The+Sirens;+Scylla+and+Charybdis

The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis

PLOT ANALYSIS:
﻿ In "The Sirens," Ulysses tells his men that they must stop at Thrinacia for provisions, but the first two pages of "Sirens" is one of those places where you may want to pull back on the reins of your understanding and just appreciate the language itself. If you like, you can figure out what each line refers to with the help of Gifford's annotations, but the point, generally, is that this is like the tuning of a symphony. "Sirens" is the most musical chapter yet. We have the tap-tap-tap of the blind piano tuner's cane, the constantly jingling carriage of Boylan as he heads to see Molly, as well as the dizzying beautiful language as Bloom's emotions fall in line with Dedalus's singing. At times, the //sound// of the language can come to dominate the //sense//. Those who was mean were moved to the back and musicality is shifted to the front. Now, this can be aesthetically appealing and beautiful, but as we'll see, it also comes with its dangers.

Odysseus and The Sirens  Odysseus and Charybdis Odysseus and Scylla 