Siren Song by Margaret Atwood

This is the one song everyone
would like to learn: the song
that is irresistible:

the song that forces men
to leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see beached skulls

the song nobody knows
because anyone who had heard it
is dead, and the others can’t remember.
Shall I tell you the secret
and if I do, will you get me
out of this bird suit?
I don’t enjoy it here
squatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs,
I don’t enjoy singing
this trio, fatal and valuable.

I will tell the secret to you,
to you, only to you.
Come closer. This song

is a cry for help: Help me!
Only you, only you can,
you are unique

at last. Alas
it is a boring song
but it works every time.

Initial Impression:
The woman that is the speaker of the poem is giving the impression of being trapped singing her song and calls out to one man to save her because she is miserable. But it turns out that she is just tricking him into trying to help her and he dies in the process. That is the trick that she is playing and that is how she gets all the men to come to her and die.


Paraphrase:
The song that I sing is a beautiful song that everybody would love to learn. It is what makes men jump to their death even though they see dead bodies laying everywhere. Nobody knows the song because the only ones who have heard it are dead or can't remember it. If I tell you my secret, will you help me leave?
I don't like singing this song. I don't like being on this island all the time and I don't like the two crazy girls I am with. If you come closer, I will tell you the secret. You there, come closer to me.
I am crying for help. Only you can help me because you are unique! And now that you have come and are dead, I confess, it is a boring song but it works every time.


SWIFTT:
SW: The word choice in the poem was used in order to make the calling out of the person in the middle. The narrator starts off in third person and suddenly changes into first person. She also uses words that make her seem trapped. For instance, she uses bird suit to make it seem like something she could get out of. She also uses words to single out a person. She calls him unique to allure him in.
I: In the second stanza there is imagery of groups of men jumping off board because the sirens have drawn them to their death. There is also imagery of a woman/birds who are maniacs and another real woman in a bird suit who is trapped on the island with them.
F: There was no figurative language in this poem.
T: The tone of the poem is pleading. The siren is asking for help to be taken off the island. At the end though it changes to pleased and bored because she got what she wanted.
T: The theme has to do with the sirens in Greek mythology. They would sing and draw sailors to their deaths by being so alluring. The theme is that the sirens cannot be resisted and they use sneaky tricks to achieve their goals.

Conclusion:
The very first time I read the poem I thought that she was actually asking for help and I didn't catch that she actually killed him. The second time around I caught that part. I generally liked the poem. It seemed very simple except for the use of the twist. The change in point of views in the middle of the poem really makes the impact of the poem big and lasting.