Category Archives: Discovery #2

A Second of Satisfaction

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Tate Mcrae represents the alluring and dangerous sound of the siren as love, something captivating in a beautiful way, in her song “Siren sounds” to uphold this ideal about sirenic ability to lure people in; she then utilizes it to describe what is known to be damning and destructive so often becomes elusive and craved.  Natural human instinct desires to delve further in regardless of cautionary tales, to be so entranced by and succumb to their treacherous wants because it signifies momentary pleasure. 

The song reflects her deeper feelings about one particular love, and how this partner of hers stays alongside her in spite of the danger that they both clearly recognize approaching. Her emotions, and overall argument presented are embedded majorly in the repeating lines of the second half of the chorus: “Might be crazy to stick this out /But we can’t see all the flames around/You and I, and I/We’re just dancin’ to the siren sounds” (Mcrae, 0:43-0:56). Her immediate recognition of their behavior, saying it appears as ridiculous or “crazy” to anyone else, is the first admittance that these actions, to anyone else, are irrational. In really analyzing her word choice though, it becomes quite clear how this view doesn’t seem to impact her, or become completely internalized whatsoever. Specifically claiming that they “might be crazy” carries so much weight in recognizing her argument; there is this underlying sense of the reality, but an overwhelming amount of carelessness as to what is factual, in order to feel the good parts of their love. 

This narrative seems to continue with the way she describes their oblivion against everything going on, that they are physically blinded to the torture. Her particular choice in the world around them as on fire places an emphasis on this hot, blazing passion, as a result of its typical usage as a comparison to intense emotion. Its all consuming nature could potentially hurt them both, but they seem to choose the bliss that comes with being ignorant to their situation. The enticement that comes with these situations that could cause injury makes her and her lover choose to keep their eyes blinded to this inferno around them that could collapse their world. Getting so invested in this and pretending it won’t hurt you, like sitting right next to the fire knowing how you may get burned, ingrained itself  in human nature because it brings that singular moment of joy. The beauty of love before it falls, the warmth of a fire before it spikes and chars your skin, all fuels this human need to seek what is clearly harmful. If it provides just a moment of excitement, human nature wants to choose to risk it.

She continues to emphasize how much choice really plays a role in this, and how much agency she truly has. Part of the narrative of sirens in day-to-day media, in easy access stories that people find when they do not diligently study to understand sirens, is their entrapment. The men they push into the dark waters to their deaths, or the way sirens are held hostage by their hybridity all perpetuate this idea that no choice is allotted to their lifestyle. Mcrae flips this narrative when she emphasizes herself, a feminine figure, in discussing how they dance. Her repetition, which plays an incredibly crucial role in reiteration and absolution throughout the song, occurs solely on the pronoun that depicts her as a force of her own desire, “And I, and I”. It combines both this idea that sirenic relation does not automatically denote the loss of agency people tend to assume, but also that these subjectively agonizing decisions come from deep within the psyche. It is her and him that decide to dance, that want to stay and be deluded by that burning before them, if it means they bask in each other’s presence for that moment. 

Actual mentions of hybrid aquatic beings don’t appear as a part of her story until the final line of the repetition, where she claims they dance away to its beautiful incantations. The “siren sounds” refers to the commonly mentioned tale within myths, where the sirens utilize beautiful voices to the point of hypnosis to draw men in for a multitude of reasons. In her case, it metaphorically refers to the way love feels  so encapsulating, so all encompassing that people become mesmerized by it. It is to the point that they become blinded to everything negative about it, the same way these sirens depended on men to be so entranced by them, they forgot what they knew to be true about their malicious intentions. She emphasizes though, that they are not simply put to sleep by it; they forge their own path once again to flourish and enjoy themselves in it, because they deny that the destruction could ever catch up to their excitement. While their delusion creates the imagery that their love is without fault, it is their agency that allows them to forge it as something they enjoy, because of this inner desire to keep after this uncertainty.

