Margie Piercy's Poem Barbie Doll

In Margie Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll” the main character experiences the “magic of puberty” (5), and the accompanied backlash **** from *** people treating puberty as if it were an idiopathic disease. The girl is this poem experiences a change from where she was normal, what she was expected to be, “the girl child was born as usual” (1), to maturing through puberty, “You have a great big nose and fat legs” (6) and having to struggle to be accepted by others, “she went to and fro apologizing” (10), apologizing for what she was. This girl was so *** that she was given advice as a way to hide her imperfections and seem more alluring to people, “she was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty, / exercise, diet, smile and wheedle” (12-14).

The girl however even though she tried to become more ****, “everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs”(11); finally the girl’s “good nature wore out”. In order to cope with the *** “she cut off her nose and her legs”(17) as a way to get rid of her imperfections and become what everyone else expected her to be, a doll. The girl couldn’t find any method that gave her true ‘beauty’ and made her ‘beautiful’, not being able to stand it she killed herself “In the casket displayed on satin she lay” (19). Ironically she created her own “happy ending” (25) when people came to the funeral and realized that the “turned-up putty nose”(21) made her look ‘beautiful’, “Doesn't she look pretty?” (23), in the end the praise she had been longing for (dying for) was received in death.
Similarly in Janice Mirikitani’s poem “Suicide Note”, an Asian-American college student faces the struggle of not meeting her parents unfeasible expectations.

From the first stanza we can see that the student is having to grapple with a **** burden, “not good enough not pretty enough not smart enough” (3), stemming from her parents out views on her studies. The main character repeatedly apologizes to her parents “I apologize / for disappointing you” (5 and 6), wishing regretfully and mournfully “If only I were a son” (9). She could accomplish to “see the light in my mother’s / eyes, or the golden pride reflected / in my father's dream” (11-13). The speaker believes that if she were not the girl she was, ugly and stupid, and instead was this marvelous image coveted by her parents, “muscled and bold” (17), she would be worthy enough of her parents praise “assured / drawing praises to me” (17 and 18). She unfortunately realizes that all of her hard work is useless just as she will remain “So I have worked hard. / not good enough” (28 and 29). Even with her dedication and hard labors put into her studies, she just cannot thrive with her current *** in the environment she’s been placed in, “surely not good weather for flying- this sparrow / sillied and dizzied by the wind” (36-38) she struggles in vain against her parent expectations. The only way the main character can think of coping with this grief and disappointment is to commit suicide once she has attempted all other

solutions with all of her efforts only to com out the same “This air will not hold me, / the snow burdens my crippled wings,” (43 and 44), she can no longer withhold this pressure on her shoulders eroding at her person, causing her to commit suicide. We can really tell once she is dead during the last stanza “Perhaps when they find me / they will bury / my bird bones … / and scatter my feathers” (55-59), she is referring to her dead remains that she hopes her parents will at least have the decency to properly bury her.
However in Rosemary Catacalos’ poem “David Talamantez on the Last Day of Second Grade” we see a different method of coping with the speakers problems, David a second grader struggles in school with his vast amounts of energy, and his lack of skills in language and structure, however compare to the other two poems David chooses to confront his struggles with a positive schema.

David struggles against his teachers expectations of what a normal second grader should be capable of, often receiving negative feedback from the teacher “Write larger/ ...Messy! / … No! / Think again! / … Not in the original” (24-36). It can be seen from the story that david does not have the necessary skills that he should have learned at home such as spelling or structure “Rars aone bro your spek!” (45) and problems containing his energy, “Stay in your seat!” (40) being one of the rules he forgets on the rule’s test. His undeveloped skills probably come from his mother always working “whose mother is at work” (1) and a large family “crumpled drawing of a large family crowded / around a table, an apartment /... a huge sun in one / corner saying, Tomush noys!” (47-50); David can’t receive the proper attention or structure in his home which reflects in his school work. David however doesn't let himself be capsized by his ***, instead he associates his ‘differences’ as being a quality, comparing himself to a bird, he “believes birds are warm blooded, / the way they are quick in the air and give out long

strings of / complicated music, different / all the time, not like cats and dogs” (14-17). David concludes that being energetic shows his excitement for school and that it’s alright to be different, that ‘different’ isn’t necessarily a poor quality to have, as long as he keeps trying on all of his assignments he can learn anything he needs (because even though his grades are bad, he’s put effort into all of them instead of giving up). David continues to encourage himself further by crossing out the teacher’s red numbers and instead writing in giant letters, blue ink, “Yes! David, yes!” (59). He not only wants to prove to himself that he is capable of improving, but to everyone else that he isn’t a bad student, that he only needs a helpful push, “David Talamantez … leaves his mark / everywhere” (1 and 2).