"Barbie Doll"

This poem was very ironic, and a remorseful and reproachful attitude and tone are conveyed by the poet. The title of the poem itself shows how ironic the piece is. This girl "with a great big nose and fat legs" was stereotyped by others around her. Everyone looked past her positive traits, and they always emphasized the negative attributes of her. The poem shows remorse and sadness as its tone because of the setting of a funeral in the final stanza of the poem. Marge Piercy incorporates even more irony throughout the poem by calling the girl pretty and describing a happy ending when she was dead. The major use of irony in this poem shows that the poet is trying to criticize society's idea of a stereotypical girl. The world today expects so much from women, but, in reality, women are different from barbie dolls. We cannot be perfect, because we all have our weaknesses and flaws. The barbie doll in the title is an inanimate object without thoughts and feelings, but the girl in the poem is a human being with a desire to be accepted for who she is. The title chosen for the poem and the way the author portrayed the progression of the girl's life created the effective tone of the piece.