Revised Intro & Outline

Revised Intro:

 A key element in any work of literature, characterization, proves to be an essential element which allows Marge Piercy to deliver her message in the poem, "Barbie Doll." Piercy uses characterization tremendously throughout the poem to emphasize and truely depict to the reader how "unattractive" the main character was. Piercy delves deep into every detail of her physical appearance while remaining shallow with her personality and true character. Using this technique, Piercy is able to highlight the cruelly the girl is forced to face because the isn't exactly "beautiful." Finally, when the main charecter kills herself in an attempt to get rid of her fat legs and ugly nose, somebody characterizes her as pretty. Without the use of characterization in the poem, "Barbie Doll," it would be impossible for Piercy to convey her purpose and theme of the cruelty the main character was forced to face just because the was not considered attractive.

Outline:

I.    Piercy starts off the poem, "Barbie Doll," by using characterization to describe the main character's lack of physical beauty as she goes through puberty, a phase which usually has a positive effect on one's appearance.

          a. The problem really starts as she goes through puberty when a classmate tells her, "You have a great big nose and fat legs."

II. As the poem, progresses, Piercy continues to add to the unattractive features of the main character while not explaining anything about her personality.

           a. She "possessed strong arms and back," features that truly are not suitable for a pretty girl. Certainly not for Barbie.

          b. "Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs."

II. By the end of the poem, when our character was dead, with her nose chopped off and legs half gone, Piercy sends out a rather disturbing message.

          a. "'Doesn't she look pretty,' everyone said."

Intro Paragraph

A key element in any work of literature, characterization, proves to be a necessary element to help the author convey his or her message. This common practice is used by Marge Piercy in her poem, "Barbie Doll." Characterization is used within a large portion of the poem to assist the reader to realize how the main character is  categorized by her physical features. Without the use of characterization in the poem, "Barbie Doll," it would be impossible for Piercy to deliver her message of the cruelty the main character was forced to face.

Born Too Late???

Miniver Cheevy

The first stanza of the poem puzzled me. I don't understand why somebody would wish that they were never born. I can understand why somebody would wish that they were born earlier. I have felt that way a couple times. Maybe the speaker felt like he could relate to the way of life of the previous generation better. On the other hand, when somebody speaks of not being born in the first place, I feel like he is mentally ill.

Possibly, the author is trying to convey a message about how terrible the new generation is. I think Robinson is attempting to depict that as time is passing, important traditions is being left behind along with good morals and ethics. Therefore, the speaker would be much more content if he was born in the past.

Isn't it Ironic???

Irony typically is the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really think. This definition of irony is seen throughout "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy. The irony begins with the title which contradicts the features of the main character entirely. While a Barbie generally implies a physically perfect girl who has a beautiful body and a pretty face, our character has "a great big nose and fat legs." Definitely something that would not describe a Barbie by any means! Additionally, she is described as having strong arms and back. If you take a look at beautiful Barbie below, I'm sure she wouldn't be described as having those features. Instead, one might say she looks lean and slender. In the end, when the girl finally dies in an attempt to look like a Barbie somebody calls her pretty. I find that absolutely ridiculous because she is DEAD. Irony strikes again.

Welcome to my Blog!

Hey Y'all!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Dave and I am a sophomore in high school.  I am also a professional kiteboarder. I have been kiteboarding since I was 9 years old and it is by far the most exhilarating sport I have participated in. The sport has led me to experience the unbelievable and meet my greatest heroes.

In this blog, I will be writing about some of my exciting adventures of English 3! This thrilling road began over the summer of 2013. The first work of literature I read was "Eveline." As I finished reading the short story, I was struck with confusion. Nonetheless, I continued on to read the rest of the stories and poems. As I read, my mind kept reverting back to the end of "Eveline." I couldn't understand why Eveline was not able to get on the boat with Frank.

I became angry at Eveline for not leaving her rather terrible to live a new, possibly improved life with Frank. I was puzzled as to why she would make a choice like this. It seemed like an escape, an opportunity for freedom. After reading the story again, my frustration only increased. Then I realized that Eveline did not really make a choice.


"She set her white face to him, passive, like a helpless animal. Her eyes gave him no sign of love or farewell or recognition."

This line frustrated me even more because it seemed to me like Eveline did not want to go with Frank. I thought that was her making a decision. Later, I decided that she was frozen with fear. The fact that she was leaving all she knew and  suddenly struck her. I think it was her instinct to resist. She was emotionally connected to her home. I still can't decide whether her not entering the ship was a decision or not.