Barbie Doll poem...Help please!?

Question

Ok i have to analyze the poem write a five page paper on this poem called Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy. Can you please give me some ideas on what to put in my intro paragraph. Any ideas for a hook. Another help would be great also!

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/barbie-do…

Answer 1

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Barbie Doll is most def a feminist poem. It shows the societal expectations for girls, ie the little dolls that go wee wee, the miniature household appliances. The miniature items also show her importance in society, very small.

To start off, you want to summarize the poem in one sentence. This reminds the reader of the poem and lets him/her know how you are interpreting the poem.

Barbie is the male ideal of female beauty. This girl could not be Barbie until she died. No one told her she was beautiful or offered her any validation in life. She had to die before anyone noticed her.

The second stanza has, I hope you notice, a clinical tone. She was "healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity." In the time this poem was written, most doctors were male.

Remember to use MLA citation. I recommend the Purdue OWL for guidance. Good luck.

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Asker's Comment:

Thanks!

Answer 2

OK, this is what i got out of it.
-Societies control on what you think you should be
-Nobody seeing her for her, just what she should be
-An ironic ending tone with "every woman gets a happy ending" er whatever it said.
-everyone's cruel opinions because of their conditioning to media

hope this helps!

Source(s):

my brian.

Answer 3

It is hard to believe an English teacher would assign a five-page paper to analyze THIS poem? Maybe a sociology teacher?!?!

The poem is basically about the ultimate failure of someone who allows what others consider to be important to influence what she tries to be.

If you begin your "literary essay" with an introductory paragraph that has a topic sentence similar to: The culture in which we live can influence our lives in many ways.

Then possible points:
1. The way we dress
2. The way we speak and interact with others
3. The customs of courtship and marriage.

Then, the "hook" or thesis statement:
But, when this influence causes us to forsake ourselves, it can lead to a disaster like that which is depicted in the poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy.

Or, you could have the same topic sentence and same points, but end up with an opinion that does not agree with this poem. So the thesis would be something like: Marge Piercy in her poem "Barbie Doll" overly exaggerates the impact of this cultural influence.