Poem Analysis: Barbie Doll By Marge Piercy
Poetry Analysis Essay As women, we are born into this world with high expectations. There is an image of perfection that our parents could only hope we fulfill; but as parents love us no matter what our physical outcome may be, society, on the other hand, does not so understand. Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy is a painfully honest eye-opening poem dwelling on the severity of an average girl feeling as if she is not beautiful enough. The crucial elements of poetry include imagery, similes, symbolism, a strong persona, tone, and setting. The pressures of society drive people to talk and look the way people think it wants them to; but there is only so much pressure a fragile human being can take, before they break. The dramatic situation that
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The poem starts with a strong symbol of every-day toys that girls have: dolls, miniature GE stoves and irons, and lipsticks the color of cherry candy. These items are symbolic for everything around you being fake, yet expected. It displays that even as a small child, society shows you what and how you need to be in order to mesh with the rest of the population. The doll represents perfection, with its perfect hair and body and face, an image of what society wants girls to look like. Miniature stoves and irons, symbolizing those good girls stay where the chores are. It displays a sexist outlook society conveys to girls throughout their lives. The make-up she owned meant to cover up any imperfection that existed, reminding her you aren’t beautiful without it. The next symbol is her great big nose and fat legs. This symbolizes imperfection or an outlier to what is “expected”. When the girl cuts off her own nose and legs, it is symbolic for her rebellion against society as if she were saying “You win, world, take my imperfections and leave me for dead.” Lastly, her apologetic nature represents that she too thought bad of her looks and would do anything to get people to like her or understand, even being sorry for something completely out of her
The poem starts with a strong symbol of every-day toys that girls have: dolls, miniature GE stoves and irons, and lipsticks the color of cherry candy. These items are symbolic for everything around you being fake, yet expected. It displays that even as a small child, society shows you what and how you need to be in order to mesh with the rest of the population. The doll represents perfection, with its perfect hair and body and face, an image of what society wants girls to look like. Miniature stoves and irons, symbolizing those good girls stay where the chores are. It displays a sexist outlook society conveys to girls throughout their lives. The make-up she owned meant to cover up any imperfection that existed, reminding her you aren’t beautiful without it. The next symbol is her great big nose and fat legs. This symbolizes imperfection or an outlier to what is “expected”. When the girl cuts off her own nose and legs, it is symbolic for her rebellion against society as if she were saying “You win, world, take my imperfections and leave me for dead.” Lastly, her apologetic nature represents that she too thought bad of her looks and would do anything to get people to like her or understand, even being sorry for something completely out of her