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Admirable Hooks
A not-so-great hook. Visit https://thisibelieve.org/youth/ and look at the various hooks (e.g., first sentences or paragraphs) of the...
A not-so-great hook. Visit https://thisibelieve.org/youth/ and look at the various hooks (e.g., first sentences or paragraphs) of the...
Nick’s relationship with Gatsby is something like this poem. Gatsby is like the bird and Nick sees the signs of danger (illegal business (maybe) and an unexplainable past) but still Gatsby keeps asking Nick, his “old sport”, for help, with Daisy and the business, and Nick goes to him.
ReplyDeleteThis poem reminded me of the green light on Daisy's deck that Gatsby has grasped at all his life. Like the sirens, the light looks magical to the outsider but when you look closer, it's really quite bland.
ReplyDeleteThis poem talks about how men fall into the same trap over and over again. They are consistently blinded by the magical song of the sirens, despite the warning signs. This reminds me of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship. In some ways, I feel like Gatsby is blinded by his feelings for Daisy and isn’t thinking rationally. I wonder how it will work out for him.
ReplyDeleteIn the second stanza it talks about how men will jump overboard to hear this song and it talks about how they don't really see what is happening. This connects to how Gatsby doesn't see what is happening towards Daisy.
ReplyDeleteThe part when it says "I don't enjoy it here / squatting on this island / looking picturesque and myhtical" made me think a lot of Nick, who doesn't really enjoys the big parties, on New York's "islands". -Zoe Rigoulot
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that Atwood makes the assumption that people forget others cry for help over time. This leads me to see a glimpse into her opinion regarding human kind as a whole.
ReplyDelete“Only you, only you can,
ReplyDeleteyou are unique
at last” This quote from Margaret Atwood’s poem reminds me of Nicks’s search throughout this book to try and “find himself”. The sirens are trying to lure in sailors and in the book he has people from different parts of town inviting him to parties and he doesn’t know what part of town he really belong too/fits in. He is unique in a sense and I think this identity crisis will be present throughout the book.
The sirens and their song remind me of Daisy, especially since her voice is focused on so often. Nick describes Daisy’s voice many times, and mentions how she speaks in whispers that beckon the listener closer. The last line with “alas, it is a boring song” works too because we always hear about Daisy’s voice but rarely hear what she really has to say.
ReplyDeleteThe siren’s secrets and cries for help lure in her prey by making them feel “unique”. The song is “boring” yet manipulative and fatal. This connects to Daisy and how she holds a great amount of power over Gatsby. If Daisy represents the siren and Gatsby is the prey, how does this poem foreshadow the upcoming chapters?
ReplyDeleteThis poem makes me think of Gatsby trying to get Daisy close to him with Nick bringing her to the mansion. He thought she would walk in on her own someday but that wasn't the case. That idea particularly connects to the poem. "Alas it is a boring song but it works every time." His mansion usually gets everyone else to come, including Nick, but not Daisy. 'I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night,’ went on Jordan, ‘but she never did.'
ReplyDeleteIn the context of the novel, I think that Daisy is the Siren and Gatsby is the unwitting human being lulled into a sense of safety and blind happiness. He's so desperate for Daisy to love him again that he doesn't recognize a lot of red flags, such as the fact that she married someone else and she doesn't seem that committed to anyone in her life. She seems well practiced at luring people in.
ReplyDelete"Alas
ReplyDeleteit is a boring song
but it works every time."
This song is cyclical, someone learns it, they forget it because it was boring and this just creates more mystery about it.
Maybe the point of the song is for it to draw people in and keep them wondering. Maybe it is better as a mystery.
Gatsby's house is like this song. It looks amazing from the outside but once you walk in, it is empty and devoid of real meaning. Are Gatsby's guests just there to fill the void in his life?
This poem makes me think of the relationship between Gatspy and Daisy. "the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons reminds me of the sometimes ridiculous things Gatspy does for Daisy. I think "the song" would represent Daisy.
