonely. However, Edith Hamilton's version depicts Calypso as a character who demands that Odysseus should stay there with her and be her prisoner. The story was never told in the perspective of Calypso and it just portrayed Calypso as someone who wanted Odysseus as her prisoner. In the two stories about Calypso, they are the complete opposite of each other.
ReplyDeleteI chose to reflect on Calypso by Suzanne Vega. Calypso has been re-interpreted from the Calypso portrayed in Edith Hamilton's Mythology by going from the selfish, possessive enchantress, to the nurturing, loving, and bond forming companion. According to Edith Hamilton, Calypso wants Odysseus to stay with her forever because she is selfish, but in the song by Suzanne Vega,it was shown that her love for Odysseus was strong and true enough for her to choose his happiness over her own by letting him leave.
ReplyDelete'Siren Song' by Margaret Atwood takes the reader through the eyes of a sailor passing by their island on his ship. They are the sirens, and are trying to lure the sailor (you) into their grasp. They say how their song is the song that everyone cannot resist, even when they see skulls of the previous victims on shore. The Siren pretends to be helpless and tries to elicit pity from the sailor.
ReplyDeleteIn the excerpt from 'The Odyssey', the sirens persuade the sailors to come listen to their song and assure them that they can just listen until his heart's content and then sail on, while the truth is that they cannot resist and will have to be restrained.
In the 'Siren Song' she tricks the sailor into believing that he alone is special, that only he can 'save' her. Finally once the sailor gives in, he has fallen into their trap, and is just like every sailor before him. 'It works every time.'
An Ancient Gesture by Edna St. Vincent Millay has a tiring and insincere tone. Millay emphasizes that Odysseus, unlike Penelope, was not actually crying real tears, “But only as a gesture,—a gesture which implied. To the assembled throng that he was much too moved to speak.” It is possible he only cried to avoid addressing the people. Penelope actually cried in worry and fear while faithfully waiting for her husband’s return. In Edith Hamilton’s Greek Mythology, Odysseus genuinely yearned for his wife Penelope. According to Edith Hamilton, Odysseus was more heartfelt and sincere, while in retrospect with “An Ancient Gesture”, Odysseus only wept as a gesture.
ReplyDelete“And more than once: you can't keep weaving all day,” can literally mean that Penelope was weaving the shroud for Odysseus’ father. Metaphorically, it also implies that Penelope’s emotions were weaving back and forth and she was unsure about what may have happened to Odysseus and if he was ever going to return to her.
~Jasmine Quinn
ReplyDeleteIn the poem "Siren Song" Margaret Atwood tells a tale focusing on the irresistible song that was sung by the Sirens to lure sailors to their doom. This version is told from the point of view of one of these sirens.
The siren talks about the song, which sparks curiosity in the listeners. When it says “anyone who herad it is dead, and the others can’t remember” this makes the listener want to hear the song even more. The siren continues to intrigue the reader by saying it will “tell you the secret” or “this song is a cry for help: Help me”. Suddenly, the story twists and it is revealed that the creation suspense and curiosity was a part of the plan to lure the listener to their doom, and the song itself is actually somewhat boring. The author may have thought that it was not the song that killed the men, but their curiosity to hear the song.
