Part 1: 1. Anaphora a. The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences. b.

(2-4) Every clause begins with and. andandandcandy. 2. Alliteration a. A poetic effect achieved by using several words that begin with similar consonants b. (4) Color of cherry candy. Each word begins with c 3. Oblique Rhyme a. An approximate rhyme b. (15-16)Out kind of rhymes with belt but not exactly. 4. Slant Rhyme a. A near rhyme, similar to oblique rhyme b. (15-16) Out approximately rhymes with belt, same consonant ending. 5. Half-rhyme a. Imperfect rhyme b. (15-16) out does not perfectly rhyme belt but the consonant ending sounds the same. 6. Near Rhyme a. The repetition of accented syllables of the final consonant sound. b. (15-16) The t sound is repeated in out and belt. 7. End-stopped line a. Line in which both the grammatical structure and the sense reach completion at the end of the line. b. (17-18) The line ends with a period, signifying the end of the line. 8. Internal Rhyme a. Rhyme that takes place before the last syllables in a line. b. (12) play and coy are near-rhymes that occur in the same line. 9. Simile a. A comparison using like or as b. (15-16) The speaker compares the girls worn out good nature to a fan belt using like 10. Visual Imagery a. Imagery that pertains to sight b. (21-22) The speaker describes the putty nose and the girl being dressed in a pink and white nightie, allowing the reader to visualize the girl. 11. Caesura a. A pause or break in a line of verse b. (23) The question mark in the middle of the line pauses the reading, adding to the ironic effect of the poem.

12. Accent

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14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

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21.

22.

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24.

25.

a. In metrics, the emphasis given a syllable in articulation b. (18) And offered them up. Hepatisch a. A seven line stanza b. (19-25) The stanza has seven different lines. Hemistich a. The half-line of verse that is precedes a caesura b. (23) The ? divides the line in half, making doesnt she look pretty? the hemistich. Sestet a. A six-line stanza b. (1-6) The verse has six lines, making it a sestet Enjambment a. The continuation of meaning, without pause or break, from one line of poetry to the next b. (17-18) The sentence does not finish at the end of line 17, it directly flows to the next line (18). Consonance a. Words in which the final consonants in the stressed syllables agree but the vowels that precede them differ b. (15-16) The t consonant is the same in out and belt but the preceding vowels are different Dactyl a. A foot which has one accented syllable followed by two accented syllables b. (14) Exercise, diet, smile and wheedle Trochee a. A foot with the first syllable being accented and the second being unaccented b. (14) Exercise, diet, smile and wheedle Tetrameter a. A four foot line in poetry b. (14) Exercise, diet, smile and wheedle Dimeter a. A two foot line in poetry b. (18) And offered them up Amphibrach a. A foot with an accented syllable, accented syllable then a unaccented syllable. b. (18) And offered them up. Iamb a. A foot with an unaccented syllable then an accented syllable b. (18) And offered them up. Foot a. A unit of rhythm in a verse b. (18) And offered them up. Stanza

a. The number of lines of verse forming a separate unit in a poem. b. (1-6) These six lines form together as one section of the poem, making it a stanza 26. Epithet a. A descriptive word or phrase b. (21) putty describes the nose of the girl 27. Verse a. A unit of poetry, like a stanza. A section of a poem arranged together to form a single unit b. (1-6) The six lines form a single unit, making it a verse 28. Run-on a. The carrying over of grammatical structure from one line to the next b. (17-18) Line 17 continues grammatically to line 18. Those two lines make one sentence. Line 17 would not make sense grammatically if it was its own sentence 29. Metaphor a. A comparison of two things without using like or as b. (4) The speaker describes the color of the girls lipstick to the color of cherry candy 30. Pentatisch a. A stanza of five lines b. (7-11) There are five lines in the stanza, making it a pentatisch

Part 2: 1. This poem is an example of open form. There is no established pattern, no specific meter, rhyme, syntax or length. 2. This poem was written in 1971, during the height of the second-wave feminist movement. One of the main issues was the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee equality under the law for women. This would later be revoked under states votes, even though it went through Congress and the Senate. The feminist movement was enhanced by the anti-war protesting of the Vietnam War in the 1960s. The protesting for peace would later spread to equality not only for women, but for gender and race. Popular culture at the time was considered sexist as it promoted ideal roles for women, such as being in the kitchen. Toys such as Barbie dolls encouraged that fact but also provided an unrealistic ideal in the woman body type. The dolls were consistently criticized for their impractical size, such as having such a thin weight that proportionally wise, they would not be able to menstruate. Barbies in the 1970s even had diet books that taught how to lose weight with instructions such as dont eat!. The rise in the perversion of women in popular culture and in society led to a second wave of feminism. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/tp/1970s_feminist_activities.htm http://www.ehow.com/about_5370193_history-barbie-doll.html 3. This poem literally describes the life of a girl who at birth was a simple innocent girl that through puberty changed her life. When the girl went through puberty, people noticed she had a great big nose and fat legs, even though she was healthy, strong and intelligent. All those did not matter as people only noticed

those outside appearances. She was taught to act cute, exercise very much and just basically pretend to be somebody she is not. She finally succumbed to the pressure and cut of her nose and her legs in order to meet the terms of everyone. With her death, she was presented in a beautiful way with the skill of the undertaker that everyone noticed she looked pretty. She is dressed up like a doll, adding to the effect of the title of the poem, Barbie Doll. Ironically at her death does she become beautiful. Metaphorically, this poem serves to criticize the sexist and idealistic mindsets that society renders women. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the girl but society does not like how her body forms. Society sets the standard that beauty comes with a skinny sexy body with attractive proportioned features. The nose is too big and the legs too fat. Society does not know how to dispose of these imperfect people so it attempts to conform them. They stress diets and acting smiley and pretty to become accepted into the social standards but all this does is cause more pain and pressure on the victim, causing severe consequences such as death. The adults of the world decide what is normal what is not normal which is letter translated to kids view on other kids. The girl did not match what was considered right or normal which led to her unfortunate end. As a teenage boy, I faced different forms of sexism and how I was supposed to act. On the football team, I did not face as much contact being a kicker so I was considered a wimp and a sissy. Even the coaches would look down on me and ridicule me any chance they got. I volunteering decided to participate in linebacker hitting drills just to prove everybody else that I could hit and be manly. People started to give me respect as they noticed that I would not hit them harder than expected and knocked peoples helmets off. Making a tackle on kick-off the next game helped my cause as well. It was difficult realizing that even though that I am part of the team, participate in all conditioning and weight workouts and work at the best of my ability during practice and games, I was still considered somebody on the outside of the team core. And that segregation was mostly due to my unmanly position that the team harasses yet still expect me to be perfect when the game is one the line. 4. I would organize the essay by writing four body paragraphs about the four stanzas in the poem. I would talk about the various forms of descriptive imagery that allows the speaker to convey her attitude towards societys view concerning women. I. II. Intro Stanza # 1 Describe the natural, seemingly nursery rhyme beginning to the poem that culminates with the harsh description of great big nose and fat legs. Show how this shows the sarcastic tone of the speaker towards societys ideals Stanza #2 Show how even with all the great traits of the girl, she still is only seen by her fat nose on thick legs. Show how her tone is rising in sarcasm and how the visual imagery conveys the speakers critical attitude. Stanza #3 Describe the various tasks that the girl had to do to be right with society. Mention the simile and the disgusting visual imagery of her cutting her body up. Show how this grueling imagery Stanza #4 The speakers tone has reached caustic levels. Describe the imagery of the funeral procession, the girls fake body and the irony at the last few lines. Conclusion

III.

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V. VI.

