Sexton's Poem 'Barbie Doll'

225 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analyzing Barbie doll of Marge Piercy

I also relly like this poem. You make a good point as in reference to the sept sisters mutilating themselves in pursuit of the prince, "Barbie Doll" also touches on this. The part of your post that stood out most to me was when you mentioned the advice Cinderellas mother gave her and that you felt that her mother only wanted the best for Cinderella. I think that is part of what Sexton is saying, that parents are telling the daughters to be devout and good, and their sons to be useful, noble and strong and that these gender specific stereotypes start our children on a potentially dangerous road of self-doubt and false idea of happiness.

I do think at the end of the poem that Sexton was questioning what happiness really is. She is challenging

Show More
Related

  • The Planned Child

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    This is shown through the tone changing from being disappointed and critical to acceptance and appreciative. The speaker’s friend, who after listening to the speaker’s complaints, says that it seems like she was “a child who had been wanted” (line 12). This statement resonates with the speaker and slowly begins to change her thinking. This is apparent from the following line where the speaker states that “I took the wine against my lips as if my mouth were moving along that valved wall in my mother's body” (line 13 to line 15). The speaker is imagining her mother’s experience while creating her and giving birth to her. In the next several lines the speakers describe what she sees. She expresses that she can see her mother as “she was bearing down, and then breathing from the mask, and then bearing down, pressing me out into the world” (line 15 to line 18). The speaker can finally understand that to her mother the world and life she currently lived weren't enough for her. The imagery in the final lines of this poem list all the things that weren’t enough for the mother. They express that “the moon, the sun, Orion cartwheeling across the dark, not the earth, the sea” (line 19 to 21) none of those things matter to the mother. The only thing that matter was giving birth and having her child. Only then will she be satisfied with her life and

    Read More

  • Marge Piercy’s Barbie Doll

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Cinderella. by Anne Sexton and The Birthmark, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anne Sexton portrays the idyllic perfection seen in “Cinderella” and other fairy tales as both completely unrealistic and disdainful. The former can be seen in the subtle use of phrases like “rather a large package for a simple bird,” (Sexton 298) and “that is the way with amputations / they don’t just heal up like a wish,” (Sexton 298). The first quote refers to how a simple dove dropped “a golden dress and delicate little gold slippers” (Sexton 298) at Cinderella’s feet after crying “forth like a gospel singer” (Sexton 298). In reality, the dove could, under no circumstances, carry that kind of weight and still create enough lift to maintain flight. Furthermore, the idea that crying and screaming like a four year old at the grocery store who doesn’t get the sugary treat they wanted will be all the work that is necessary to achieve one’s desires is preposterous. The second quote refers to the actions taken by Cinderella’s step-sisters, who need to physically maim themselves in order to fit into a slipper. That the sisters believe they can simply chop a toe or one of their ankles off without the prince noticing anything is nothing short of ridiculous. The last stanza is perhaps the pinnacle of Sexton’s argument. Cinderella ...

    Read More

  • Cinderella Ate My Daughter Summary

    1538 Words  | 4 Pages

    When it comes to Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the new Girly-Girl Culture this book fits best with the gender subject we have learned in class. When I say it fits best with gender, there are a lot of different aspects with gender. But the ones it fits with are gender socialization, gender roles, and a little with gender inequality. All of these are things I Believe the author is trying to point out in the book. And I believe that when it comes to most of them she gives good

    Read More

  • Homage To My Hips By Lucille Piercy

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Analyzing Anne Sexton's Poem 'Her Kind'

    462 Words  | 1 Pages

    "A woman like that is not a woman, quite,” admits the speaker in “Her Kind,” a short poem written by Anne Sexton, as the piece twists the mother’s and homemaker’s traditional actions into a midnight fairy tale, as they must become as one worms through the dark woods of a troubled mind. On the surface, the poem follows a self-proclaimed witch, who flies, dwells in the forest, and is even burned at the stake. However, the nature of the imagery used, and the couplet ending each stanza provide the initial hint at the figurative meaning of the piece. That in stanza two the speaker works with, “skillets, carvings, shelves, closets, silks…” and fixes suppers, rearranging what is out of order, all suggest the work of a housewife. The couplet ending each stanza makes it clear that

    Read More

  • Anne Sexton Narcissism

    1546 Words  | 4 Pages

    The poem also showcases the symbolism of her failing marriage and suppressed anxiety. “Now it is time to call attention/ to our bed, a forest of skin/where seeds burst like bullets…/ (Sexton, 1-3). She continues by creating imagery that suggests internal strife or a love-hate relationship with her husband. Sexton chooses to focus on his withering physique in order to describe her struggles with being a sexual person while accepting her role as a woman. “The blood smell is here and the blade and its bullets/Your lung is waiting in the death market. / Your face beside me will grow indifferent” (Sexton,

