Girls and Society in Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy

597 Words2 Pages

Marge Piercy wrote Barbie Doll in 1973. The main message the poet is sending is that girls would go to any length to be viewed as “pretty” by society. At times the poet was very sarcastic and uses irony to get the theme across to the reader. Other elements of poetry are used as well to help the audience understand the poem.
The first three line of the poem discuss the “girlchild” growing up. She was an ordinary girl that played with dolls, miniature GE kitchens and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. Then, in the fifth line she hit puberty and her classmates made fun of her and said, “Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: 
You have a great big nose and fat legs.” This line is very ironic because puberty is one of the hardest times for a growing person. In addition, this lowers the girls self esteem. She was brought up with the mentality that beauty is the most important thing. The tone of the poem changes and the girl begins to question if she is attractive.
The second stanza tells us she was intelligent, healthy and athletic but the only thing she saw was th...

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll

    1880 Words  | 4 Pages

    Author, Marge Piercy, introduces us to a young adolescent girl without a care in the world until puberty begins. The cruelty of her friends emerges and ultimately she takes her own life to achieve perfection in “Barbie Dolls” (648). At the time when all children are adjusting to their ever changing bodies, the insults and cruelties of their peers begin and children who were once friends for many years, become strangers over night caught in a world of bullying. A child who is bullied can develop severe depression which can lead to suicide; and although schools have been educated in recognizing the signs of bullying, there is an epidemic that has yet to be fully addressed within our schools or society.

    Read More

  • A Boy's Memories in Robert Penn Warren True Love

    857 Words  | 2 Pages

    The narrator thought of the girl of more of an ideal than a human being. He addresses his first time seeing her by saying “there is nothing like Beauty... It stops your breath. It Makes you feel dirty.” The capitalization of Beauty suggests that the boy regards the girl as the embodiment of Beauty. His breath is taken away at first sight like the stereotypical “boy meets girl” scene. The line “Makes you feel dirty. You need a hot bath” is a continuation of where the third stanza abruptly breaks off. The abrupt separation suggests the first feeling of sexual realization in a child around the early age of puberty as the narrator is (He states himself as 10 and, later, 12 years in the poem.) The sexual feeling causes his to objectify her further.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jane Hamill's A Grown-Up Barbie

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    Students are often required to submit essays throughout the school year, however, many are not able to write an effective essay. After extensively reading and analyzing This I Believe narratives, I came across many essays that are great examples for students to use as a template for effective writing. One essay that stood out amongst the rest was, “A Grown-Up Barbie” by Jane Hamill; I recommend this short narrative for students that strive to achieve an effective essay because it provides useful rhetorical devices such as: anecdote, imagery and diction.

    Read More

  • Gender Insanity in Barbie Doll, Ken Doll, and The Yellow Wallpaper

    637 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marge Piercy wrote the Barbie Doll poem in 1973, during the woman’s movement. The title of the poem Barbie Doll, symbolizes how females are supposed to appear into the society. In the poem Barbie Doll, the main character was a girl. She was described as a usual child when she was born. Meaning that she had normal features that any person could ever have. Piercy used “wee lipstick the color of cherry candy” as a smile to describe the child before she has hit puberty. After the character hit puberty, the classmates in her class began to tease her saying “you have a big nose and fat legs.” (Piercy pg. 1) Having a big nose and a fat leg is the opposite of what females are supposed to be presented as in the gender stereotype. In the society that the girl lives in, follows the gender stereotypes that presented females as a petite figure with a slender body. These expectations made the character go insane. She wanted to fit into the society so she “cut off her nose and legs and offered them up.” (Piercy pg. 1) Even though the girl was “healthy, tested intelligent…” (Piercy pg. 1) no one saw that in her, but her appearances. In the end of the poem the girl end up dying, a...

    Read More

  • Marge Piercy’s Barbie Doll

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Marge Piercy’s, “Barbie Doll,” we see the effect that society has on the expectations of women. A woman, like the girl described in ‘Barbie Doll’, should be perfect. She should know how to cook and clean, but most importantly be attractive according to the impossible stereotypes of womanly beauty. Many women in today’s society are compared to the unrealistic life and form of the doll. The doll, throughout many years, has transformed itself from a popular toy to a role model for actual women. The extremes to which women take this role model are implicated in this short, yet truthful poem.

    Read More

  • Pathedy of Manners Essay

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    The author tells us that there is no telling the story of something without knowing the inside. Stories on the outside may not indeed be the reality that is within. The tone and imagery of this poem had a great importance in sending this message to her readers. The glory and doom of this woman would not be able to obtain without its intimate tones ranging from flaunting to embarrassment depiction's of this woman's melancholy. Her glory rose and fell as shortly as her inner spirit did.

