Siren Song,\" \"Dover Beach,\" and \"Three Ravens\"

¶ … Siren Song," "Dover Beach," and "Three Ravens" are literary works that depict the theme of power, love, and war (respectively). This paper will discuss in detail how each poem tackles the themes that were presented, and how each work achieves the theme of power, love, or war by the use of imagination, which is effectively used to illustrate the importance of each theme.

The poem "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood is a poem that has power as its recurring theme. In the poem, Atwood first introduces the reader to one of the most powerful tool used by the siren in the poem: the siren's song. The siren's song is actually the most important subject in the poem, since it symbolizes the siren's power over men who are lured to her song. The poet describes her song as "irresistible [sic]" and illustrates its power by stating that the siren's song is the song "everyone would like to learn." By this line, the siren emphasizes the power her song has over men that makes people aspire to have it, which is the "irresistible" characteristic of the siren's song.

The following lines in the poem shows the effects of the song over men; how every time the siren sings its song, men are continually lured to follow its source, which results to their downfall or death ("the song that forces men/to leap overboard in squadrons/even though they see the beached skulls"). After the siren has told the reader the dangerous traits of the song, it nevertheless proceeds to lure them (the readers), teasing, ("Shall I tell you the secret..."). However, this part of the poem tells us the siren's dissatisfaction over her present disposition, which is illustrated through the lines, "I don't enjoy it here/squatting on this island... I don't enjoy singing/this trio, fatal and valuable..." However, the siren still continues to lure the readers to her song's spell, by attracting them again to come to her, and in part, leading the readers (and her listeners) to their own death.

The last lines of the poem shows the siren in complete helplessness (..."[t]his song is a cry for help: Help me!"), yet, the readers is also the unwitting, helpless victim to the song's "irresistible" quality. In fact, the poem ends with the listeners (including the readers) becoming victims to her song ("[a]t last. Alas/it is a boring song/but it works every time").

The poem is an example of how power can be illustrated by the use of mythical creatures, such as the siren. Instead of subscribing to the use of people ordinary individuals, Atwood used creatures of the imagination to add a "creative power" of illustrating the siren's song's power over ordinary creatures like man. The "Siren Song" also shows how power is achieved unconsciously, with the siren's listeners being lured to her song despite the dangers that might happen as a result of their insistence to follow the source of the song; the readers, meanwhile, are also lured with the curiosity to know what is the "secret" behind the siren's song's "irresistible" quality, as well as with the poor plight of the siren, who seem to be discontented with her life despite the power that she holds over men. In the end, the siren succeeds to 'victimize" both the readers and the listeners, with a final note of resignation to the life that she has, and acknowledgement of the unwavering power her song has over people.

The "Dover Beach" by Matthew Arnold is a poem that uses love as its theme. In the poem, Arnold uses the calmness of the sea (that is, nature) to show the "tranquility" or peacefulness that the poet feels. Yet, halfway in the first part of the poem, Arnold illustrates to the readers that despite the peacefulness that he feels, there is also a feeling of disturbance, an unknown "chaos" that the poet does not see, yet seem to be aware of it. This disturbing feeling is illustrated by the following lines: "Only, from the long line of spray / Where the sea meets the moon-blanch'd land, / Listen! you hear the grating roar / Of pebbles which the waves draw back, and fling...."). The rest of the poem is spent on a deep reflection of what is truly the true state the poet was in: was he feeling peace and calmness or uncertainty? The author finally resolves that the peace that he felt a while ago was non-existent, that is, the peace and calmness that he felt was only an illusion, which gives the poem its imaginary character. This illusion is illustrated through the following lines: "[t]o lie before us like a land of dreams...," showing that the peace that he felt was only existent in "a land of dreams," and that peace, serenity, and "joy" does not exist in the real world. The poem finally ends in a melancholy note, stressing the importance of love ("Ah, love, let us be true / To one another!") as the only way by which man can achieve peace and happiness.