Cornelius Eady’s poem, “A Little Bit of Soap,” and Marge Piercy’s poem, “Barbie doll,” both address the struggle of navigating the physical changes of puberty under society’s menacing microscope. Already inherently painful, the distress caused by puberty is often compounded by physical transformations that an adolescent’s family and peers may consider negative. Such is the case in the works of both Eady and Piercy. Eady’s “A Little Bit of Soap” deals with a young man attempting to understand his father’s disapproval of the speaker’s skin color, which has grown darker with his age. As for Piercy’s “Barbie doll,” the persona, a young girl, confronts discomfort with her own body, which puberty has left – according to those around her – not nearly
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Once the persona in “Barbie doll” undergoes “the magic of puberty,” she is immediately informed by her peers that she has “a great big nose and fat legs.” Though also a form of verbal violence, the violence in “Barbie doll” manifests as a constant barrage of unsolicited advice, such as “play coy,” “come on hearty,” “exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.” Piercy writes these lines of advice in an almost staccato rhythm, encouraging the reader to associate them with short, quick jabs to the girl. Certainly, the advice produces the same effect as a succession of jabs. Just as many small punches eventually take a physical toll on the person being hit, the many small emotional punches to the poem’s persona eventually cause her “good nature” to wear out “like a fan belt.” Piercy does not say that the girl’s “good nature wore out” like an overused sweater or an old stuffed bear, but, “like a fan belt,” her patience and kindness came to a loud, screeching, sudden halt. Clearly, the girl has endured too much violence from society to be able to maintain her composure. In Eady’s poem, the father’s unrelenting demands that the boy change puberty’s effects mark his words as violent. Similarly, “Barbie doll” portrays a society attempting to beat a young girl into defying puberty’s transformation. “Play coy,” society tells her, “come on hearty, exercise, …show more content…
This self-harm may manifest in the subtle way that a person views himself, as in “A Little Bit of Soap,” or in the blatant way of drastic harm against the essence of self, as depicted in “Barbie doll.” As for “A Little Bit of Soap,” though it lacks any overt mention of the speaker harming himself, the self-image that the boy carries from his father’s violence is hardly characterized by compassion. The speaker views his skin as being “born to give up” and feels that “some God shrugged and suddenly turned away its gaze” while overseeing the formation of his body. Eady’s speaker holds an opinion of himself that borders on fury, and that fury will prove difficult to overcome with acceptance of himself and the skin that puberty left in his care. In contrast, the self-harm that Piercy’s speaker inflicts on herself in “Barbie doll” is more gruesome and obvious. Piercy’s unnamed girl “cut off her nose and legs and offered them up.” Whether the reader takes this to mean that the persona literally sliced off her own body parts or simply gave in to society by cutting out her uniqueness (thus metaphorically killing the self), the imagery of this line is shocking and horrifying. Though the violence in these texts may differ in execution, the
Once the persona in “Barbie doll” undergoes “the magic of puberty,” she is immediately informed by her peers that she has “a great big nose and fat legs.” Though also a form of verbal violence, the violence in “Barbie doll” manifests as a constant barrage of unsolicited advice, such as “play coy,” “come on hearty,” “exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.” Piercy writes these lines of advice in an almost staccato rhythm, encouraging the reader to associate them with short, quick jabs to the girl. Certainly, the advice produces the same effect as a succession of jabs. Just as many small punches eventually take a physical toll on the person being hit, the many small emotional punches to the poem’s persona eventually cause her “good nature” to wear out “like a fan belt.” Piercy does not say that the girl’s “good nature wore out” like an overused sweater or an old stuffed bear, but, “like a fan belt,” her patience and kindness came to a loud, screeching, sudden halt. Clearly, the girl has endured too much violence from society to be able to maintain her composure. In Eady’s poem, the father’s unrelenting demands that the boy change puberty’s effects mark his words as violent. Similarly, “Barbie doll” portrays a society attempting to beat a young girl into defying puberty’s transformation. “Play coy,” society tells her, “come on hearty, exercise, …show more content…
This self-harm may manifest in the subtle way that a person views himself, as in “A Little Bit of Soap,” or in the blatant way of drastic harm against the essence of self, as depicted in “Barbie doll.” As for “A Little Bit of Soap,” though it lacks any overt mention of the speaker harming himself, the self-image that the boy carries from his father’s violence is hardly characterized by compassion. The speaker views his skin as being “born to give up” and feels that “some God shrugged and suddenly turned away its gaze” while overseeing the formation of his body. Eady’s speaker holds an opinion of himself that borders on fury, and that fury will prove difficult to overcome with acceptance of himself and the skin that puberty left in his care. In contrast, the self-harm that Piercy’s speaker inflicts on herself in “Barbie doll” is more gruesome and obvious. Piercy’s unnamed girl “cut off her nose and legs and offered them up.” Whether the reader takes this to mean that the persona literally sliced off her own body parts or simply gave in to society by cutting out her uniqueness (thus metaphorically killing the self), the imagery of this line is shocking and horrifying. Though the violence in these texts may differ in execution, the