    Read More

  • Barbie Doll Satire

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning, the “girlchild” being discussed is described as “healthy, tested intelligent,/ possessed strong arms and back,/ abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.” (lines 7-9) Yet throughout the poem, all that is pointed out is her fat nose and thick legs. As the poem progresses, she is told how to improve her flaws, through diet, exercise and acting dumb. By the end the girl commits suicide after exhausting her efforts to conform to society. The final lines show the people attending her funeral discussing how pretty she looks, emphasizing the idea that she finally achieved her “happy ending”. The poem as a whole demonstrates a type of satire called Juvenalian satire, which is a formal version in which the speaker (or writer) attacks the vices and error of society with contempt and indignation. Through Ms. Piercy’s use of description and words choice that implies contempt and sarcasm, the reader is able to identify how society’s standards for women’s looks greatly overshadow other talents and abilities they may have. It is demonstrated that if one is not skinny, and petite with perfect hair and a “turned up...nose” (line 21) then other traits such as intelligence, kindness, and strength are not worth

    Read More

  • Society's Influence Over Women

    366 Words  | 1 Pages

    At the beginning of "Barbie Doll", it reads "This girlchild was born as usual". This line shows that their is nothing wrong with this girl. She is your average child that plays with "dolls that pee-pee" and " miniature GE stoves and irons". She does not realize that anything is wrong with her until "a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs". She was normal and happy, then society points out that she is different then the model in Seventeen magazine.

    Read More

  • The Role Of Women In William Faulkner's Barbie Doll

    1684 Words  | 4 Pages

    Social restrictions have always been placed on women even today. The role of women is much different today than it was in the past. Women were not allowed to make major decisions in the family and were expected to submit in all things to the husband; they could not own anything and they were expected to stay home and do housework.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll

    1681 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the beginning of “Barbie Doll”, pleasurable and unpleasurable imagery is given so that the reader can see the extremes girls go through to be considered perfect.

    Read More

  • Emotion in Emily Dickinson's “My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun”

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...sed society with religious overtones throughout the poem, as though religion and God are placing pressure on her. The is a very deep poem that can be taken in may ways depending on the readers stature yet one thing is certain; this poem speaks on Woman’s Identity.

    Read More

  • Mod Indigo Poem

    1387 Words  | 3 Pages

    The theme of this poem was hard to grasp by the first read. I had to reread it a number of times to figure out what were going on with the little girl in the story. I concluded that it was some emotion that was troubling the girl throughout the poem.

    Read More

  • Language And Diction In Barbie Doll, By Marge Piercy

    1096 Words  | 3 Pages

    The speaker reflects on the teenage girl’s childhood as she recalls the girl played with “dolls that did pee-pee” (2). This childish description allows the speaker to explain the innocence of the little girl. As a result, the reader immediately feels connected to this cute and innocent young girl. However, the speaker’s diction evolves as the girl grew into a teenager as she proclaims: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9). The speaker applies polished language to illustrate the teen. This causes the reader not only to see the girl as an adult, but also to begin to grasp the importance of her situation. The speaker expresses what the bullies told this girl as she explains: “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty” (12-13). The sophisticated diction shifts towards the girl’s oppressors and their cruel demands of her. Because of this, the reader is aware of the extent of the girl’s abuse. The speaker utilizes an intriguing simile as she announces: “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (15-16). The maturity of the speaker’s word choice becomes evident as she uses a simile a young reader would not understand. This keeps the mature reader focused and allows him to fully understand the somberness of this poem. The speaker concludes the poem as she depicts the teenage girl’s appearance at her funeral: “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on” (19-20). The speaker elects not to describe the dead girl in an unclear and ingenuous manner. Rather, she is very clear and

    Read More

  • Barbie: Feminism's Best Friend or Worst Enemy

    918 Words  | 2 Pages

    A tiny miniature woman will stand in front of you, only about six inches tall. Her long blonde hair accents her sparkling blue eyes and huge white smile. Her long plastic legs bend only slightly and her pointy breasts perk out of her hot pink tank top. She doesn’t look like anything a five year old would play with, but Barbie is obviously her favorite. How does a five year old relate to Barbie? She isn’t comforting to cuddle with, you can’t change her diapers and put her to sleep in her crib. Barbie is an indendent woman, standing tall over baby dolls and stuffed animals and other juevinile toys young girls display in their bedrooms.

    Read More

  • Barbie As A Role Model

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    Barbie was created in 1959 and since then has been a popular toy among young girls. Her popularity among young girls has started a debate whether she is a role model. Some see her as the toy she is, however others see her as the reason so many girls develop body image issues due to her unrealistic body.

    Read More

More about Girls and Society in Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy

Open Document