Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s “The Odyssey ” is a moving page turner that lets us see the story through the eyes of a woman, and learn from the themes without them being said straight up. Book 12 paints the Sirens the best. In this section, we learn that Odysseus was warned by the all knowing God; Circe what the struggles of his journey were going to be with his men, and that one of the hardest struggles would be with the Sirens. Just as expected, everything that Circe said came true. While Odysseus and his men loaded up his ship for travel, he told them about the dangers of the Sirens which he was told by Circe. Then they set off on their journey and as they approach the Sirens, Odysseus’ men put ear wax in their ears and tied Odysseus to the boat so that he wouldn’t be able to take control over there boat or jump off the boat to the Sirens, given the fact that he wanted to experience the temptation and not wear earplugs. The Sirens were very tempting, which is a strong theme picked up throughout this portion of the book. Women are the ones who are used to tempt and seduce men toward them. They told Odysseus they hold knowledge for him which is one of the things he craves the most, and they tempted him with their voices. The Sirens are smart monsters/sea creatures that try to lure sea travelers in to kill them. When the Sirens sing, you could say it hypnotizes a man out of their own conscious mind and makes them crave being closer to the Sirens. There have been stories of the Sirens making men crash their ships and jump into the open water out of temptation. You could say Sirens are psychopathic because their souls need to kill men. But however you choose to depict it, they have killed many men and plan to keep killing. The Sirens use their voices, which traditionally are things to transfer knowledge, to lure men in to kill them which brings in the theme of this book confusing the relation between language and mentality. Quite honestly, the Sirens are pretty smart to make the strongest things people can depend on their weaknesses. We learn this and so much more about the Sirens in this book, making another theme learning the backgrounds of the characters. This book lets you see what is happening rather than making you read it. The amount of imagery that is in this book, from the painting of the Sirens to Odysseus being on a stump in the open water; Wilson lets us all see it. The use of imagery makes her book that much more of a page turner. The setting in this book moves between Aeaea, to the island of the Sun God Helios, and then finally to Calypso’s island. It takes us to these places with him, making us feel as though we are there.

There is a lot of trust that happens in this book; from Odysseus trusting Circe’s advice with his mens’ lives on the line, to Odysseus trusting his men with his life, to all of the men generally feeling like all of them can lifted up by another if they fall, and even Odysseus’ men trusting his advice in some parts of this book. In many ways Odysseus’ men are like his children. He has access to the most knowledge and is there to help get them through. One of the weaknesses that the Sirens try using to tempt Odysseus is knowledge. They tell him he can trust them and that they hold all knowledge, and. all he has to do is come to them. “Odysseus! Come here! You are well-known from many stories! Glory of the Greeks! Now stop your ship and listen to our voices.. they go on with greater knowledge” (Wilson 307). Trust is also brought up in Odysseus’ encounter with the Sirens because, before they got there Odysseus was making sure his men knew to tame him and that these Sirens are to be feared; “They bound my hands and feet, straight upright at the mast” (Wilson 307), and then when they get there, he is immediately hypnotized and trusts them with his life; “I longed to listen more, I told my men to feel me” (Wilson 307). Wilson used words like “…honeyed song” (Wilson 307), and “…earth”, and “…poured from our moths’ ‘ (307), to describe how the Sirens were talking. and this makes us hear what they’re saying and see them sitting on those rocks without actually seeing the scene in the film. You can tell that the Sirens are supposed to be innocent, and enchanting. I am impressed with all that the Sirens are capable of doing. I am intrigued by their powers and find what they are capable of very interesting. And I feel very bad for the men that are captured and or killed by them, because they are men who did nothing wrong to the Sirens, and they are frankly just trying to make their way in life and yet they are killed by the Sirens. The author, through interactions, shows that the Sirens are scary creatures, however not by the way they look, but by the stories that those who survive tell.

The Sirens are enchanting creatures that look comforting and safe until they show you their backhanded intentions. They learn peoples’ weaknesses and use them against them. For example Odysseus is a lover of knowledge, so he is tempted through the Sirens telling him they know all. They also are a perfect depiction of women stereotypes. This is because they are temptresses which is what you would expect from a woman character from this time. Furthermore, the Sirens put Odysseus into some of his hardest positions through the story, when they test his limits and his mind.