Barbie Doll – Marge Piercy

 

This girlchild was born as usual [normal]

And presented dolls that did pee-pee

[Because girls grow up to me mother’s they get dolls.]

and miniature G.E stoves and irons

[Small general electric housework appliances. Because they don’t have maids they grow up to take care of the whole house]

and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy [small]

Then in the magic of puberty a classmate said:

[When she got older her friend said]

you have a great big nose and fat legs

 

She was healthy, tested intelligent,

possessed strong arms and back,

[Strong arms for house work and back for babies]

abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.

[She was able to have babies and was good with her hand like in knitting and rearranging.]

She went to and fro apologizing

[It means she told people she was sorry for her big nose and fat legs. This is exaggerated.]

Everyone saw a big nose on fat legs

[No one cared except for the way she looked]

 

She was advised to play coy [pretend to be more shy]

exhorted to come on hearty. [Told to act more confident]

excise, diet, smile and wheedle [persuade]

Her good nature wore out

Like a fan belt

[She took all the advice but then reached her limit]

So she cut off her nose and her legs

and she offered them up

[She committed suicide, sacrificing herself to society]

 

In the casket displayed on satin she lay [coffin]

With the undertaker’s cosmetics pained on, [makeup]

A turned up putty nose

[A small turned up fake nose]

Dressed in a pink and white nightie

[Female colors]

Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said.

Consummation at last [the end of perfection]

To every woman a happy ending [Ironic]

 

 

Subject: The Barbie Doll

 

Theme: the disappointment of Barbie Doll’s life

 

Tone: Sad, ironic, sarcastic

 

Setting: No real setting but it mentioned a casket with satin sheets.

 

Speaker: -    Someone that cares about Barbie doll

-         Some one that doesn’t approve of Society’s way of judging appearances

 

Poet: Marge Peircy

 

A little Description of the poem: The writer, talks about this normal girl who grows up to be healthy with only one flaw. And that is in appearance. She talks about the pressure os society and her friends drives The Barbie doll to suicide. And only when she has the false putty nose and the undertaker’s cosmetics is the society really happy. It’s the irony of “Not Judging a Book by its Cover”

 

Style of poem: 4 versus. It does not rhyme and has no meter too.