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WORKSHOPS » POETRY » MARGE PIERCY, "BARBIE DOLL" » RE-READING
Marge Piercy, "Barbie Doll"
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Re-Reading Questions
Text on p. 835 of the full Ninth Edition
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This girlchild was born as usual
and presented dolls that did pee-pee [1]
and miniature GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.
She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. [2]
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.
She was advised to play coy, [3]
exhorted to come on hearty, [4]
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. [5]
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.
In the casketdisplayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last. [6]
To every woman a happy ending.
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Re-Reading Questions
1. The highlighted words are a summary of what she was and what she became. Explain how each phrase describes this transition moving her from a little girl who was pleased with herself to a young woman who committed suicide.
2. What did other people's opinions about her legs and nose do to the young girl's self-concept? Why would a girl who seems so together, fall prey to other people's opinions? To whom or to what did she "offer up" her amputated nose and legs? Explain the irony of the perfect nose the undertaker gave her.
3. When people view her corpse in the funeral parlor, they think she looks pretty. Explain why this is "consummation at last"? What is the "happy ending" of the last line? What has she finally achieved in death that she couldn't in life?
4. What is a BarbieŽ Doll? What does it mean for a girl to be like a BarbieŽ Doll? BarbieŽ is never mentioned in the poem; in your opinion, what is the meaning of using BarbieŽ Doll in the title?
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