The entire message she conveys, the way  humanity desires that which damns us for brief enjoyment, the idea that people choose these things of their own free will, that every rational thought would go directly against this kind of action, is represented quite holistically when it comes to Odysseus and the sirens he encounters during his journey. Within The Odyssey, the warning of sirens he will inevitably face from Athena  mimics this idea of how Mcrae’s character becomes cognizant of the insanity in their relationship through other’s weariness. Odysseus eventually makes this choice to allow his men to cover their ears, but tie him to the mast for him to gain the knowledge that the sirens are known to spread. It originates this idea of human need to go after what is infamous, as he and Mcrae both make this choice, reiterating their “And I” or guaranteeing his men will not remove him. They crave so desperately to chase their ultimate desires, regardless of its volatile reputation. In both cases, there is that allure of some grand objective, her love and him knowledge, that becomes enough to overpower their rational thought. They take major risks, despite understanding how it can inevitably scorn them, because their human naivete believes this fleeting fulfillment is worth it. 

Siren nature, their sounds and their stories, ultimately demonstrate this sovereignty that they have, and how it eventually became a reflection of human decision. Despite the understanding of how some pieces of life inherently cause damage, people still seek them. Tate Mcrae’s song “Siren sounds” utilizes how the power of being the deciding factor in one’s life allows them to do whatever they desire, regardless of peril. Experiencing even just a second of satisfaction is enough motivation to throw their caution to the sea. 

Ocean as a Seperate Identity from Human intercation

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Writing the name as “Ocean” is not a way of a human individual giving the Ocean an identity, as we have no individual rights to name the natural world. It is a way of showing recognition to what has always been present. Roordan reorganizes our thinking in regards to human ownership, what we conceive to be within our own domain of influence and what is actually out of our control. “Ocean” is the world and environment.

In the piece, Roordan explains to the audience the ideology behind the word “Ocean” being capitalized as one would a “country or continent.” Roordan’s comparison shows us that instead of viewing the Ocean as a “thing” – an object for humans to use – we recognize it for the geographical individuality and statehood sovereignty it possesses. The idea of nationhood in itself is a man made conception only established in a modern age. Calling a state by its individual and capitalized name shows recognition of ownership to that nation, a sign that we as a separate nation respect your right to rule and interact with your nation as you see fit. Capitaling Ocean is the beginning of an evolution in human relationship with the Ocean and the rights it contains over itself, not the rights we believe are assigned to it. 

Lack of capitalization “infantilizes” the Ocean in a way. To us, we see it as a resource for our needs, which then becomes exploited by a race of humans, which then needs conservation by those same races of humans. The Ocean does not need us to govern its tides. The Ocean does not need us to tell it how to care for its creatures and environment. The Ocean has never needed human influence in how it governs. It has total control on the regulation of its waves, its currents, its foam. For all of documented History, the Ocean is responsible for the carrying of knowledge. It has brought creatures across the globe to new lands, stretching biodiversity and evolution across the Earth. It has carried messages from one country to another. It has exchanged goods, people, technology, all for the benefit of humanity. Ocean decides where it moves. Ocean decides who leaves and who stays within its waters. Ocean is an individual, with its own systems, rules. It is a nation that for too long has been denied the respect it deserves from humans in regards to its name. Rooted in our written language is the disregard for Ocean vocabulary, viewing it as ours instead of itself. Even as I write this, the autocorrect wishes to “correct” Ocean to “ocean.” We have been ignorant and naive for far too long. We have deprived a nation from its title, the respect it deserves from those who expect so much from it. We have been taught incorrectly from a young age that the ocean is not a state, but a vast horizon, one that without human exploration, poses no insight to our kind. Yet – why should it reveal its secrets to us? What has the human race ever given this nation in return? 

In the political world, Nations exchange values with each other. Whether this be knowledge, economics, or policy, someone is winning in the barter. And what does the Ocean get? Nothing. We have never given the Ocean anything. We see it as being something within human confluence, therefore iot deserves no proper respect. We take and take, expecting its gifts to keep on giving. And yet – it is still here. It has always been here and it will be here long after humans have left this planet. The first step in correcting the damage we have done to its identity is paying proper respect to its name, its individualism, its Statehood. We are not the ones placing a name on it. We are recognizing it for the domain it has always been. Taking this small step will repair our relationship and lack of understanding we have come to be so comfortable with in regards to the Ocean. 

