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Feminist essays literary criticism
Feminist literary criticism an introduction summary
Feminist essays literary criticism
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The poem "Barbie Doll," by Marge Piercy is a moving and interesting poem written in 1973 that focuses on a little girl's entrance into womanhood and the struggles that comes with it. At birth, the girlchild, who is the primary focus of this poem, is normal. "She presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy" (p. 1107). She played with dolls and mini stoves and makeup like adults think that girls should play with. The girl continued this until the "magic" of puberty hit her. As healthy and intelligent as the girlchild was, she was told by a classmate that she has "a great big nose and fat legs." All everyone could see was her appearance. She apologized for her big nose and
In both poem “ Barbie Doll” by Merge Piercy and “ homage to my hips” by Lucille Clifton, they both expressed the different way on how our society wants us, women to look and act in order to be except into the society. Our society condemned any women who are to act differently from our norms. In this society and in every culture aspect they are always stereotype, women always been taking advantage of no matter what century we are on. In “Barbie Doll” the author tend to provide more effective critique of society expectation about our body image than “homage to my hips”.
In The Barbie Doll, the author writes about a girl' s life. The author starts off by describing her childhood. She was given dolls and toys like any other girl and she also wore hints of lipstick. This girl was healthy and rather intelligent. Even though she had possessed many good traits she was still looked at by others as "the girl with a big nose and fat legs". She exercised, dieted and smiled as much as possible to please those around her. She became tired of pleasing everyone else and decided to commit suicide. During her funeral those who she had tried to please in the past were the ones to comment about how beautiful she looked. Finally she had received the praise she was longing for.
The first stanza describes the Barbie Doll and her accessories. It is also stating how the girl was just a normal person, but at the end of the stanza, it shows how she is being tormented by one of her classmates. “Wee lipsticks” is some form of makeup that helps cover the flaws that one has; which are seen as perfection; such as not looking the way one sees as perfect. However, the iron is what helps ameliorate the clothes. The girl in this poem was technically raised to be perfect, she was surrounded by perfection. She was happy with the way she looked before until the classmate told her “you have a great big nose and fat legs” (6). Through the comments, the girl was forced to believe she was anything but prefect and fell short of the Barbie Doll image. The girls self-esteem begins to
For starters the title, “Barbie Doll” holds a meaning. It symbolizes the ideal figure of a female body. Society creates this ideal that is embed into every century. It is never ending. It is intended that she must have the twig like arms and legs, the minuscule waist and nose,
The poem starts with the line, “This girlchild was born as usual,” which suggests that as soon as a girl is born, society already expects her to learn the role she will soon play in when she hits puberty (1). Thus, showing why we are given dolls as little girls to illustrate how we should act and appear according to society. After we learn all the roles we will soon take part in, “the magic of puberty,” hits and girls immediately begin applying the ideals to their own lives (5). As if this attempt to conform is not enough we have other people telling us we are not to perfect. “You have a great big nose and fat legs,” says a classmate to the girl (6). This type of pressure can slowly but surely destroy even the little confidence women do have in themselves.
Hippie Barbie, written by Denise Duhamel, uses the symbols of the contemporary life of the fairy-tale lifestyle into reality. The words and ideas used in this narrative poem give fantasy a different perspective. It is inferred that the speaker is a female Barbie specialist, who reflects her knowledge by using the popular Barbie doll as the main character. Throughout the poem, she gives key points that have female perspective; for instance, kissing Ken, thinking about having mixed-race children, and walking a poodle. She establishes a story-telling tone, which introduces Hippie Barbie as a real woman.
In the beginning, the “girlchild” being discussed is described as “healthy, tested intelligent,/ possessed strong arms and back,/ abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.” (lines 7-9) Yet throughout the poem, all that is pointed out is her fat nose and thick legs. As the poem progresses, she is told how to improve her flaws, through diet, exercise and acting dumb. By the end the girl commits suicide after exhausting her efforts to conform to society. The final lines show the people attending her funeral discussing how pretty she looks, emphasizing the idea that she finally achieved her “happy ending”. The poem as a whole demonstrates a type of satire called Juvenalian satire, which is a formal version in which the speaker (or writer) attacks the vices and error of society with contempt and indignation. Through Ms. Piercy’s use of description and words choice that implies contempt and sarcasm, the reader is able to identify how society’s standards for women’s looks greatly overshadow other talents and abilities they may have. It is demonstrated that if one is not skinny, and petite with perfect hair and a “turned up...nose” (line 21) then other traits such as intelligence, kindness, and strength are not worth
Author, Marge Piercy, introduces us to a young adolescent girl without a care in the world until puberty begins. The cruelty of her friends emerges and ultimately she takes her own life to achieve perfection in “Barbie Dolls” (648). At the time when all children are adjusting to their ever changing bodies, the insults and cruelties of their peers begin and children who were once friends for many years, become strangers over night caught in a world of bullying. A child who is bullied can develop severe depression which can lead to suicide; and although schools have been educated in recognizing the signs of bullying, there is an epidemic that has yet to be fully addressed within our schools or society.
