Poem Analysis: Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll
Marge Piercy’s “ Barbie Doll” establishes the character to be a young girl who hits the stage of puberty and is then subjected to people's hurtful words that destroy her body image.
Before these words she seemed to be a normal little girl playing with all the right toys. The words spoken were with intent to help the girl change her physical appearance so she could be a better version of herself, but in the end the girl felt there was no other option. She could never make everyone happy. The last part of the poem shows how society's judgmental words can strip you of your innocence and leave you in a satin lined box six feet under. The beginning of the poem there is a girl who is born and she is then given a doll, play stove, play iron, and bright red lipsticks. Soon this little girl beings to mature and hits the stage of puberty where her body begins to change. A fellow classmate says to her that she has a big nose and fat legs. She is healthy, smart, has strength in her arms and back. She is agile with her hands. She felt the need to apologize to everyone for her physical appearance, because she felt as
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“Her good nature wore out like a fan belt”. This shows the pain and struggle the girl is going through not being able to feel content with the way her body looks. Her good nature is worn out the once probably happy little girl is being beat down with hurtful words to the point of no return. Clearly the girl is depressed and no one seems to be concerned with that emotion, but more concerned with how she should act or how she should feel. The last two lines that Piercy gives are “Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending”, this shows relief like a weight is now lifted off her shoulders she no longer has to concern herself with what everyone else thinks of her. Now everyone can be happy she is finally the “perfect beauty” they all wanted her to
Speech By Nancy Mairs
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Sandra Cisneros Barbie-Q: A Literary Analysis
1793 Words | 8 PagesThe story tells the reader about how two girls, each owns a Barbie doll with their one outfit piece and they made a dress out of worn socks for the dolls. One Sunday, they both went to the flea market on Maxwell Street, where the dolls of the other characters in Barbie were sold with lower price as a big toy warehouse was destroyed by fire. They did not mind to buy the dolls at the flea market even though the dolls were flawed, soaked with water and smelled like ashes. Barbie is widely pictured as a successful girl, who is perfect in every way; with her beautiful face, a slim body, nice house, secured job and a handsome boyfriend which is the fancy of every girl. The story tells the reader of the expectancy for women to have this immaculate figure, ignoring the fact that each person has different body fat percentage and body mass index which may affect their sizes and weights.
Barbie Doll Rhetorical Analysis
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Symbolism And Imagery In Barbie Doll By Marge Piercy
802 Words | 4 PagesThe poem Barbie doll by Marge Piercy is about a little girl who grows up only to kill herself for not living up to society’s standards. The speaker shows how she had a normal childhood and was happy playing with here baby dolls and toy stove. However, during puberty, her body changed and everyone noticed. She was criticized for her “fat nose and thick legs”. She tried to change by dieting and exercising, but soon tired of doing so.
Robert Penn Warren True Love Analysis
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Marge Piercy's The Barbie Doll
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Meaning Of Barbie Q By Sandra Cisneros
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Identity In Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll
730 Words | 3 PagesWith the constant fear of ridicule and discrimination, we still try and define ourselves, though we are always under the society’s scope. Marge Piercy, in her poem “Barbie Doll”, gives us a look at the influence of our surroundings and how something as innocent as a doll can trigger these insecurities. Our strive for acceptance and “perfection” can cause major emotional damage on anyone who identifies as a woman. Young girls look at these depictions of “perfect” bodies, such as a barbie doll for example, and compare themselves. In the poem “Barbie Doll”, Piercy talks about a young girl who she described as “...healthy, tested and intelligent...” (247) but, she was picked on by peers who said she had “a great big nose and fat legs.”
Analysis Of Marge Piercy's A Barbie Doll
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Barbie's Positive Influence On Pop Culture
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Suicide Note Analysis
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