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.
1) What is the tone of the poem? Does it change? Explain.
2) (a) What does the Siren reveal about the song? (b) The Siren describes the song a “fatal and valuable.” Why might it be valuable?
3) (a) How does the speaker of “Siren Song” say she feels about being a Siren? (b) To whom might the Siren be speaking as she describes her feelings?
4) Think of the Siren in the poem as representing women, and the victim in the poem as a representation of men. What relationship between men and women does Atwood portray in this poem? In other words, what is Atwood, the author of the poem, saying about men and women?
5) In mythology, the Sirens represent temptation, and their song would change depending on who they were singing to. What are some ideas that the Sirens could be mentioning to Odysseus in order to lure him to them? Explain.

Checklist imagine that your local library has invited community members to submit proposals for a fundraiser. you are the student representative on the committee to choose the best proposal. read the two proposals, paying close attention to their similarities and differences. consider whether or not each proposal is logistically feasible, which fundraiser will most appeal to members of your community, and which fundraiser will likely raise more money. which proposal do you think the committee should choose? write an essay in which you make a case for your choice. support your argument with references to specific details in each proposal. proposal 1: the best way to get people invested in the library is to show them the joy of reading. for that reason, the library should hold a book sale. people could donate books that they no longer want, and the librarians could find books that the library no longer needs. volunteers would need to sort the books into categories and arrange them in an inviting way, like at a bookstore. books should be inexpensive so people will buy more of them – maybe fifty cents for paperbacks and two dollars for hardcover books. a book sale would appeal to people of all ages, from little kids to older people. there should also be a table where people can sign up for library cards. that way, if visitors do not find any books they want at the sale, they can come back to the library. proposal 2: a great way to make money for the library would be holding a car wash. the softball team at my school raised over $400 at their car wash last year! the car wash could be held in the library parking lot on a saturday morning. you could ask local high school students to volunteer to wash the cars. that would be a great way to get students involved with the library. it takes two or three volunteers to wash a car quickly, so you would need at least ten volunteers. you could charge around ten dollars per car. even people who are not very interested in reading like to have a clean car, so you would get a lot of people to stop by who might not otherwise come to a library fundraiser.

Which statement from chamberlain's speech to parliament did the least to support his cause? a. "no doubt i shall have plenty of critics who will say that i am guilty of facile optimism . ." b. "the house will remember that when i last addressed them i gave them some account of the godesberg memorandum . ." c. "therefore, it was essential that we should quickly reach a conclusion . ." d. "the relief that our escape from this great peril of war has, i think, everywhere been mingled in this country with a profound feeling of sympathy . ."

Which three events took place when lincoln lived at knob creek farm?