After reading Marge Piercy’s Barbie Doll, the girl in the story had killed herself because she felt that others saw her as ugly. Upon further reading, the poem shows that there is more meaning behind it. The poem is not just about a young woman who takes her life for not being perfect. Piercy uses literary techniques and figurative language that describes a society for women. The writing style in this poem includes long, descriptive lines. Having the long lines with the descriptions helps to let the reader know the way society thinks as well as describes the woman herself. Describing the young woman is important because at the end of the poem she commits suicide. A young woman is being described as being normal, but then society is saying
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Lines seven through nine describe things that the woman in the poem knows to be true about her. Piercy states in line seven that the woman “was healthy, tested intelligent,” (Piercy 7) this means that Piercy is showing us that the woman was healthy and that she was intelligent. Another clue that the poem is third person omniscient is in lines twelve through sixteen. The lines show how the young woman was told to be like women should be, for example in line fourteen where it says, “exercise, diet, smile and wheedle” (Piercy 14). The woman needed to charm her way with people and keep in shape. Those around this young woman were very …show more content…
After describing the young woman, in lines seven through nine, line eleven goes on to say “everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs” (Piercy 11). Line eleven could be described as the personification because it is saying that she was just a fat nose on top of a pair of thick legs. It is again in lines fifteen and sixteen where Piercy says, “her good nature wore out like a fan belt” (Piercy 15-16). Piercy uses a simile to describe a young girl broke, much like a fan belt in a vehicle would break over time.
Symbolism is another literary technique used in the poem. Within the first four lines of the poem, things little girls play with are bring described. The “miniature GE stoves and irons” (Piercy 3), symbolize the things that little girls do when they become women. This poem came out during a time when women were mostly the homemakers. This line in the poem shows that little girls were given toys at a young age to prepare them for society later
Lines seven through nine describe things that the woman in the poem knows to be true about her. Piercy states in line seven that the woman “was healthy, tested intelligent,” (Piercy 7) this means that Piercy is showing us that the woman was healthy and that she was intelligent. Another clue that the poem is third person omniscient is in lines twelve through sixteen. The lines show how the young woman was told to be like women should be, for example in line fourteen where it says, “exercise, diet, smile and wheedle” (Piercy 14). The woman needed to charm her way with people and keep in shape. Those around this young woman were very …show more content…
After describing the young woman, in lines seven through nine, line eleven goes on to say “everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs” (Piercy 11). Line eleven could be described as the personification because it is saying that she was just a fat nose on top of a pair of thick legs. It is again in lines fifteen and sixteen where Piercy says, “her good nature wore out like a fan belt” (Piercy 15-16). Piercy uses a simile to describe a young girl broke, much like a fan belt in a vehicle would break over time.
Symbolism is another literary technique used in the poem. Within the first four lines of the poem, things little girls play with are bring described. The “miniature GE stoves and irons” (Piercy 3), symbolize the things that little girls do when they become women. This poem came out during a time when women were mostly the homemakers. This line in the poem shows that little girls were given toys at a young age to prepare them for society later