ReplyDeleteOne of the literary device I’ve noticed Atwood use a lot throughout the poem “Siren Song” is allusion. It was interesting how the bait sirens use to attract men in order to destroy them. When the men falls to the bait, Atwood says, “ it is boring song but it works every time”. I really like how it shows the simplicity of the song and the unawareness of men who are trapped by it every time.
ReplyDeleteThis poem reminds me of when Nick was concerned that Gatsby was in love with the idea of Daisy that he had created in his head or if he was actually in love with the woman he met years ago. The nature of being so swept into something that you will believe anything
ReplyDeleteThe poem made me think about Gatsby and Daisy’s interactions with each other when they had tea together. Gatsby wanted that meeting with Daisy to be very exquisite with all of the flowers and other decorations.
ReplyDeleteThe overall tone of the poem is intimate and ironic. It is as if the narrator of the poem is whispering directly to the reader, drawing them close in, just like what the voices of sirens do to sailors in ancient Greek stories like Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the meaning of the line about the bird suit is. It seems sort of out of place in the poem. I wonder if it's meant to be symbolic using "suit" like a disguise. In that case, why a bird?
ReplyDeleteI noticed a few references to birds, “bird suit”, “squatting on this island”, and “two feathery maniacs”. I wasn’t sure why Atwood was talking about birds but when I looked it up I found out that sirens are supposed to be half bird and half human.
ReplyDeleteThe way I interpreted the poem was that Gatsby was the narrating bird, calling out to the reader who in the novel is Nick. I believe that Gatsby is somehow trapped in the life he is living (maybe related to the mysterious phone calls?) and Nick is the only one who can help him get out of the situation he is in.
ReplyDelete"This is the one song everyone
ReplyDeletewould like to learn: the song
that is irresistible" This quote reminds me of Gatsby love for Daisy because to Gatsby, Daisy is irresistible just like the song.
“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 the beached skulls”
ReplyDeleteI think the song this line is referring to is love. The thought of it is irresistible and can blind people into making them think irrationally (“even though they see the beached skulls”). It could connect to “The Great Gatsby” because Gatsby seems to be blinded by love and everything he seems to be doing is to get Daisy’s attention.
The poem is similar to Gatsby's relationship with Daisy in that he is blinded by his own visions of Daisy which means he does not know what kind of person Daisy really is.
ReplyDeletethe overall poem reminds me of Gatsbys connection to Daisy throughout the novel so far. it connects back to the extra ordinary things Gatsby does for daisy
ReplyDeleteI think this poem is talking about the connection that Gatsby has to Daisy, and how the love between them is so strong, that it is hard to find for most people. I think it talks about how this love effects their action, and can almost blind people from what is really happening.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading "Siren Song," I was reminded of the relationship between Gatsby and Nick. I saw it as Gatsby being the bird calling out and luring in the reader, who is Nick. It seems as though Gatsby is "picturesque and mythical" in Nick's eyes, and that lures him in, despite Gatsby's suspicious life and past.
ReplyDelete"the song that forces men
ReplyDeleteto leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see the beached skulls"
This reminds me of the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy, because Gatsby has created an idealized version of Daisy in his head, and he is so in love with her that he will do anything for her. He has waited five years, so at this point he will do whatever it takes.
I feel like this poem is very similar to the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby. Gatsby blindly falls for Daisy much like how the sailors blindly fall overboard in order to follow he siren's song. Gatsby seems to have created an image of Daisy in his mind that distorts his vision of what Daisy is.
ReplyDelete“I don't enjoy it here
ReplyDeletesquatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical” These makes me think of how people perceive Gatsby. He appears to live this glamour and secretive life to everyone else. But in reality, I think he is more lonely than anyone else.
"this is one song that everyone would like to learn...the song that is irresistible" This reminds me of the pull of New York and that lavish lifestyle that those in West Egg desire.
ReplyDeleteSailors hear the song of the sirens, but they don't see them until their boats become shipwrecked. Similarly, Gatsby wanted to see Daisy, although he hadn't even talked to her in a while and she has likely changed some as a person. Still, from what we have read so far, I don't think you can say that the connection between Gatsby and Daisy will affect Gatsby negatively.
