Essays / Atwood vs Homer: The Sirens ; Seductive Temptresses or Pathetic Fakes? [3]

Alright, again please review :) I know it's long but reviews will get likes so you can feature your essay and I'll also review your essay.

The Sirens: Seductive Temptresses or Pathetic Fakes?

In the ancient epic The Odyssey, Odysseus encounters the Sirens, who then try to tempt him and his crew with their infamous Siren Song, known for causing men to leap overboard in droves to their deaths. Odysseus survives the encounter by being tied up to the mast, while his crew covers up their ears with beeswax. Later, Atwood wrote her version of the Siren Song from the point of view of one of the Sirens. Homer uses diction, imagery and point of view to show that men are strong by depicting the Sirens as irresistible and a toxic desire, while Atwood depicts men as weak and easily swayed by used the same tools to describe the Sirens as ugly, pathetic and pitiful.

Homer presents males as powerful and strong through his descriptions of the Sirens and their song as irresistible in The Odyssey. The Sirens' voices are described as "honeyed." Honeyed is an adjective describing a voice as soothing, soft and intended to please or flatter. Describing the voices of the Sirens as honeyed shows how powerful and seductive the Sirens are, and that men are not weak-willed for falling for them and jumping off their ships. In addition, Odysseus has to put in hours of preparation just to get past the Sirens alive. Odysseus has to "knead [beeswax] with [his] two strong hands" until "the wax [...] grew soft, worked by [his] strength and Helios' burning rays, the sun at high noon." Odysseus has to work for hours kneading wax and chopping it up to prepare for their meeting with the Sirens. The amount of preparation needed by Odysseus and the crew shows the reader just how powerful and tough the Sirens are. Furthermore, Homer writes that the beeswax was worked by Odysseus and Helios' burning rays. By writing that working the beeswax required both the superhuman strength of "the man skilled in all ways of contending" and the scorching rays of the god of the sun Homer implies that defeating the Sirens requires a level of power not present in most men. When the Sirens begin to sing, Odysseus' heart "[throbs] to listen longer," and he tries to get out so hard that his crewmates have to "bind [him] faster and faster with rope on chafing rope." The crew needs to use incredible amounts of rope to contain him; furthermore he was trying so hard to get free that he is chafing his skin. The effect the Siren Song has on even the greatest of all men is palpable; it shows that the Sirens are extremely powerful and the reaction of jumping to your death is perfectly justified and not something that subtracts from the power of men. Homer writes the scene from Odysseus' point of view, who hears their song as, "come closer, famous Odysseus- Achaea's pride and glory." Their song flatters Odysseus and compliments him, showing why he has to listen to them. Writing from the point of view of Odysseus, who, as we can see from earlier descriptions is going crazy trying to get to the Sirens displays the Sirens in most flattering light possible, making them seem almost like gods in their ability to attract men. In Homer's mind, men are not to blame for dying to the Sirens when they are so powerful and seductive. The fact that even Odysseus, the mightiest of all men has so much trouble getting past the Sirens presents the Sirens as all-powerful; yet, Odysseus and his crew were able to slip past the Sirens unscathed, showing that men are powerful. Even when faced with powerful foe such as the Sirens, men are able to come out on top.

Conversely, Atwood portrays the Sirens as pathetic, weak and ugly through diction, imagery and point of view to prove that men are actually weak, not strong. Atwood's Siren Song describes the Sirens as "maniacs." The word maniac conjures up images of a crazed lunatic, not a powerful entity. By describing them as maniacs, Atwood tells us that they're not the clever, scheming creatures as in Homer's version, but rather just crazy monsters hanging out on a cliff. To fall for said maniacs would be an act of utter idiocy; thus, men are idiotic and not powerful at all. The speaker of Atwood's version of the Siren Song, one of the 3 Sirens says that she wants the men to get her "out of [her] bird suit." A bird suit is not very attractive; it is actually very ugly. The Siren also says that she is tired of "squatting on [the] island, looking picturesque and mythical." By describing the Sirens as squatting in a bird suit, Atwood paints a picture of 3 ugly and hideous monsters who somehow manage to attract men to their deaths, making men look stupid and weak-willed for following the Sirens. Atwood writes her Siren Song from the point of view of one of the Sirens, which is significant because the Sirens are not under the spell of their own song. When Odysseus hears the Siren Song he is captured by it, while the Siren sees it as it is, a "boring song." Writing from the point of view of the Sirens gives an unbiased, unfiltered raw version of their song, one not clouded by desperate thoughts of reaching the Sirens. The actual song of the Sirens is nothing like the version Odysseus hears; rather, it is a pitiful "cry for help," with the Sirens yelling, "Help me! Only you, only you can." The Sirens in Atwood's version aren't really that powerful, crying for help from mere mortals to rescue them from squatting on the island. The change in point of view provides a completely different view of men, who die for a pitiful cry of help. Atwood's version of the Siren Song illustrates men's weak-will and stupidity by describing the Sirens are feeble and pathetic.

Atwood and Homer contrast in their depictions of the Sirens, with Atwood showing men as idiotic and weak through her descriptions of the Sirens as not powerful and ugly and their song as a pitiful cry for help while Homer shows men as strong and powerful through his descriptions of the Sirens as powerful and seductive. Women in Homer's time were usually portrayed as crafty and cunning, their machinations often resulting in men's misfortune. Most women throughout myths and legends such as Eve or Pandora are the causes of humanity's problems, the ones who fall to their inner temptations and desires. By writing from a female perspective in the story of the Sirens, Atwood is able to show that men, instead of women are weak.

Thanks!

Writing Feedback / Shakespeare's Social Critique in Much Ado About Nothing - Hero Character Analysis Essay [2]

I'm writing this essay for English, analyzing the character Hero. Need it for tomorrow so it would be great if you guys could review fast. Thanks!

False Expectations

"It is the preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else that prevents us from living freely and nobly." (Bertrand Russell) In the satirical play Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare uses the character Hero to criticize society and the role and expectations of women as well as society's inner superficiality and materialism.

The first criticism Shakespeare has on society is the role of women, especially their unconditional obedience. The age-old saying "women should be seen and not heard" perfectly describes how they are expected to behave in Shakespeare's time: dependent and barred from making even the most important decisions of their lives, even marriage. Antonio tells Hero that he, "trusts [she] will be ruled by [her] father." (II.i.41-43) The expectation for women is perfectly captured in this quote. Antonio "trusts" that Hero will be ruled by her father. Not hope, wishes, wants, etc, but he trusts that she will. When someone trusts that you will do something, they have confidence that you will do it. Because the standards for women in this society are that they have perfect obedience, he naturally expects that Hero will obey and be ruled by her father. Afterwards Leonato, her father tells her "if the prince do solicit you in that kind, you know your answer," (II.i.54-57) she has no objection. Even though she loves Claudio at this point, she readily agrees to go along with it if Don Pedro flirts with her. Not only does this further prove Shakespeare's earlier point of the superficiality and materialism of people, it also gives readers a glimpse of a society where women are expected to be completely obedient and dependent to their fathers and husbands. The lack of reaction means that while she would rather be with Claudio than Don Pedro, she is too obedient to argue. Rather, in both cases she remains seen, but not heard. Later, in the garden where Hero is, along with Ursula, attempting to make Beatrice and Benedick fall in love with each other. Not even for one second does Hero even consider if what she's doing is morally correct. They are essentially manipulating two people into falling on love and marrying each other for their own amusement and mirth. When questioned on whether Benedick and Beatrice do truly love each other, Hero simply responds with, "so says the prince and my new-troth lord." (III.i.39) She blindly believes Claudio and Don John when they tell her Beatrice and Benedick love each other; even though she can clearly see that they are attempting to trick Beatrice into thinking Benedick loves her. Raised to never question an order from her father or husband, she doesn't even think twice about the fact that they are meddling in the lives of two people, forcing them into a potentially unhealthy and ultimately false relationship. However, this society has taken away her independence, her ability to think for herself, and she is left but an extension of her father and soon-to-be-husband's will. Shakespeare uses the utter lack of independence and blind obedience of Hero to criticize society's restricting expectations on women.

Another important criticism Shakespeare makes is how society is superficial and materialistic through the actions and words of Hero, an ideal young woman in their standards, who is modest and obedient, yet in part because of society's expectations of women, caught up in society's flaws of superficiality and materialism. Claudio, Hero's lover sends Hero a pair of scented gloves as a sign of his affection. In Elizabethan times, gloves were a luxury worn only by the nobility; expensive, handcrafted and elegant, a pair of gloves would have cost Claudio quite a sum of money. Upon receiving this priceless expression of his love, Hero dismissively concludes that "these gloves [Claudio] had sent [her]... are an excellent perfume." (III.iv.49-51) She puts no thought into Claudio's love for her that inspired him to gift her the gloves; rather she is happy she has another accessory of clothing to further enhance her looks and desirability. This type of materialism blinds Hero from pursuing true love; rather, she is content with a husband who would lavish her with gifts and riches. A few scenes back, Hero and Ursula are taking a walk through the garden of Hero's father, Leonato. At the end of the scene, Hero invites Ursula to come, where "[Hero] will show [Ursula] some attires, and have [her] counsel which the best to furnish [Hero] tomorrow." (III.ii.104-106) Hero wants Ursula to critique her dresses because tomorrow is her wedding with Claudio, and she wants to look her best. While it may seem that she simply wants to present her best possible self during the wedding, it soon becomes clear that to Hero, looks are the most integral part of the wedding and, in extension, her marriage. Because society wants women to look pretty and be present but completely dependent on their fathers and husbands, most women, Hero included, care only about their outside looks. In another example, during the party, she comes face to face with Don Pedro. Both are masked, but before the discussion can get serious, Hero wishes that "[Don Pedro's] visor should be thatched." Before she can consider him as a candidate for her marriage, she needs to see if he meets her criteria of looks and wealth. Hero's ultimate standard in people is how attractive they are and how much money they have; everything else is secondary. Their level of devotion, personality and kindness are second priority. Again, being raised in a society that teaches her that she only needs to look pretty and marry a rich and high-born man has reduced Hero to little more than a shallow young woman who only looks skin deep. Through Hero, Shakespeare charges society of being driven by looks, money and status, putting what is truly important behind.

Through Much Ado About Nothing Shakespeare has presented a social commentary that is still relevant to this day; materialism and superficiality still dominate society and women usually still take on lesser roles than men. Taking a look through human history, it is blatantly obvious that these negative aspects of human nature have always dominated society and perhaps is even stronger today than ever. The only question left is: will this empty cycle of materialism ever end?