"Barbie Doll" Outline

“Barbie Doll” Marge Piercey

Thesis:  The contrast between a person’s real image and the desired yet unattainable image is highlighted by this satire.

A.      The use of verbal irony emphasizes the idiosyncrasies of our society in the treatment of women .

a.       “in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:/ You have a great big nose and fat legs” (5-6). Every person goes through puberty, yet there are those that look different than others, and everyone looks different than a barbie doll, so the author is tapping into the fact that puberty is inevitable, yet it brings about negative views and insecurities. Therefore, puberty is not that magical at all.

b.      “Doesn’t she look pretty? everyone said...To every woman a happy ending” (23-25). Ironically, the only time the girl is told she is pretty is in death. If someone had told her this when she was alive, she probably would not be in this situation.

B.      Imagery contributes to the satire of this poem.

a.       “She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back” (7-8). Piercey lists all of these positive characteristics of the girl, yet none of them are good enough. Because she is not pretty, she is not worthy.

b.      “on satin she lay/ with the undertaker’s cosmetics painted on,/ a turned-up putty nose” (19-21).  This is the only imagery that shows the girl as beautiful, and it only comes once the girl is dead.

C.      The repetition in the ends of the stanzas illuminate the indecency being aimed at this girl.

a.       “ You have a great big nose and fat legs” (6). “Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs” (11). These are the ending lines for the first two stanzas. Both stanzas come back to the point that physically, she does not fit the perfect Barbie doll image.

b.      “So she cut off her nose and her legs/ and offered them up” (17-18). The first two stanzas ended with criticism, and so the third one ends with the reaction. Because of this bullying, she was pushed to take drastic action.