ReplyDelete-Evan Bak
I believe the song is similar to the idea of the American dream, and how Fitzgerald gives a cautionary tale of the limits of it. Just like the song, the American dream is an enticing label. It is packaged as this saving pathway for the poor, discriminated, needy, and helpless. Its idea of meritocracy is an enticing concept on paper. However, upon closer inspection the American ideal is at best a rare occurrence and at worst a dated idea that is completely out of tune with the discriminatory reality of American society. We see this play out in The Great Gatsby, and Gatsby's detachment with the present situation leading him to pursue a romance with Daisy only serves to further this idea. The song is similar in that it a farce filled with disappointment (as seen in the end) that influences people to do crazy actions ("the song that forces men to leap overboard in squadrons") in the hopes that the ideal is true.
ReplyDelete- Seiyoung Jang
- Seiyoung Jang
I didn’t think of this i like that idea
DeleteThe help at the end. Is this the sailor crying for help or is this the siren? The song is an attempt to lure people to their greatest desires, what they want most. Gatsby wants daisy the most, he sees that she is married and there is trouble ahead but he talks with her anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think it's interesting to look at Daisy as the siren in this representation and Gatsby, Tom, and Nick as the sailors. Gatsby sees Daisy as the potential crown jewel of his world, a beautiful wife and an outlandish love story to cap off the rest of his riches. He's even drawn to that green light at the end of the dock like a sailor drawn to the sirens on the cliff. Tom already "has" her despite the fact that he clearly couldn't care less about her because she completes his set of things just by being his wife who lives in his magnificent house. She leads him into all sorts of trouble just by virtue of the fact that Daisy is unsatisfied with living with him and naturally falls into Gatsby's narrative. Nick sees Daisy as a representation of the opulent quasi-domestic lifestyle that people outside of the Eggs dream of and even though he can "see the beached skulls" he can't help being drawn to it. Despite all this trouble and heartache that Daisy inadvertently draws everyone into, everyone consistently ignores how much she herself hates being involved and refuses to recognize her issues with it because they're too busy with their own.
ReplyDelete“I don't enjoy it here
ReplyDeletesquatting on this island
looking picturesque and mythical
with these two feathery maniacs”
This line reminded me of the two distinct social classes around Nick, and how he doesn’t feel completely comfortable in either. On one hand, he doesn’t like how superficial life is in the “new rich” but he is also taken aback at some aspects of the lives of “old money” folk.
I think the sentiment of this poem very closely mirrors the wealth and prestige that many people in the novel chase. Many at Gatsby's parties seem to chase the beautiful "siren song," but don't realize that they will only be met with emptiness and unfulfillment. It is no coincidence that Gatsby, who embodies the siren song (or the American dream), has perhaps the biggest demons of any of the characters. It is clear to see that his extravagant parties are indeed a "cry for help," as he only throws them in the vain hope that Daisy will come to one.
ReplyDelete"the song that forces men
ReplyDeleteto leap overboard in squadrons
even though they see the beached skulls"
This reminds me a lot of what Gatsby would do for Daisy. Although he seems like a rational character in the beginning of the book, we can see that he is not and as the book progresses everything seems to get worse, yet he continues to believe in his dream and to be the men that leaps overboard.
I really enjoyed this poem because I find the topic of sirens to be fascinating. I liked the fact that the whole purpose of the poem was to draw the reading in as would a siren to a sailor.
ReplyDeleteThe poem perfectly encapsulates what drives a person. The line where Atwood says that the reader is unique and can get her out of her situation is a huge temptation for many. Humans are automatically drawn to this idealistic place where they can feel like the hero, that they are inherently unique. However, the next few lines lament that this idealistic worldview is just a boring story that is made up, but works every time. Even if a person will never make it, by telling them that they are unique and the only one to do it, they are roped in and will do anything.
ReplyDelete- Cameron Gurwell
What does she mean when she says "beached skulls" ??