Roordan is responsible for reshaping how the readers see the Ocean and our relationship with it as a whole. This small correction to our everyday language positively impacts human connection with the Ocean and shows how we are able to give it the recognition and authority it has always withheld. Ocean identity is a part of the world, a massive nation that impacts us all. No matter how we try to shape the viewpoint as the Ocean being ours, something for human domination, Ocean will always come out on top. The Ocean is sovereign, the Ocean is a Nation, and we are at the will of how it shall dictate over us. 

Discovery #2

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The Ocean as Living History

In Gabriella Tesfaye’s short film, “The Water Will Carry Us Home,” she reimagines the Ocean as a living history, depicting it as a place that holds the souls and voices of the enslaved, transforming their anguish into freedom and renewal. The use of Mermaids in Tesfaye’s film explores the concept that the Ocean not only remembers and preserves but also restores. Her stop-motion film paves the way for lost voices to be brought to the surface. 

Following the ships that sailed through the Middle Passage, Tesfaye’s film highlights the lives of numerous enslaved Africans who were thrown overboard into the sea. At 3:38 of the video, Tesfaye shows someone being thrown from the ship, depicting how “unwanted” Africans were meant to be forgotten. Not only is this film made with hand-drawn art, but Tesfaye also uses cutouts of real enslaved Africans. This enhances the reality of the story she is telling, as authentic pictures of historical events help prove to the watchers that these are real stories. One minute later, at 4:38, a water “spirit” is shown following close behind the ship. This water spirit takes the form of a Mermaid and presents the notion that she is protecting the History of the Africans aboard the vessel. At 4:20 of the video, we see this Mermaid spirit whispering close to one of the abandoned Africans. Rather than seeing the Ocean as a void of the Earth, she illustrates it as a form of consciousness. Using this spirit to reimagine the Ocean as a place that holds living archives of their stories. She highlights the essence of the Ocean as it absorbs and remembers the souls of the enslaved, ultimately reviving their spirits. These bodies and stories, which were meant to be erased, have been preserved and protected by the Ocean. Tesfaye turns a moment of horror into beauty by displaying the Ocean as a place of safety and stability for these forgotten stories. This accentuates the concept that the Ocean holds on to the stories that History wants to silence. By giving the water its own voice, Tesfaye highlights the importance of protecting the humanity of the people who were denied it on land.

The main Mermaid depicted in Tesfaye’s film serves as a kind of guardian to their lost souls. At 4:32 in her short film, three lost souls are shown being transformed into Mermaids, ultimately preserving their cultural history. The Mermaid portrayed in this short film serves as a spiritual rebirth for the enslaved, transforming their suffering into a new beginning. These people have been given a second life away from the pain and suffering they endured on land. Tesfaye’s Mermaid creates a haven for these souls, reinforcing the idea that ancestral traditions survive through the Ocean despite erasure. The Mermaids embody the essence of the Ocean, restoring souls and humanity within these forgotten memories. At 4:46 of her short film, Tesfaye shows the mending of a family whose lives were meant to be lost at sea. A mother, father, and baby are the main focus of this scene, emphasizing how the Mermaid carries out the Ocean’s role in preserving their souls. By restoring their agency and identity, the Mermaid in this story brings a sense of belonging to those who were forcibly removed from their homes. Ultimately, illustrating how the Ocean acts as a form of History, giving new life and preserving the souls of the Africans whose stories were suppressed. 

Through her rich imagery and artistic language, Gabriella Tesfaye transforms the Ocean into an active form of History and rebirth. Her short film reinforces the idea that the Ocean is the keeper of their souls and stories. She restores the History of the Middle Passage through her exposure and remembrance of their History as protected by the Ocean. “The Water Will Carry Us Home” serves as a voice for the enslaved, demonstrating that the Ocean preserves not only their pain but also their identity, strength, and link to their ancestors.