As the poem advances to the girl’s death, the speaker paints the scene at her funeral: “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” (ll. 19-22). The undertaker, who plans the funeral, is tasked with dressing the deceased, and fits society’s expectations for the girl. With “satin,” “cosmetics,” “a turned-up putty nose,” and “a pink and white nightie,” the speaker lists many of the luxurious items that society expects her to have. Before the girl is influenced by society, “[s]he was healthy, tested intelligent,/possessed strong arms and back,/abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity./She went to and fro apologizing” (ll. 7-10). Again, the speaker omits the people she interacts with, with the implication that it is the entirety of the population. In other words, she “went to and fro apologizing” to the society because of her qualities that deviated from the societal
The poem begins with the birth of a "girlchild" and all of the typical toys that girls at a young age play with. “This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.” (Piercy Lines 1-4). When the girl hits puberty, her classmates tell her she has a big nose and fat legs. (Piercy Lines 5-6). In the difficult physical and emotional stage of puberty, the girl is harassed and degraded because she does not physically fit the acceptable standards of what a girl should look like. The second stanza portrays the girl in a non-attractive way as if any man would only want to use her for manual labor and child birth even with her intelligence. “She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms ad back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.” (Piercy Lines 8-9). “She went to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.” (Piercy Lines 10-11). The second stanza explains that she is giving into society’s strength and apologizing for her appearance. The last line of the second stanza, “Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs,” explains that no matter how many times the girl apologizes she will always be seen as the girl with the unacceptable sized legs and nose. (Piercy Line 10). “Her good nature wore out like a fan belt so she cut off her nose and her legs
In the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, a young girl is bullied for not achieving physical perfection. The title itself is an icon of perfection, it gives the reader an idea of the standard the girl is held to. Barbie dolls are modeled to be tall, thin, colored eyes, with a symmetrically beautiful faces the icon of perfection. The speaker states, “Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs,” (Piercy 7). Here the young girl is objectified into body parts. She becomes her flaws and is no longer seen as a person. Even though the speaker states “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back,” (Piercy 7-8), everyone focuses on her flaws and ignore all the good aspects to her. The speaker goes on to state, “She was advised to
The speaker reflects on the teenage girl’s childhood as she recalls the girl played with “dolls that did pee-pee” (2). This childish description allows the speaker to explain the innocence of the little girl. As a result, the reader immediately feels connected to this cute and innocent young girl. However, the speaker’s diction evolves as the girl grew into a teenager as she proclaims: “She was healthy, tested intelligent, / possessed strong arms and back, / abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity” (7-9). The speaker applies polished language to illustrate the teen. This causes the reader not only to see the girl as an adult, but also to begin to grasp the importance of her situation. The speaker expresses what the bullies told this girl as she explains: “She was advised to play coy, / exhorted to come on hearty” (12-13). The sophisticated diction shifts towards the girl’s oppressors and their cruel demands of her. Because of this, the reader is aware of the extent of the girl’s abuse. The speaker utilizes an intriguing simile as she announces: “Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt” (15-16). The maturity of the speaker’s word choice becomes evident as she uses a simile a young reader would not understand. This keeps the mature reader focused and allows him to fully understand the somberness of this poem. The speaker concludes the poem as she depicts the teenage girl’s appearance at her funeral: “In the casket displayed on satin she lay / with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on” (19-20). The speaker elects not to describe the dead girl in an unclear and ingenuous manner. Rather, she is very clear and
“I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie World” a popular tune from the song Barbie World by Aqua. Barbie is the most known dolls in the world so it’s no surprise that she has a song about her, nine out of ten people know who Barbie is by just seeing a picture of her (Docterman). Most girls grew up playing Barbie and are clueless about her origin. Ruth Handler is the inventor of Barbie. Ruth is a hard working women who, with the help of her family, created a doll that change the world. Barbie changed the lives of any young girl who played with, she gives them the chance to play out their own destiny.
Many young girls in the United States have played with a doll at least once in their life. Most of these were probably a Barbie doll. Ruth Handler created the barbie doll to inspire young girls. Barbie is a very important American Icon, and has no doubt, changed and inspired young girls lives.
For example, in lines five and six in the poem the speaker says, “Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs.” With “magic” typically meaning something otherworldly and fantastic, the reader can assume that the speaker is inferring the opposite of puberty, that it is a cruel and daunting time for the girl as she grows awkwardly and is belittled by her peers. Through this sarcasm and mockery, Piercy is telling the reader for the first time that although this “girlchild” was raised “normally” like all little girls, played with the same toys and had the same experiences, that she is now cast apart from her peers solely because of her appearance. Causing a first rift of social acceptance in this young girl’s life.