For my poetry seminar response I decided to respond to the poem “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood and “The Child Before a Mirror of Strangers” by poet Wole Soyinka. The two poems share a connection of putting a facade into the world. The siren puts out a facade to achieve her concealed ambition, which is to draw in, trap, and eventually kill her victims. Likewise, the speaker in “The Child Before a Mirror of Strangers” shows the reader’s facade that they weren’t a child, and that they didn’t have a childhood. The speaker demonstrates this by saying “As if…” and listing off a common activity in childhood, showing the audience that an individual can easily forget about the various activities they did.
In the poem “Siren Song” by Canadian poet Margaret Atwood, the theme is the mask a person presents to the world may not truly be who the individual is. People may have ambitions they wish to pursue and don’t want others to know about. This theme is something I have experienced numerous times throughout my life. I too have put on a facade as I enter an environment- not necessarily to pursue my ambitions and kill sailors, per se- but so others can’t perceive my state of mind and what is occurring in my life.
More closely tied to the theme, the dance studio I’ve been with since it was founded started as a result of people masking their true ambitions. My 
previous studio had some younger instructors, along with my current instructors. The younger instructors wanted to teach more, and this led to my instructors getting a pay cut, even when my instructors had been professionally trained in Ukrainian dance and its teachings. This was decided about a week before classes were set to start and everyone was taken by surprise! No one even thought that something like this could happen because their positions had always been very secure. This led us to start a new studio – the one that I currently attend- as we wished to continue learning dance from instructors that had more experience. In “Siren Song” the siren’s facade of concealing her ambitions negatively impacts the sailor (as he ends up dead). Contrarily, although the facade initially impacted my instructors negatively, in the end they got to teach and create dance the way they wanted to, without limitations.
Similarly in “The Child Before a Mirror of Strangers” by Wole Soyinka, the adult in the poem puts out a facade that they 
weren’t a kid. At the end of the poem and throughout the poem it is shown that this negatively impacts them. The poet discusses how children are growing up too soon, and are forgetting the essence of childhood- the joy, the laughter, the sorrow, and the growth; what it truly means to be a child. I think everyone has, at least once, thought,
“I wish I was older,”
when they were much younger. One might have wished for more opportunities and freedom to do what they want. Yet, as people grow up they tend to only remember all the bad things that happened as a kid, and not the joys that were experienced.
As an elementary student I couldn’t wait to be able to speak Spanish and learn how to say things to my friends without the other grades knowing what I was saying, but now when I reminisce it’s easier to remember the fights I had with friends, or when I missed out on celebrations, or when I got sick. It’s easy for me to forget about the anticipation that filled me as a young child, excited to learn a new language. Entering my senior year of high school, it is easy to only remember the bad parts of childhood, and put on a facade that I didn’t have a childhood, or that my childhood was unenjoyable, like some of the children discussed in the poem. I think that this act of self-denial and selectively picking poor memories might be a way in which I don’t disappoint my younger self.
I don’t use Spanish to secretly talk with my friends, I don’t go out with my friends every night, I don’t drive, and I’m not very independent; I simply don’t do many of the things I thought I would do in high school.
I believe I pick these memories so that I don’t disappoint myself with all the expectations I set for myself when I was younger.
Surrounded by societal expectations it is easy for an individual to give themself a facade 
or present a masked version of themself. These two poems demonstrate the two types of facades that people face: the ones they give themselves, and the ones they share with the world. As much as we wish not to have to put up these masks, I believe we do it to protect ourselves; to prevent the fuss and comments of everyday life from getting in the way of our lifestyle, to hide our true feelings and be able to fit in. These crucial ideas are demonstrated in “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood where the siren uses her facade to conceal her ambitions and fit in with the sailor to ultimately kill him. It is also demonstrated in “The Child Before a Mirror of Strangers” by Wole Soyinka, as the adult audience is called out for putting a facade into the world that they didn’t have a childhood. They attempt to convince others that they weren’t able to enjoy all these fun activities (when they did) and they are just trying to protect themselves from the feeling of disappointing their younger selves.
As much as one might wish that there wasn’t a need to put up these facades, I personally believe that we do it to protect 
ourselves, and to guarantee that the fuss and comments of everyday life don’t get in the way of our activities. Perhaps, it is also done to hide our true feelings and to fit in- which isn’t always a bad thing. However, the overuse of such facades as demonstrated in “Siren Song” by Margaret Atwood, can be detrimental to those around you. In this poem, the siren uses her facade to conceal her ambitions and kill the sailor. In real life, these facades can also prevent an individual from experiencing valuable relationships! This is also demonstrated in “The Child Before a Mirror of Strangers” by Wole Soyinka, as the adult audience is called out for putting the facade into the world that they didn’t have a childhood, or that they weren’t able to enjoy all these fun activities that they actually did enjoy, when they are simply trying to protect themselves from the feeling of disappointing their younger selves. Facades are a way many people protect themselves from disappointment and judgement, both in literature and the world.
stly full of gloom and darkness. Sam is just afraid of how it will turn out, but there is always an inspiration to continue. This quote to Mr. Frodo showcases how Sam is willing to wait for many bright things to happen that tend to change favorably. There is always perseverance to move forward that can’t be stopped.
Gatsby faces hardships and makes sacrifices in his quest for happiness. He makes a number of compromises, including overlooking Daisy’s affairs and her marital status. Because of his sincere and 
In the end, Mr. Gatsby’s quest for contentment results in his terrible death. George Wilson, who incorrectly thinks Gatsby is to blame for the loss of his wife Myrtle, shoots him. The passing of Gatsby acts as an illustration of the fragility of love and the costs involved. It also highlights how decisions made by other characters in the book have effects. Daisy ultimately decides to remain with Tom, her husband, rather than leaving him for Gatsby, despite his s
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