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Gender roles in literature research
How are female characters portrayed in literature
Gender roles in literature research
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Both Homer's epic The Odyssey and Margaret Atwood's poem "siren song" allude to the ancient mythological Sirens, birdlike creatures with the heads of women. While both poems share first- person points of view and both incorporate imagery, their perspectives and tones differ greatly. The former objectifies women, but the latter humanizes them. In The Odyssey, the point of view that is used is first- person plural. An example of this is "… our trim ship was speeding toward the Siren's island, driven by the brisk wind." This quote shows first person plural, by using words such as 'our' repeatedly. That word implies that more than one person being talked about in the passage. Homer use's this point of view to help form the tone and mood of …show more content…
Tactile imagery is what Homer choose to use in the epic. "… honeyed voices pouring from our lips... ravishing voices out across the air." These are some of the many examples that show tactile imagery. Homer use's this type of imagery to help the reader better understand why Odysseus want's to hear the lovely siren song. If Homer had not used this type of imagery while telling the epic then, he would not have been able to produce the universal theme while telling the story. Margaret Atwood however, used visual imagery in her poem. "… forces men to leap overboard in squadrons... they see the beached skull... looking picturesque and mythical." Theses are a few examples of visual imagery found in the latter poem. Theses excerpts show visual imagery by painting a picture in the readers head while they are reading this poem. She includes this type of imagery to help the reader understand the tone and the mood of the poem. Both poems show imagery but, the former uses it to make women feel like they are objects and not people. The latter uses the imagery to make the women feel beautiful and like …show more content…
An example of the tone is " So they sent their ravishing voices out across the air the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer." This quote implies the tone is longing because Odysseus wants to listen to the Siren song but, he can not have that. This is an important tone in the book because it shows that Odysseus has not given up on his mission; to get home to his wife and son, it also shows that he has the strength to not give into an enchanting but deadly song. This tone is also used in our everyday life, like when we want something and can not have it we long for it, or like in Romeo and Juliet they both long for one another but their parents try to keep them apart because they think they will do no good for each other. The tone of the poem " siren song" is more of a desperate but coaxing tone. " Shall I tell you the secret and if I do, will you get me out of this bird suit?" This quotes show the aching tone because its seems that this siren had tried to get out the suit and has not been successful. You see this tone throughout the poem because the narrator is trying to ask the reader for help. We see this also in our everyday life, and example of this is when someone did something and they are trying to get sympathy from other people. This poem also shows that, the siren is trying to get sympathy from the reader tell them that the other sirens are
The Odyssey is one of two ancient Greek poems written by the famous Greek author, Homer. The story details the adventures of Odysseus and his men during their ten-year sail after the Trojan War. They must return home before their civilization falls to ruins. The men face a Cyclops, a group of Sirens, a giant whirlpool and rock monster, and many other creatures and challenges. The Odyssey was written sometime during the eighth century, so it features complex dialect and hidden meanings. Homer uses diction in The Odyssey in order to express a tone of darkness and bravery.
That insinuates how Sirens entice people into their own death. From Odysseus’ standpoint, he hoped to get away from them, stating,”the heart inside me throbbed to listen longer”,signifying he could not bare to hear them croon longer. Furthermore, the Sirens are portrayed as underprivileged. In the siren song it declares,”This song is a cry for help:Help me!Only you,only you can.” That exhibits how the Sirens are in need of assistance.
In the epic poem the "Odyssey" by Homer, there are creatures known as sirens. These creatures lure people to their death by singing a song in which it makes a person follow what the sirens say. In the "Siren Song" by Margret Atwood, she writes the song of how she interprets it by using modern English. The two literary works portray the Sirens similar in tone and differently in point of view.
In the works The Odyssey and Gilgamesh, women are depicted as mentors to the heroes of the story. The epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus and his son, Telemachus, are both in inescapable situations where they are trapped until the goddess Athena comes by to offer them help out of their situations. Athena,
...ader in “Siren Song” ultimately falls prey to the siren narrator. Despite many changes to the culture of the western world the morals and ideals of the ancient Greek poets and writers continue on even today just as prevalent as they did before. The influence and prestige of the ancient Greek world still soldiers on even in this rapidly changing modern world and will continue to do so.
Imagery is made up of the five senses, which are sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The first sense of sight is seen throughout the whole poem, specifically in the first two lines, “I had the idea of sitting still/while others rushed by.” This sight she envisions is so calm and still and the perfect example of appreciating the little things that life has to offer. Through the use of these terse statements, she allows it to have more meaning than some novels do as a whole.
Throughout the Odyssey there are many themes that Homer uses to portray different people and events. To name a few, there are the themes of Betrayal and Revenge,Greed and Glutony, Hospitality, Role of the Gods and Wealth (the amount of money one had determined the status he held in the greek society, and this explains Odysseus's love for plunder).
