How Plato’s Negative Perception of Poetry Applies to Homer’s Sirens Alexandra Bayer College

Although Plato does not specifically mention the Sirens in Homer’s The Odyssey, it is clear from his writing in Republic, Book X, that his negative perception of poetry would extend to these mythical creatures. Plato states that the “whole genre of poetry deforms its audience’s minds, unless they have the antidote, which is recognition of what this kind of poetry is actually like” (9). Plato believed that representative art such as poetry was twice removed from reality (11), and it would alter its audience’s minds if they weren’t aware of its falsity, since it was presented as reality. Plato names three primary arguments against poetry in Republic, Book X: the author’s lack of knowledge on the subject about which he writes; the primal emotions the poetry evokes in the reader; and its lack of lasting impact on human life. All throughout The Odyssey, and specifically in his writings on the Sirens in Book 12, Homer’s poetry is entertaining, but fits all of Plato’s specifications for the genre that “deforms its audience’s minds” (9). However, Homer’s Sirens represent more than just entertainment, and deliver an important lesson to its readers, which calls some of Plato’s arguments into question.

The first issue with poetry that...