Resor
English 1
Nikki 112 BF
HW # 3: Close Reading
February 2, 2011
Barbie Doll
The poem I chose to analyze for our close reading assignment was called Barbie
Doll, by Marge Piercy. The message that this piece is sending is one that I felt a close
connection to. The poem talks about a young girl who is dealing with the physical
pressures and insecurities that are so heavily experienced by women in our culture. The
poem focuses on the constant demands that women face to conform to societys
unrealistic standards of beauty. Marge Piercy develops a tone, significant to her theme,
which is lightheartedly sarcastic, yet still serious through her clever usage of word choice
and figurative language.
The tone of this piece is crucial to the theme because much like any poem, it is
trying to evoke emotions from the reader that trigger an intended response. Piercy wants
her audience, which I would assume is women, to step back and observe the harsh reality
that so many of them choose to ignore in an attempt to conform to societys expectations.
The tone that Piercy has created is one that reflects upon how women seemingly make
light of their situation, but are truly affected deeply by it. The sarcastic comments and
lighthearted terms contrast the severity of the problem, which helps Piercy demonstrate to
the audience that women should not accept and conform to the pressures put on them.
Her lighthearted comments and sarcastic remarks seem out of place for the story being
told; this highlights the real problem and forces the reader to acknowledge it.
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In the first line of the poem, Piercy says, This girlchild was born as usual. The
use of the term girlchild immediately highlights the fact that she was a girl born into a
society that is obsessed with labels and predetermined ideals. If Piercy had just said
child instead of girlchild, then the reader would not have pictured a girl and what
everyone believes to be normal for a girl. If she had simply said child then the reader
would only picture the typical norms and ideals for a child of any gender. When she says,
as usual, Piercy is trying to confirm the idea that we experience immediate standards to
live up to from the moment we are born.
In the next line, she says that the girlchild is presented with dolls, toys, and
other objects that are typical for little girls to play with. The use of the word presented
allows the reader to imagine this innocent little girl who does not know any better, having
gender specific items forced upon her to define her. Piercy uses the words pee-pee and
wee to contribute to her lighthearted tone, but then she says, in the magic of puberty
to quickly take the readers focus away from the carefree tone. This sarcastic remark
introduces the reader to a time in a girls life when they begin to question their beauty and
feel insecure if they do not fit an exact image that society has painted. When girls go
through puberty, they are at an age where they are highly aware of themselves and of the
people around them. The time when girls go through puberty is nothing close to magic.
It is a time when navet begins to fade, and realization is more present than ever before.
After the reader is reminded of the emotional struggles of puberty, Piercy says
that a classmate makes a comment about her having a great big nose and fat legs. The
fact that she introduced this comment when the reader had just been reminded of the
insecurities of puberty, allows her to evoke a deep emotional response from her audience
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because they understand exactly what the little girl was going through and how it affected
her. In the last line of the second stanza, Piercy points out that the girl believes everyone
saw a fat nose on thick legs. The fact that she uses the word everyone demonstrates
the overly paranoid and insecure mind of a young girl. Even though everyone clearly
did not think that, the young girl believes it to be true and lets it destroy her self-esteem.
This word is crucial because it contributes to the sense of seriousness of the poem. The
audience feels a connection to the little girl because they know what it is like to think
about everyone and how scary and frustrating it is to want to be perfect in the eyes of
everyone.
When Piercy says, She was advised to play coy, the word advised stuck out
more than anything. Instead of being free to be who she is and act as she feels, she is
advised to bury those feelings and thoughts. Although no one actually told her to be
coy, society makes girls think that the insecurities are normal and they shouldnt worry
about verbalizing them. The word advised is so effective this in line because it
perfectly demonstrates the fact that there are suggested norms that people would be smart
to follow, even though they technically do not have to. Piercy then uses the word
exhorted, which further emphasizes the pressures that women are advised to follow
in order to be seen idealistically. She says that the little girl is encouraged to exercise,
diet, smile and wheedle. This line paints an image in the readers head of the girl being
told to conform by keeping up with this standard routine. She must be skinny, and
charming, and perfect, all while keeping a smile on her face.
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The reader now has a feeling of exhaustion for this little girl. Piercy says, Her
good nature wore out / like a fan belt. This simile is comparing something that is so
significant to something that has no importance to a person. The reason Piercy makes this
comparison is to demonstrate that the pressures to conform are taking away what is truly
important within a person. When Piercy says, So she cut off her nose and her legs / and
offered them up, she is really trying to say that women are giving up something of such
importance and worth just to please society. The phrase offered them up, allows the
reader to picture the girl sacrificing her own self-worth.
In the first line of the last stanza, Piercy says that the girl was displayed in the
casket. The use of the word displayed makes it seem as if her death was being shown
like a piece of art in a museum. The phrase cosmetics painted on, made the girl seem
fake. Paint is used to cover up what truly exists to make it look more appealing.
Essentially, this is what her life had revolved around: covering up her so called
shortcomings to be what others thought she needed to be. Her putty nose refers to the
fact that she had been shaped and molded into something that was not real. Then, the
second to last line of the poem says, Consummation at last, as if she had been a project
that was finally completed and perfected. The sarcastic last line of the poem states, To
every woman a happy ending. These are the final words that leave a lasting impression
on the reader. The sarcasm of what she said is so effective because it makes the reader
question what is so happy about what happened. When the reader contemplates the
comment, they realize that nothing happy or good came from what happened, unless you
consider destroying yourself to please society a good thing.
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This poem was written by Marge Piercy in the year of 1999. The fact that this was
so recent spoke to me a great deal. The context of the poem is one that I can relate to
because I was alive at the time and experienced everything her poem was presenting.
Piercy is an American born woman, who has experienced the culture and people of this
country for her entire life. I feel as though this poem could fit the context of many past
generations, but it is most significant for our current generation.
Women, now more than ever, are facing enormous pressures due to the intense
and unattainable standards that society has posed upon us. With unbelievably advanced
technology and twisted ideals of beauty, women feel as though they must live up to an
image that is literally impossible. Photoshop and digital retouching are taking over the
entertainment industry and media, which are two businesses that people, young and old,
look up to the most. Celebrities are so adored by young people who aspire to be just like
them. When they see pictures in magazines of their perfectly shaped bodies, immaculate
skin, and flawlessly gorgeous hair, they feel as though they must obtain that kind of
perfection as well. During this day and age, women are constantly surrounded by images
and ideals that force them to take drastic measures, like cutting off body parts; the
message that Marge Piercy was trying to send with this poem, is one that is not only true,
but perfectly fitting for the American culture.
In my opinion, both the tone and word choice of Barbie Doll, are the most
significant contributors to Piercys theme. Her word choice is incredibly clever given the
story that she is telling and the message she is trying to send. The individual words she
uses can be picked apart layer upon layer to give new meaning to her poem. The fanciful
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images and phrases contrast the serious message, which gives her piece a sarcastic feel.
Marge Piercy successfully wrote a poem about a little girl that was to be representative of
the struggles American women face and the ways they are coping with them. Although
this story was fictional, the symbolic message behind it is more real than ever.