...g of the Sirens and end up as one of the corpses in their “meadow.” The Sirens have the power to “spellbind any man alive” with their “high, thrilling songs” and preventing them from ever making it home. A man lured by the Sirens will never see his wife or “happy children” again. His story will be over, and he will be lost forever. The Greeks rely on their story and legacy to retain their identity and memory after death. The Sirens represent distractions that lure travellers from their journey and decrease or completely remove their determination to return home. When a man stays true to his purpose and avoids any Siren-like distractions, he lives and comes home to a wonderful family. When a man makes himself susceptible to any Siren’s call, be it from an actual Siren or just something tempting enough to sway him from his task, he is destined to fail and be forgotten.
Imagery is a way to describe objects, scenarios, scenes, etc. by using language that would appeal to physical senses such as; smell, sight, touch, taste, and sound. For example, “Then the darkening firs And the sudden whirring of water of the knifed down a fern-hidden Cliff and splashed unseen into mist in the shadows.” (II. 5. 3-4) This quote is explaining how the day is turning into night, the trees are darkening, the water is swaying with the wind, and the trees vanishing behind the thick fog. “we slogged Through the
...y sirens represent half-women, half-bird creatures who lived on an island. They used to sing in beautiful voices to lure sailors off their course. When Odysseus was sailing by the siren's island, he made the rest of his men plug up their ears and ties him to the mainmast. This way, he got to hear the beautiful sound of their voice without being driven to suicide. In this story the women weeping over Lautaro were compared to the sirens, and some sailors going to tie themselves to the mainmast in an attempt to mimic Odysseus. There is a contrast of these stories with the quotes from the villagers.
The women in The Odyssey are a fair representation of women in ancient Greek culture. In his work, Homer brings forth women of different prestige. First there are the goddesses, then Penelope, and lastly the servant girls. Each of the three factions forms an important part of The Odyssey and helps us look into what women were like in ancient Greece.
The image of seductresses is a recurring motif in The Odyssey. These women are a temptation to Odysseus. They attempt to keep Odysseus from accomplishing his goal: his homecoming. Circe is a bewitching goddess. She entices Odysseus’ crew into her palace with her enchanting voice. However, after she feeds them, she promptly turns them into pigs. Circe also succeeds in enticing Odysseus; he stays with her one year as her lover. It is so long that his crew declares that it is “madness” (326). They say that it is “high time” that Odysseus thinks of his homeland (326). Later on, Odysseus and his crew encounter the sirens. Knowing the danger they pose, Odysseus has all his men’s ears stopped up with wax. However, Odysseus wishes to hear their song; so he asks his crew to tie him to the mast. The song of the sirens is so sweet and enticing. Their “ravishing voices” almost make Odysseus forget his desire to return home (349). His heart “throbbed” to listen longer; he signals for his men to let him go free. The grea...
In the Homer's epic poem the Odyssey, there are many themes that serve to make a comment about the meanings of the story. The theme of women in the poem serves to make these comments but also establishes a point of view on women in the reader. From this point of view, a perspective is developed into the "best" and "worst" in women. Achievement of this is through the characterization of many women with single notable evil qualities. Similar to the biblical story of Adam and Eve, Eve like the many women in the Odyssey brings about pain and suffering for mankind. Contrary to the depicting of women as roots of evil, the reader sees the other traits of women that are most desirable. The roles of these women are achieved by their portrayal throughout the poem. This in return has a significant affect on how the poem and the message that is conveyed.
In The Odyssey, the poem seems to be a man world and have women portrayed as a muse or siren that lures men “When Calypso, that lovely Goddess, tried to keep me with her in hollow caves, longing for me to be her husband, or when, in the same way, the cunning witch Aeaean Circe held me in her home filled with keen desire I’d marry her, they never won the heart here in my chest” (Bauschatz, 22). In the Iliad, it has similar connections when it comes to portraying women compared to the Odyssey, but not quite. The Iliad has women like trophies or prizes. Agamemnon was threatening Achilles of taking Briseus from him “but I shall take the fair-cheeked Briseis, your prize, I myself going to your shelter, that you may learn well how much greater I am than you, and another man may shrink back from likening himself to me and contending against me” (Bauschatz, 6). In Works and Days, the Women have a duty in the household and getting married “Don’t put things off to tomorrow and then to the next day; no sluggish worker f ills up his barn, and neither does a man who delays. It is care that prospers the work; Do-it-tomorrow wrestles with ruin (Bauschatz,
Another rhetorical strategy incorporated in the poem is imagery. There are many types of images that are in this poem. For example, the story that the young girl shares with the boy about drowning the cat is full of images for the reader to see: