A femme fatal’s tragedy:Women’s mundane lifeWomen’s mundane life In Siren SongIn Siren Song
...nes 1-3). The song the siren refers to is so powerful that men disregard the warning signs of "beached skulls" (line 6), and leap overboard. Then, in the third stanza, she warns us that anyone who has heard the song is dead. This is a warning similar to the beached skulls, telling the reader that death awaits the reader at the end of the song. However, the reader continues to the next stanza, without a second thought, like the siren’s sailor victims. The siren lures the reader on by treating him like a confidant, someone special. In a confessional tone, she admits she "doesn’t enjoy it here/ squatting on this island" (lines 13-14). She says that she will tell the reader a secret "only to you" (line 20) if he comes closer. Portraying herself as helpless, stranded, and in desperate need of aid, she receives sympathy from the reader. In addition, she makes the reader feel special, "only you can" (line 23) rescue her and "you are unique" (line 24). Finally, without warning, she says, "at last" (line 15) like a sudden, but sly attack. The siren feels trapped and unsatisfied in her role as a femme fatal. She has the ability to attract men easily. But, once she gets them, they are meaningless to her. On a broader spectrum, the poem seems to be referring to women’s role in society. In society,...