Thursday 16 January 2014

Read "The Sirens", concentrating especially on the song of the sirens. Note that the Sirens's song is not the same for every listener because they...

In The Odyssey, the sirens flatter Odysseus, calling him "honored" and the "great glory of the Achaeans."  They invite him to dock his ship on their island so that he can listen to their song. No one, they say, has ever sailed past without doing so.  If he stops, they promise that they will provide him with knowledge that he desires to have; indeed, he will leave "knowing more than ever he did."  They...

In The Odyssey, the sirens flatter Odysseus, calling him "honored" and the "great glory of the Achaeans."  They invite him to dock his ship on their island so that he can listen to their song. No one, they say, has ever sailed past without doing so.  If he stops, they promise that they will provide him with knowledge that he desires to have; indeed, he will leave "knowing more than ever he did."  They claim to know what he suffered during the Trojan War; likewise, they claim to know everything that happens anywhere on the earth at all times.  This is pretty enticing stuff!  Odysseus could ask about the safety of his loved ones, Penelope and Telemachus.  He could inquire after the health of his parents.  He could ask for aid in getting home to Ithaca safely.  Further, he could ask for any kind of knowledge that is typically kept from mortals, and we know that Odysseus, as a hero, combines brains and brawn (unlike many other Greek heroes).  The sirens offer him what he might most desires.


Thus, in your "siren song," the sirens must likewise address your greatest goal or strongest desire.  Since you say that you most want to become a pilot after studying aviation in college, the sirens might offer you knowledge as well. This knowledge might help you complete your education faster or finish with straight "A"s so that you can procure the best job sooner.  They would likely flatter your intelligence and ambition to win you over, as they tried with Odysseus.  They might promise to offer you the secrets of the skies so that you can fly higher and closer to Zeus and the gods and achieve some measure of their glory.  Finally, they could claim to have the power to impart everything it might take you four years to learn in college in mere moments, if only you would stop your ship on their island.


This is a very creative assignment.  Good luck!

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