ReplyDeleteThe first three stanzas of "Siren Song" are about war. They refer to the commands that soldiers are given that they dare not disobey, how nothing can sway a man consumed by fear from the path that he is provided by a higher authority. I think the remaining stanzas are a hybrid of the siren's myth, whose voice is cursed to bring sailors to their doom, and a soldier's conscience after returning from war. It seems that both would feel immense regret, as though they were trapped, or forced into the path that life led them.
ReplyDelete"the song nobody knows
ReplyDeletebecause anyone who has heard it
is dead, and the others can't remember."
This probably means that some people who have heard the 'song' (the dream that they will become a great hero or something similar) are 'dead' as in they end up not achieving what they wanted and become hopeless or bored for life, while some others 'don't remember' as in they forget their past failed attempt at becoming a hero or something similar, and are willing to try again when they hear the song again, even though they will fail almost every time.
Gatsby could be considered a siren as a reversal of the myth, luring Daisy in. His invitation for Daisy to come for lunch serves as a mundane event, a 'boring song' that is 'a cry for help' to foster a relationship with Daisy.
ReplyDelete-Oliver
There's a lot to unpack with this poem, my main issue being the bit about the "bird suit". I have absolutely no idea what that is meant to be. It's interesting to me though because the siren portrayed here isn't how they are most often shown. Normally it's a creature of such beauty that men have no choice but to fling themselves towards her, even though it is a certain death. If I were to relate this to the book, I'd say the version of Daisy that Gatsby has built up in his head acts as his siren. The woman he knew five years prior is gone. People change a lot in that much time. So the idea of her that he's built as his goal is nothing more than an illusion, much like a sirens song.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting poem. The narrator is the siren, they attempt to lure the reader in by promising to tell them a secret that nobody alive knows the answer to. At the end they reveal that they are mocking the "chosen one" complex- in which one hero is called upon to fulfill a quest. It connects to the Great Gatsby because just about every character in the book seems to think their pain is profound and unredeemable- relating to the hero complex where one thinks they are unique.
ReplyDeleteI think this poem is about some quality that is innate in humans that we are forced to suppress. I get this sense because of the lines "the song nobody knows / because everyone who has heard it / is dead, and the others can't remember." This implies that everyone has heard the song at some point, they just can't remember it, and those that remembered it are dead. I also get this sense because of the description of the song as irresistible and as being something everyone would like to learn. This implies a deep longing to rediscover this truth. Maybe the quality that the narrator is talking about is compassion or self acceptance or any number of things. Maybe it's all of these things and the poem is using the word "song" a catch-all for any suppressed innate quality. This begs the question of who the narrator is. I think they may be the voice of the subconscious telling everyone to remember this quality, or the "song". The description of the narrator is interesting because of the opposing views of the human mind it invites the reader to take. They are described as both squatting on an island but also picturesque and mythical. So maybe we're being invited to see the human mind as simultaneously ungraceful/clumsy and beautiful/powerful. The bird suit may also explain this. This could just be me but when I picture a bird suit I imagine some brightly-colored, feathery mess, evoking the clumsiness of the human mind. There's something awkward about an intelligent and conscious human putting on a costume of a form of life that's much less intelligent. However, the bird suit could also look majestic, illustrating this dichotomy.
ReplyDelete-Jona Lehmann
I think its interesting how this poem related to the people flocking Gatsby's parties as of it were their siern. I think it was Esme (?) who mentioned this but i really agree with the notion that it mirrors the men wanted to do anything for the sire as Gaspby throws his extravagant parties only hoping that Daisy will come to one of them.
ReplyDeletePeople like to think they're different and special, and like to be told so. There's a reason why flattery works, especially if self deprecation is added to it("bird suit"). We all want to help the little guy, the underdog, and, in particular, to be perceived as being powerful and helpful both by individuals and society. And while in many cases this is an admirable quality to have, in other cases it can lead to a downfall. Gatsby wanted to feel needed by Daisy and so does Tom with both Myrtle and Daisy.
ReplyDelete-Alicia
Delete