    Read More

  • The Raven And Annabel Lee Analysis

    641 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...s the theme of family. For example, when you truly love someone in your family, you make sure that you show them you truly love them by not only giving them a hug but also telling them that you love them. I can relate to this situation because whenever I notice that my mom is feeling down, I make sure that I tell her that I love her and she is the best mom in the world. Another theme that is present in this poem that I can relate with my life is the theme of mortality. For example, the man is obsessed with not only how but also why Annabel died. I can relate to the man in this situation because after my mom’s dog passed away about nine or ten years ago I was wondering for the longest time why she had to pass away. She wasn’t always the nicest dog, but I still loved her anyways. This poem celebrates the child-like emotions with the ideals of the Romantic era.

    Read More

  • Sexton Vs Disney

    579 Words  | 2 Pages

    This poem only mentions the death of the mother which leaves us to question if the father witnessed all the wrong doing and mistreat Cinderella received. In all honesty it did give me a little more suspense than the original. Her poem really is nothing similar to the original Cinderella except a few bits and pieces. For example the fact that the prince walked Cinderella home, as we know never happened in the original, but perhaps gave the reader some thrill to know what the outcome of such a possibility be. There is nothing wrong with a little bit of change, and that is exactly what Anne Sexton gave the audience in her poem. She allowed the reader to see a different outcome in situations but still allowing the reader to know that no matter all the different situation Cinderella and the prince were meant to live happily ever

    Read More

  • Comparing Poems First Love, Amen and Porphyrias Lover

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    In a way, I think that the poet is trying to convince us that love is

    Read More

  • Anne Sexton Cinderella

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    This reincarnation of Cinderella’s mother forces blindness upon the stepsisters, a punishment to them for their ill will towards Cinderella. (McGowan 325) There are people in this world who truly do not like to see others happy, they do not like to see them succeed in life, these kinds of people exist in everyone’s life. Cinderella’s story is yet again giving a misleading message to young women that once you are married, negativity will no longer follow you, life will be happy and without enemies. The story has the usual happily-ever-after ending. This happily ever after is the dream that some women chase their entire lives, the idea that once they find a man they will be complete. The ending further emphasizes the unrealistic ideas young women may have about marriage, Cinderella and the prince are not subject to diaper changes, house cleaning or arguments, the tedious parts of marriage do not exist for them. (Aguero 3) “Clearly such a happy ending is achieved only by keeping the couple frozen in time.” (Keely 72) Sexton ends the poem with “That story” as she did at the beginning of the poem showing her contempt for the message the story of Cinderella sends to young

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Anne Sexton And The Brothers Grimm's Cinderella

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the world has transformed and progressed throughout history, so have its stories and legends, namely the infamous tale of Cinderella. With countless versions and adaptations, numerous authors from around the world have written this beauty’s tale with their own twists and additions to it. And while many may have a unique or interesting way of telling her story, Anne Sexton and The Brother’s Grimm’s Cinderellas show the effects cultures from different time periods can have on a timeless tale, effects such as changing the story’s moral. While Sexton chooses to keep some elements of her version, such as the story, the same as the Brothers Grimm version, she changes the format and context, and adds her own commentary to transform the story’s

    Read More

  • Symbolism in Marge Piercy's 'Barbie Doll'

    576 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie Doll”, is about the problems a teenage girl faces as she undergoes puberty. In just four stanzas, Piercy illustrates the confusion and sorrow that one girl experiences during this stage in her life. Using vivid language, powerful mental images are created for the readers to easily follow. Those images symbolize that the girl experiences hope, struggle, and despair. Symbolism is the most effective element in the poem.

    Read More

  • Spinster, by Sylvia Plath

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    Overall, the imagery that Plath creates is framed by her diction and is used to convey her emotions toward all relationships and probably even her own marriage to Ted Hughes, who had rude, disorderly habits. Even the structure of the poem is strict in appearance as each stanza ends with a period and consists of exactly six lines. In addition, the persona of the poem is very detached and realistic, so much that it is hard to distinguish between her and Plath, herself. However, Plath insinuates that the woman actually wants love deep down, but finds the complexity and unpredictability of love to be frightening. As a result, she settles for solitude as a defense against her underlying fear.

    Read More

  • The Attitudes of the Poets in Warning and Old man

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is also a sense of sadness to the poem, as she recounts of her

    Read More

More about Sexton's Poem 'Barbie Doll'

Open Document