Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy Essay - 453 Words

The poem, Barbie Doll, written by Marge Piercy tells the story of a young girl growing up through the adolescence stage characterized by appearances and barbarity. The author uses imagery and fluctuating tone to describe the struggles the girl is experiencing during her teenage years, and the affects that can happen. The title of this poem is a good description of how most societies expect others, especially girls to look. Constantly, people are mocked for their appearance and expected to represent a barbie-doll-like figure. Few are blessed with this description. The female gender is positioned into the stereotype that women should be thin and beautiful. With this girl, the effects were detrimental. The first stanza describes the†¦show more content†¦It’s ironic that this particular word is used because puberty is actually a stage of emotional crisis’. A hurtful remark was made towards the child, and she was described as having a big nose and fat legs. The seco nd stanza also begins with the subdued tone mentioning the girls positive aspects, such as being healthy†¦intelligent†¦strong. These specific details are usually related to the male. Once again, the gender characteristics play as an underlying factor. These qualities were not good enough for a woman if they were not beautiful. The stanza then takes a turn like the first turning away from the simplicity. The girl went to and fro apologizing, while everyone still saw a fat nose on thick legs. Society places women into the mold where they begin to put on a facade and apologize for their misfortunes. In the third stanza, the girl was advised to play coy†¦(and) smile. Women are once again pressured to act in a way that is unreal, like a barbie doll. The fan belt mention in this stanza is used as imagery to describe how one’s facade can wear out over time, as hers did. She cut off her nose and her legs, in response to this. The character Nora in A Doll’s House , is a perfect example of how women are like dolls and do what they are told or what society expects of them. It is only in the last stanza where the girl is dead and has consummation at last. She is finally given a compliment when someone said,Show MoreRelatedBarbie Doll Marge Piercy1700 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy The poem â€Å"Barbie Doll’ by Marge Piercy dramatizes the conflict between stereotyping and perfection within society. The title accentuates the theme of the poem; the Doll symbolizes society’s interpretation of beauty and a reflection of how the girl’s ideas of this beauty shape her self-worth. According to Steven Ratiner, author of Giving Their World: Conversations with Contemporary Poets, it is Piercy’s realistic interpretations of life experience which develops the themeRead MoreBarbie Doll Marge Piercy787 Words   |  4 PagesOluwatoyin Ogunniyi Ms. Hamilton Composition I December 1st , 2011 Barbie Doll The piece of literature I chose to analyze was Barbie Dolls by Marge Piercy. This poem is about a young girl who goes through the normal stages of female bodily development. As the â€Å"girlchild† becomes a female she has an ugly nose and fat legs. She tries to be accepted by society but they deny her because of her looks. After a numerous attempts of trying to fit in she gives up. â€Å"Girlchild† has surgeryRead MoreBarbie Doll By Marge Piercy980 Words   |  4 Pagespoem â€Å"Barbie Doll† was written in the year of 1973 by poet Marge Piercy. 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Marge Piercy s â€Å"Barbie Doll† perfectly defines this thought, and shadows a woman who feeds into the pressure of a superior image. Let it be noticed that this piece was written in the late 60 s, and compare the harsh and drastic change from the â€Å"perfect woman† fromRead MoreBarbie Doll By Marge Piercy 845 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy, society has a way of placing unrealistic expectations on women in today’s society. By using television, magazines, posters, slogans, and even toys women are given an image that they have to conform to in order to be beautiful. The speaker takes the reader through what a young child that developing into a beautiful woman may face as she goes through society and the hurtful comments made to her referencing her natural beauty. She uses self-image as the prominent themeRead MoreMarge Piercy s Barbie Doll 769 Words   |  4 Pages January 31, 2015 Exemplification of â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy In her poem â€Å" Barbie Doll,† Marge Piercy discusses society’s expectations from women, particularly young girls. Society expects that a girl should be perfect, like a â€Å"Barbie Doll†. The poem is about a character who fights with herself about having a perfect body image. This character struggles and shows that society only pays attention to physical appearance and not on inner beauty. Piercy also maintains that people put more socialRead MoreThe Poem Barbie Doll By Marge Piercy1535 Words   |  7 PagesThrough the poem â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy we see how much words can affect someone, especially the youth. By always being told that you are not good enough, you are going to take that one of two ways. One you may give in and give up, or you will decide to toughen up. No matter how hard you try, you will never be fully accepted until you die. There will always be someone who wants you to change something about yourself, in order for y ou to be â€Å"better.† If we do not take a stand for who weRead MoreThe Poem Barbie Doll By Marge Piercy1504 Words   |  7 PagesThe poem â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy in relation to diversity alludes to specific aspects of gender, mainly targeting the female gender perspective and expectations. In the poem, Piercy is writing about a young girl transitioning from a child to a women and how society and its idea of beauty affects her. My interpretation of the poem is that the girl is basically crying out for help saying look I am healthy, intelligent, and strong but no one sees or cares about those things because the only thing