Critical Analysis on “Barbie Doll”
Marge Piercy uses a variety of literary devices to express how unfair society’s standards are in her poem “Barbie Doll”. The poem tells the story of a young girl going through puberty. As she grows, her classmates begin to be rude to her and criticize her looks, particularly her nose and thighs. The girl tries desperately to fit in by changing her looks and it wasn’t enough. Eventually the girl cuts off her nose and legs and offers them up to her peers. This results in her classmates finally being happy with how the young girl looks. In Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll” she demonstrates the struggles of becoming a young woman through the use of symbolism, imagery, and similes.
A very prominent device used …show more content…
A simile is defined as a figure of speech that directly compares two things through the explicit use of connecting words such as like or as.Throughout the poem Piercy describes the process of puberty for the young girl and her struggle to try and fit in. Eventually the girl got tired of trying and “her good nature wore out/like a fan belt”(14-15). This compares how once, the girl was happy and was doing well, but after a while she grew tired and became sick of doing things to make others happy. In the beginning the young girl was encouraged to keep going and fitting to society’s molds “she was advised to play coy/exhorted to come on hearty/exercise, smile, diet and wheedle”(12-14.) Each of these phrases ended with a pause to emphasize them. In the end the girl stopped trying, much like a fan belt when it is becoming worn out. This simile was also used early on to show how exhausting it was for her to conform to society's molds. Similes along with other literary devices are what helps Piercy convey her main …show more content…
Each example of symbolism helps contribute to the tone. The classmates that were mentioned symbolize society as a whole and the young girl is supposed to represent women in general. Symbolism and similes also work together to create the extended metaphor that Piercy used throughout the poem. Without these literary devices, the author would be forced to come out and say what she is thinking rather than have the reader interpret it on their own. Each of these devices work together to help create unique elements in Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie
Marge Piercy uses a variety of literary devices to express how unfair society’s standards are in her poem “Barbie Doll”. The poem tells the story of a young girl going through puberty. As she grows, her classmates begin to be rude to her and criticize her looks, particularly her nose and thighs. The girl tries desperately to fit in by changing her looks and it wasn’t enough. Eventually the girl cuts off her nose and legs and offers them up to her peers. This results in her classmates finally being happy with how the young girl looks. In Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll” she demonstrates the struggles of becoming a young woman through the use of symbolism, imagery, and similes.
A very prominent device used …show more content…
A simile is defined as a figure of speech that directly compares two things through the explicit use of connecting words such as like or as.Throughout the poem Piercy describes the process of puberty for the young girl and her struggle to try and fit in. Eventually the girl got tired of trying and “her good nature wore out/like a fan belt”(14-15). This compares how once, the girl was happy and was doing well, but after a while she grew tired and became sick of doing things to make others happy. In the beginning the young girl was encouraged to keep going and fitting to society’s molds “she was advised to play coy/exhorted to come on hearty/exercise, smile, diet and wheedle”(12-14.) Each of these phrases ended with a pause to emphasize them. In the end the girl stopped trying, much like a fan belt when it is becoming worn out. This simile was also used early on to show how exhausting it was for her to conform to society's molds. Similes along with other literary devices are what helps Piercy convey her main …show more content…
Each example of symbolism helps contribute to the tone. The classmates that were mentioned symbolize society as a whole and the young girl is supposed to represent women in general. Symbolism and similes also work together to create the extended metaphor that Piercy used throughout the poem. Without these literary devices, the author would be forced to come out and say what she is thinking rather than have the reader interpret it on their own. Each of these devices work together to help create unique elements in Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie