In Margaret Atwood's "Siren Song", Atwood used imagery and repetition to show how women have control over men. Atwood uses the siren to show this control that the men are trapped by.
The poem talks about sirens warning the sailors of the song they sing. The siren tells the luring men that this song brings death to anyone that hears it, yet the men still are drawn to it. This not only gives us a tone of warning to the poem, but it also shows the uncontrollable desire that men have for sirens, or women.
The poem constantly refers to the word I. The repetitive use of the word I can show the sirens dominance over the men she sings to. It also lets us see that the poem is more about this deathly controlling sirens song than the men dying from it. The last three stanzas focus more on the men, constantly using the word you. The song is only for you, referring to the men in general. It only works on men and that shows the female dominance over men in both the poem and in a way the real world. The men don't have to want and pursue these assets from women but, they are urged to which also brings their deaths.
The imagery used also shows the power that the sirens have over men. "To leap overboard in squadrons" show that the men are ready to jump in groups to hear this song or chase what these women have. Even though they see beached skulls they still don't stop. This shows the control that females have over male actions, and both the physical and emotional state.
The men are drawn to this beautiful yet deathly song which could represent the women and their assets. The men are drawn because what the women have , they need, and now with that uncontrollable need in their minds and hearts, the females or sirens gain control and power over these helpless men,
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