I'm reflecting on "An Ancient Gesture" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. In Mythology, Penelope is displayed as a housewife, who is very faithful and loyal to her husband. Her spouse, Odysseus, was a sailor on a great adventure that gave him a reputation and an image of being brave and heroic. Penelope was portrayed as just a loyal wife in the story of The Odyssey. But in Penelope's perspective of her husband's adventures has deeper feelings and more emotion than is displayed in the actual story. Penelope was alone for about 20 years and she patiently waited for her husband's return. There were men who came to her everyday proposing to her and offering to give her a better lifestyle and satisfy her lonely feelings that she has when her husband is away. She devises tricks to delay the men who are frequently making propositions to her, one of which is to be weaving a burial cloak for Laertes and claiming that she will choose a suitor when she has finished. For three years, she undoes part of the shroud every night so she can redo it the next day. In the poem, they go in depth with contrasting the speaker's difficult lifestyle to Penelope's hardships that she had to face. With the contrast of Penelope's life, it shows that the speaker is realizing that there are relevant stories and situations that happen in everyone's life. The first stanza talks about how hard it is to keep weaving and undoing it on a daily basis. Also, the other hardships such as being lonely without their significant other, and not knowing if it's worth the wait to keep fighting with your patience for them to return. They have a relevant feeling that shows that you put your lover before you and in return, they put themselves and their reputation before you. So the priorities between the two lovers differentiate depending on what they want to do in life. Penelope waited for Odysseus patiently and always remained faithful to him. But Odysseus put his adventures and reputation before Penelope and made her wait 20 years before he returned to her. In the second stanza, it talks about relevancy in the gestures that are performed. The speaker wipes their tears, just like Penelope did when she only wanted to be with Odysseus. Also, the line ''To the assembled throng that he was much too moved to speak'' refers to the people that were amazed by the adventures Odysseus went on and the effect his reputation had on how other people saw him as a major heroic figure at the time. But he learned bravery and patience from Penelope, because she was the one who suffered because she had to wait, while her husband was proving to the world that he was a hero.
ReplyDeleteIn Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, we are given the perspective that Calypso is selfish and possessive. For many years, she held Odysseus captive on her island and made him “a virtual prisoner” (213). Odysseus longed to return home to his wife and his son, but it is said that Calypso planned on never letting him go. She kept him on the island for years and years, as he became more and utterly wretched. She finally let Odysseus leave the island in the end, however, but only from Hermes prying her to let Odysseus return on his journey home. On the other hand, Suzanne Vega’s “Calypso” shows a totally different side to Calypso than the one we saw in the Ms. Hamilton’s book. In Suzanne Vega’s “Calypso,” Calypso is seen as a weak and fragile creature. She is gentle and kind-hearted. The only reason she held Odysseus on her island for many years was because she was lonely. She lives on an island all alone and only wanted companionship. Odysseus provided this companionship for her and that was all she wanted of him. When he left, she was heartbroken. She wanted very much for him to stay, but she did not try to stop him. Against what she had felt deep down in her heart, she let him go. Through this poem, readers are shown are a much more compassionate, sensitive, and softer side to Calypso, as it was written in her point-of-view. We are shown what she is feeling about all that is happening deep down inside. No longer is she just the selfish nymph who kept Odysseus away from his home for many years, but a gentle nymph whom arouses sympathy in the readers through her pain and loneliness.
ReplyDeleteI choose to read "An Ancient Gesture" by Edna St. Vincent Millay. As I read this poem i thought that penelope was feeling a lot of discomfort. I think she was feeling a lot of pain because her husband was very brave and was a hero. He was never home because he was busy saving people and being a hero. While he was out saving the world, Penelope was at home and being faithful to her husband. She was very beautiful and could have any guy that she wanted. There were guys that would come to her and confess how beautiful she is, but she did not give in to their compliments. She was faithful to her husband and just weaved all day. She told the men that when she is done weaving she will be with them. But early in the morning she would wake up and undo the weaving she has done and start all over again. That way she would only be with her husband. In this poem it talks about how she misses her husband. Even Penelope thinking about how her husband is gone for so many years, brings her to tears. Penelope is a strong women, but even if you are strong, this situation will bring you to tears. Edna is comparing how she would feel if she was in Penelope's position, and it would probably be the same way it says Penelope reacted. For example it says " I thought, as I wiped my eyes on the corner of my apron, and then it says penelope did this too." As you can see that Edna is trying to show that she has a connection to Penelope and can see how Penelope is in pain. Edna is telling the readers that she is in the same situation and showing how she feels, by comparing it to Penelope's same pain, to emphasize the situation of how much distress she is going through. That is what i got from reading this poem.
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