This is one of the first poems assigned this semester that I felt had really the element of surprise. In the first stanza Piercy describes the elements of a "perfect child hood" embellished with many gifts only to be shattered by bullying from her peers. I think Piercy hits a resonating note on an epidemic that the country is facing now with bullying, and how negative of an impact it can have. Piercy uses clever word play to show that the girl is healthy and intelligent but all people could see was her looks. She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.
If someone tells you something enough times you start to believe it. People told her what she should do to loose weight that she did not have because to them she was too big. She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.
to be totally happy with herself, and please other people she pushed herself until her death, now death could be a meaning in this poem as death of her individuality. In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.
Now she is happy, she has her happy ending because everyone now thinks she is pretty, hence the tittle of this poem "Barbie Doll" Barbie is suppose to be anatomically correct so many woman, ladies, and girls are now getting surgeries to look like Barbie. "Consummation at last" - Satisfaction at last.
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Good start. Unfortunately, except for the first couple sentences, I can't read this--please do not use color type with a color background.
ReplyDeleteReview my comments on blogs from previous classes, as noted on my post, as well as study materials.
Note how the imagery traces the way in which stereotypes develop in our culture, and their impacts--how various elements of our culture, our peers, etc. sustain and promote the stereotypes, and the psychological and social effects.
The scornful imagery and ironic tone of “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, denounce the patriarchal system and sexual characteristics discrimination of modern society. Primary in the first stanza Piercy portray the essentials of a "perfect child hood" embroidered with many gifts only to be devastated by the harassment from her peers. My interpretation of Piercy hits a reverberate note on a national plague that the we as a country are facing now with bullying. The supposed perfection of the female body that this poem idealizes is purely not realistic or achievable. In truth an undersized percentage of female population would live up to the standards set for them. The woman’s attempt to imitate Barbie’s appearance is a deviation from her originality. This method of conversion is inherently destructive for the female that convincingly undergoes changes that are contrary to her natural behaviors. The poem “Barbie Doll” holds a mirror up to our own futility and reveals the rampant destruction of self-worth that comes from comparing the normal to the unreal. Piercy has effectively sidetracked the reader’s attention to the fact that forcing the people, essentially women, into restrictive roles and ideals may prove catastrophic, leading to emotional conflicts that are often difficult if not impossible to resolve. The standards set for them are too high to achieve and resultantly many women may plunge into melancholy, low self-esteem and depression.
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