I will be concentrating on the "Sirens" episode of Ulysses for awhile. You may know in Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus is returning home, but on his journey he experiences a number of harrowing tests. Each of the episodes in Ulysses has a Homeric parallel to the Odyssey. The test in this episode is to not be seduced by the voices of the Sirens, which would lead to the destruction of Odysseus and his men. Odysseus has been warned by Circe of what to expect. He plugs his men's ears with beeswax and has them bind him to the mast of the ship. The Sirens' song is so seductive that Odysseus begs to be released from his fetters, but his faithful men only bind him tighter.

Chuck