Poem Analysis: Barbie Doll By Marge Piercy

In the poem, “Barbie Doll”, we are not exactly sure who the narrator is, but we do get the sense that the narrator supports feminism. The narrator is addressing the fact the little girls are encouraged to only worry about looking “beautiful” according to society’s view on how a “perfect” woman should look. This poem also comments on how little girls are also encouraged to worry about being a house wife and mother, instead of trying to make their own place in this world and accepting themselves for who they are and what they look like. The general idea of this poem is to point out the fact that from a young age, females are encouraged to make themselves into “Barbie Dolls” by any means necessary.

“Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy is about a girl who is a normal child growing up; playing with dolls, miniature kitchen items and pretend make-up. It quickly takes an interesting turn when a pubescent child makes fun of her nose and legs and she was advised to exercise and diet despite the fact that she was intelligent and healthy. The poem continues on by the girl cutting her legs and nose and a bizarre visual of her laying in a casket with an ending that states “to every woman a happy ending”( Piercy 791). This poem was written by Piercy in 1969 a year in which many women liberation groups were forming and the breaking of womanly roles was taking place. The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy,

The poem “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 they see when they look at her is her outside appearance and what society considers to be the flaws that she possesses. Although this was written in 1936 Piercy accurately describes the feeling of being defined or constricted by society to think, act, and look a particular way which is similar to that of todays society which is fueled by social media, where some find personal gratification and self confidence fueled from likes and retweets they receive.” Barbie doll “ is the perfect title for this poem because for the longest time a Barbie was a sign of something perfect and beautiful, a toy enjoyed by everyone and a conventional symbol for little girls all over the United States. Similarly the girl was conforming to be sort of like the Barbie doll in a way because of societal expectations and the want to be viewed in a particular light by ones peers.

The others have a great power over her as she is under commandment "was advised; exhorted" and she is dictated to: "play coy; come on hearty; exercise; diet; smile; wheedle". The comas even insist on the accumulation of the things-to-do. She has to change her character, to be hypocrite. She is maltreated both verbally and physically. In fact, verses 15 and 16 echoes with verse 9. Her "strong back" may be hit by a belt and "her good nature" insists on her weakness, on her lack of self-confidence. She is slowly losing

In Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy, Piercy shows how young girls have to deal with those annoying demands within our culture. The protagonist in the poem holds onto a comment made from one of her classmates. “You have a great big nose and fat legs” (Line 6). If a woman has low self-esteem, it is highly likely that she will believe anything you tell her. This comment holds a great magnitude, because at the end of the poem, she then ends up killing herself in order to satisfy her critics and to find beauty. Barbie doll emphasizes the stresses that women in society, have to go through.

Both of these poems portray two views of individuals by society. The girl in The Barbie Doll was healthy and intelligent, yet everyone still focused on her fat legs and big nose. This led the girl to do as much as she could to please those around her. This outlook can be compared to how women are portrayed in our society today. As we, women, look through magazines we are greeted by tiny women with big chests. Some of us feel that this is the way all women should look. Those who feel this way will do all that they can do to look like these models. Many women in our society are anorexic and bulimic, could this be because of society's portrayal of women? I believe so.

For my piece I began to define beauty based on society’s definition rather than how Clifton defines autism by the dictionary definition. I wanted there to be two different voices heard in my poem. The first voice was that of myself as I reminisce on what beauty felt like as I grew up. The other voice is society and all the ideas that make someone beautiful. I decided to use the word beauty because I have been talking to my sister lately and a boy told her she was not pretty enough to be his girlfriend. I realized writing a poem was a good way to portray to her that no matter what anyone says she is always going to be beautiful. I was able to write my own experience because there is no better way to explain something than through one’s own examples. This advice coming from an older sister is

Theme and tone are some of the most important aspects of understanding a poem. Not only do they tell the reader what the poem is about, it also tells them the author’s attitude and feelings towards the topic. It is crucial to know not only the topic of the poem, but to know what the author is trying to say about that topic as well. Many authors use poetry to express their opinions on certain issues. These issues can be controversial in some cases. The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy illustrates her view of a woman’s social role in America.

“An Anti-Semitic Demonstration” was the more effective poem by using metaphors to explain the fear one feels during the arrival and anticipation of being sent off to a concentration camp by Nazis. During this time period life as a Jew must have been unbelievably frightening, for one was unsure of when they would be collected and where the would be taken away too. All just because of their religious beliefs or the fact they may be considered “undesirable”. Whereas in “The Family Album” they explained more about how the Jews were before their life changed forever. Neufeld does not go to explain the way they felt during the tough times of the Nazi ruling. However, he instead talks about how life was instantly changed when no one saw it coming.

From the time they are born, girls are influenced by society as to who they should be, how they should look, and how they should act. Americans believe that women should be to a certain standard; pretty, feminine, and especially, thin. The pressures derive from family, media, and friends. Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll” depicts a girl who was never recognized for her character and spent her life trying to be accepted for who she was, rather than how she looked.

Like Georgiana in “The Birthmark”, women often find themselves striving to reach society’s expectation of beauty and perfection. In Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll”, a young girl is finally able to reach society’s version of beauty but she must die to do so. Piercy criticizes the ways “women are socialized into stereotypical feminine behavior” (“Overview: “Barbie Doll”, para. 1) in this poem and suggests that the pressure put on women to meet certain standards of beauty and behavior is destructive. The poem opens with the birth of a “girlchild” and all the “typical toys” that go along with it. When the girl hits puberty, her classmates begin to make fun of her big nose and fat legs. The girl is intelligent and healthy, but the other children only see the imperfections in her appearance. She is told she should behave “coy” and always wear a smile, but the teasing takes its’ toll. She cuts off her nose and legs and offers them up

In society today, the world view of women has changed drastically. From plump, voluptuous figures of the Roman Empire, to today’s goddesses who wear eating disorders and insecurities as a badge of honor. Society and mass media have played a key role in changing the history of women today. Marge Piercy has beautifully depicted what it is like to be a young woman on the other side of society’s pressure on women for perfection. Marge Piercy’s “Barbie Doll” presents the act of preparing future house wives, constraining the natural woman, and the ultimate sacrifice of the divine feminine to show how impossible societal standards of beauty are.

When the door slams at the end of “A Doll’s House” by Henry Ibsen, No one would not believe the woman walking out of her house is the same one who appeared at the beginning of the play. The main character in this play is Nora. Nora goes through a complete transformation, changing from a child like and dependant woman to a self strong woman pushing to become independent. Ibsen portrays the roles of society in the Victorian times in this play. Throughout her whole life, Nora’s husband and father have always controlled her; she has never been able to be independent, and the treatment she receives is not equal to the males around her, and the people around her belittle and patronize her to no end. Finally it goes too far and Nora realizes

Write a paper that explains how history is portrayed in a particular play emphasizing what a certain historical event, personage, or situation enables the playwright to communicate. Discuss what effect the playwright's transformation of historical reality has on an audience.

The poem starts off just saying how the main character was “born as usual”. There is nothing wrong with the main character and she is just a normal girl that played with Barbie dolls. It is not until the fifth line that “the magic of puberty” finally hits the author. Sadly, it is during this time when the human mind is so fragile, that the high standards of the mass media on how a women should look start to bear down, crash, and take over a lot