Marge Piercy's The Barbie Doll

(“Marge Piercy: Biography”). So, reading this, “Barbie Doll” had definitely been related to her experience. Although Marge Piercy did not exactly die the way the girl did in the poem, but I suppose she was dying to be herself on the inside. In most of Piercy’s poems and other literary works, she expresses change. She dreams of social change, and feminist revival.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the words “Barbie Doll” is one of my favorite childhood toys. The main character of this poem is a young girl who was born in a judgmental world. She never had the opportunity to feel satisfied or happy with herself. She was trying to please others and make a way for herself to accept and feel confident within.

Janie thought to herself that the little girl on the milk carton looks like herself. She remembers the white dress that’s on the girl and that she looks exactly like the girl on the carton. She tried telling her friends and none of her friends believed her. So Janie cut the back of the milk carton off and kept the 1-800 number. She kept the number so she could call and ask questions about the little girl missing.

At the beginning of the book, Gilly would have loved that but when she moved away she understood that it was not what she needed. She finds disappointment in her new life and realizes what a great time she had with Trotter, William Ernest and Mr. Rudolph. The Great Gilly Hopkins is a book to reflect on. The characters and the whole story stick to your mind after finishing the book.

Kristina Starr Professor McGhee English 152 23 September 2014 Insecurity In her poem “Barbie Doll”, Marge Piercy illustrates the way in which society sets unachievable standards for children, particularly young girls. In the beginning of the poem, the “girlchild” lives her life without a care in the world. As she advances into her teenage years, she is told how to act and how to look.

Marge Piercy used being a woman and pressure of beauty during her time, of the 1970s, to bring about a poem that tells the story of a woman who has to change for society to be called pretty. The poem

In the poem “Barbie Doll”, written by Marge Piercy, there is a clear theme of the expectations of women in society. The poem starts by talking about a girl that was normal until she was judge when she hit puberty for having, “A great big nose and fat legs” (Piercy 533). This comment follows her for the rest of her life, until it is implied that she could no longer take the harsh criticism she felt from the world “her good nature wore out”, and because of this, she committed suicide “she cut off her nose and her legs/ and offered them up” (Piercy 534). Finally when she dies, everyone comments how pretty she looks, and the poem finishes with, “To every woman a happy ending” (Piercy 534).

The life of a women is difficult at all the stages of life, from birth to death, there is certain clothes they need to wear, they need to act a certain way, and do the chores that society feels are necessary for them to do. Society makes it clear that a woman is different from men and the tasks that they have are different. The author of “Barbie Doll,” Marge Piercy sheds a light of the difference on how people treat girls and women as they go from early childhood to adolescence. Piercy uses the connotation of different words, visual imagery, and the comparison between different elements in the girl’s life to ironize society’s social standards that lead to women’s suicides and deaths.

Desiree not only had a new life, but she had someone who loved and cared for her no matter what. She was thrown out by her family and left to die but when Valmonde saw her and took her in she gave her a chance at life she gave her a chance to become something and somebody. Because Desiree comes from an unknown past her ancestry is unknown causing many people to be very cautious around her. Even though Desiree would’ve been expected to never amount to anything she

The two words “Barbie Doll” is an essential part of a little girl’s vocabulary and most every little girl owns a Barbie doll. The doll represents an image of a perfect woman; however, in reality, women should not expect to be perfect. This is a narrative poem which summarizes the life of a young girl. The poem begins with “This girl child was born usual.” This line indicates that the child is born like any normal child.

Barbie: The Plastic Insecurity In Marge Piercy’s Barbie Doll, the author tries to bring awareness to an issue because of the overwhelming social pressures and insecurities, one girl has that causes her to commit suicide. The classic Barbie doll came out in 1959 and this poem was published in 1971 giving only 12 years for the Barbie doll to be out on the market and have an impact on little girls. In Piercy’s poem, as the girlchild is growing up, she is given all the toys girls today get, toy dolls, GE stoves, irons, and lipsticks (Piercy). All the things she will need to be “successful” as a woman.

In the article “Plastic, Fantastic Barbie” by Amy Goldman Kass she rebuttals against the war on the Barbies that girls around the world have loved since the beginning of their 54-year career. Koss defends the physical stature of Barbie saying that “Kids don’t care about Barbie’s proportions; they just appreciate that she’s older than they are and can therefore take greater risks and have wilder adventures.” (Kass 1) She makes that point that children don’t necessarily care about what their dolls look like they just want something pretty to play with. The majority of little girls don’t look at Barbie and immediately want to have her body if anything they look at her make-up and clothes, which are entirely obtainable for anything.

Imagine living in a world without diversity, uniqueness, or hope. Everyone would have similar interest, no differences, and no social standards would be set. Unfortunately, in the world, we live in today discrimination exists, if a person who's not powerful or white tried being unique the society would bring down his hopes because he isn't like the normal person. In Sandra Cisneros's "Barbie-Q," and Sherman Alexie's "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven," both of the authors write about the world with no diversity, hope, and role models. Both stories reflection of upper middle white class dominant control and exploit of the poor lower class.

Lachlan Pettigrew Max Yelsa Blake Zimmerman A Cultural Synthesis Essay Have you ever thought about the love and culture your family brought you as a child? What they give you lets you develop a sense of identity in our changing world. In the following essay you will read excerpts from two pieces of writing that show how a child develops with and without their cultural identity. A child is lost without their heritage, and strives to find it, whether that be as an adult or when they are still young. In An Indian Father’s Plea, and essay by Robert Lake, the father writes a letter to the teacher speaking about his son.

Both authors agree that society's definition of beauty is not realistic. In pearcys poem Barbie Doll.the girl ends up committing suicide because people focused to much on her looks. When she was born she was a usial baby until she went through puberty she was told she had a fat nose and fat legs.in the poem it says “everyone saw a fat nose and thick legs. This figurative language shows us that people focused to much on her imperfections. this evidence soports my claim beacuse even though girl was healthy and strong, this show that everyone focused on her fat legs had big nose and this displays that the definition of beauty is not realistic To add on she was given alot of advise to look prittier but instead she chosse suicide.