"Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy Analysis

In 1973, Marge Piercy wrote a metrical composition that follows the life history of a five-year-old lady friend emergence up with modern expectations that she struggles to accommodate to. ?Barbie boo? uses different sides of a fair sex?s life to point the different pressures on women today. The send-off aspect Piercy uses to emphasize the stereotypes connect to women be flicks, colours, and toys that are tradition each(prenominal)(prenominal)y associated with daughters; the principal(prenominal)(prenominal)(prenominal) image of the metrical composition, is granted gifts that are rattling maiden desire. The early(a) aspects Piercy utilizes are the ? head game? of puberty, and she withal uses the popular children?s shuttlecock Barbie, as prevail in linen in the backup of her poem, to highlight conjunction?s expectations on women, the of import character at the end of the eldest stanza is ridiculed by a chum because of her accounts. Stereotypes of ho w a woman ?should? appear and be jump break resembling conduct always been around in some form or form. These ?ideals? are in dummy uped in niggling misfires at a offspring age. These ?ideals? moreover can be actually difficult for women that can non or entreat not to adapt to this ?norm?, as like the main character in the poem who in the fourth stanza has taken her life because she couldn?t fit in. Piercy relates diverse portions of a woman?s life to effectively connect Barbie shuttlecock expectations of women and her playing area. Piercy strategically uses traditionalistic and nontraditional items, and colours associated with women to point aside what participation deems female qualities to contrast the feelings of her unfastened. In the first stanza the subject is prone gifts conventionally put acrossn to young misss: a doll, a lean stove, an iron, and lipstick. These items are picked by the author to illustrate that, even from a young age; women are being molded into neat homemakers. Women ! have been traditionally expected to have children, cook for the family, houseclean for the family and in so far still look beautiful for their husbands when they come home. In the ternion stanza, the subject seems to be wearing unwrap like a yellowish brown belt: ?Her penny-pinching nature wore forth/ like a automobileamel belt.? (Lines 15 ? 16). A fan belt is a railcar part, cars are traditionally considered really masculine. Piercy uses a masculine item to deport her subject swelled head confidence and happiness seemed to cease alike a car with a broken fan belt. Piercy also perhaps indispensablenesss to bow her subject might be corking at separate things other than the status quo things that women are thought to be corking at such as car mechanics. In the first stanza it appears that everything is going well for the young girl. Then, as ironically articulate by Piercy the girl undergoes the ?magic? of puberty. Puberty is an awkward term for all. Durin g this period of time is when boys usually start to take formula of girls, being it in a good context or bad. Piercy closes the first stanza: ?Then in the magic of puberty, a class fellow said: / You have a great big pry and fat legs.? (Lines 5 -6). Society seems to be so enwrapped up in what people look like on the outside, they a great deal disregard what the person has to strain emotionally or intellectually. The subject in the poem sightly wants to be recognised for who she is, she feels anonymous. In the poem Piercy does not give the young girl a name, this creates two tips for Piercy to use. The first angle is that the young girl is nameless because all people see of her was her large hooter and fat legs. The bite angle is that Piercy wants express that during puberty all girls undergo ridicule. Piercy uses the main character?s anonymity to get in touch her female readers; all women have endured some sort of societal pressures while growing up and during p uberty. The title of the poem ?Barbie chick? derives! from the popular doll Barbie which is manufactured by Mattel Toys. The dolls are often associated with femininity and bag however; girls might try and imitate the unrealistic standards they stria which can be discouraging. In the second stanza, the author shows her hearing that although the girl is not traditionally pretty, she was still in good health and had other positive attributes: ?She was healthy, well-tried intelligent, / Possessed slopped arms and back,? (Lines 7 - 8). When you think of a Barbie doll, you do not think of a doll with sizable arms, having a operose back, or being overly clever.

Ba rbie looks as though she may be anorexic, she is rigid, she does not step out of line, she just grins and does not talk, and she does whatever her puppeteer wants of herIn the third stanza it seems as though the girl is arrival out for help to coincide with ball club?s Barbie like expectations of her: ?She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty, / exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.? (Lines 12 ? 14). The main character in this stanza is try to bring forth out as to why people go out not accept her for who she is. The girl was looking for an answer that cabaret wouldn?t give her, she had to conform to the Barbie like ?norm? or be herself and unhappy. In the fourth and terminal stanza, the subject is hit and is in her casket at her funeral. The young woman feels as though she could not fit in and takes her own life. Although the girl doesn?t feel she fits in, she is ironically dressed in a pink and white nightie in her casket. Pink is traditionally associa ted with womanhood, and white is often associated wit! h purity. I feel that Piercy chose to have the subject dressed this way to express that even in final stage the girl was still expected to be very feminine and Barbie - esque. Piercy?s Barbie Doll is a well compose authority of modern expectations of women. The author strategically uses traditional girl?s gifts and colours to represent the standards pressed on women. Piercy writes her poem as the girl grows through puberty. The author specifically decides to keep the main character nameless to show how the girl mat up like she was nothing but a big odourise on big legs. The author also contrasts the popular doll Barbie and the stereotypes of what women ?should? look and act like according to what the doll represents turnabout to her main character. Using these different affects Piercy has written an effective poem bring out society?s unjust pressures on young women. If you want to get a full essay, frame it on our website: OrderCustomPaper.com

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