“Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy Essay

Exclusively available on IvyPanda Available only on IvyPanda

“Barbie Doll” is an open-form narrative poem written by M. Piercy. It tells a sad story of a girl, whose life comes to a deplorable end because of the effect of other people’s opinions.

We will write a custom essay on your topic a custom Essay on “Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy
808 writers online

The poem consists of 25 lines and does not have any regular end rhyme or solid rhythmic structure. However, there is internal assonance and alliteration. The rhythm is created by repetitive iambs and anapests. Punctuation and capitalization are often omitted, which is typical of the genre (Mays 121).

The author uses repetitions as the main device. “And” is repeated several times, which suggests the imitation of a child’s speech. Repetition can be identified on the morphological level as well (past participle form is used multiple times: “tested”, “possessed”, “advised”, “presented”, “offered”, etc.). This formal style enhances the irony: the poet stays detached from the lyrical heroine as if telling her story as a medical case study. Childish phrases at the beginning (e.g. “did pee-pee”) are contrasted with the gravity of the outcome.

The major theme of the poem is how the life of a person can be destroyed by the accidental loss of self-confidence. The girl who was strong and intelligent gets ruined when she sees her ostensible defects. Like in the first poem, death is shown as relief from sufferings, and as a way to put an end to the life that so largely depended on recognition and appraisal of others.

The means chosen by the author contribute to the bitter irony of the subject. The ending of the poem is particularly powerful as all the observers finally find the woman pretty when she is lying in her coffin. The sight of death pleases everyone.

Works Cited

Mays, Kelly J. The Norton introduction to literature. New York, New York: WW Norton & Company, 2015.

Print
Need an custom research paper on “Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy written from scratch by a professional specifically for you?
808 writers online
Cite This paper
Select a referencing style:

Reference

IvyPanda. (2021, April 7). “Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy. https://ivypanda.com/essays/barbie-doll-poem-by-marge-piercy/

Work Cited

"“Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy." IvyPanda, 7 Apr. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/barbie-doll-poem-by-marge-piercy/.

References

IvyPanda. (2021) '“Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy'. 7 April.

References

IvyPanda. 2021. "“Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy." April 7, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/barbie-doll-poem-by-marge-piercy/.

1. IvyPanda. "“Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy." April 7, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/barbie-doll-poem-by-marge-piercy/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "“Barbie Doll” Poem by Marge Piercy." April 7, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/barbie-doll-poem-by-marge-piercy/.

Powered by CiteTotal, best reference machine
If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. Request the removal
More related papers
Cite
Print
1 / 1