5. The speaker at the face of the poem seems very calm and normal of the situation, as if she is just simply presenting a story. She uses simple diction and slowly becomes more complex as the girl ages in the poem. In reality, the speaker is sarcastic, to the point of being sardonic. The sarcastic is prevalent in the first stanza as she describes the magic of puberty. Puberty is the time in ones life where people start to recognize differences and confusing body growths in each other. This is the time period where judgment begins to flourish and society starts to infuse its ideals on you. Therefore to make puberty a magical time is sarcastic on the speakers part. The second stanza reflects the speakers irritation and annoyance of the face that the girl has so many great traits yet all anyone sees is a fat nose on thick legs. The sarcastic attitude continues in the third stanza. The simile of the good nature wearing out like a fan belt shows the irony of using the word nature to describe the girl. The nature is actually not hers; it is societys implementation of good nature on her. The last stanza reveals the growing anger of the speaker, ending the last few lines with a caustic tone. She says, Consummation at last as if this is the supposed ending that every woman wanted yet of course no woman wants to live adhering to society and when finally in death does she become beautiful. The speaker manages to combines a classical storybook atmosphere with a sarcastic, underlying twist. 6. The most important poetic device is the visual imagery presented throughout the poem. The title itself gives the reader an image of a Barbie doll that helps tie that image to the rest of the poem without ever explicitly saying it. The picture of societys idealized doll helps to relate the sharp contrast with the girls great big nose and fat legs. The contrast is apparent without the speaker directly contrasting the two image because the reader automatically puts them side by side. This causes guilt and shame on the readers part as one realizes that people consider the Barbie doll as the right model for girls to follow and have a sense of judgment for people off that scale, such as the girl pictured here. The way the speaker describes the girl in stanza two, citing her intelligence, strength and healthiness, creates an image that seems very respectable but to no avail as she is still seen as a fat nose on thick legs. The gruesome imagery in stanza three of her cutting off her nose and her legs adds not only to the readers horror, it also reveals the ridiculousness of societys values. The funeral scene provides the ultimate chilling imagery that culminates the speakers notion of societys absurdity. Even at death, the girl still cannot escape the grips of society as she is dressed in pretty clothes and gets painted on makeup. Now, she looks pretty but to the reader, she obviously is not. The horrid imagery provides the vivid effect to the reader and enhances her argument of the impossible pressures placed on females in America. 7. Most important word: Barbie Doll a. The Barbie doll is a 20th century toy phenomenon that reflected the materialistic culture that America was developing into. When one thinks of Barbie, one thinks of young girls playing with dolls, playing house and having little tea parties. Automatically, one connects dolls with girls, which reveals that people still have the shallow, predetermined view on gender that society evokes. With Barbie dolls, the image of her perfect looking boyfriend Ken also appears, adding to the unrealistic picture that society paints on both genders. Barbie also

evokes images of beauty pageants and movie stars that exemplify the ideal beauty and body that society longs for, for everyone. b. Barbie serves as a symbol for societys predetermined standards for girls in America. It is important because it represents the idealistic, materialistic nature of the adult world to constraint the freedom of young girls. Adults have already set ideas to what is beautiful or perfect and seem to encourage distaste and mocking when something goes against the norm. Barbie shows the shallow nature of society that looks more closely on the outside rather on the inside. Barbie is lifeless and plastic yet her outside features cover all that up while a perfectly fine girl with strength and intelligence is shunned because she has a fat nose and thick legs. Barbie seems like an innocent toy but the speaker brings a different perspective to this ideal to expose the harmful consequences of a criticizing, materialistic society. c. Main word: Barbie Doll 1) (1) This girlchild was born as usual The speaker introduces the main character of her poem and calls her a girlchild at birth. This combination of words evokes the image of instead a baby at birth, one sees a whole girl or child at birth, like she was never a baby. The kid already is labeled right when she was born, she was a girl and she was a child. This shows the unique life that girls have to face when growing up such as they were expected to play with dolls such as Barbie and not toys such as GI Joe or race cars. Society has already placed the child in the girl section that only has what girls can do. She has to experience life with Barbie and play with toys that puts her place in the kitchen. This explains the dolls that were presented to her, plus the stoves and irons and lipsticks that she could only play with. Society has already branded her lifestyle, which the speaker tries to point out that its standards are ridiculous to girls. 2) (2) presented dolls that did pee-pee As the girl grows older, she is presented dolls that did pee-pee for her to play and explore with. The way the speaker phrases how she is presented with the dolls, suggesting an image of a girl being forced a doll when maybe she wanted a different toy, maybe a more boy-like toy. In relation with the first line, these dolls were considered usual too, something all girls should play with. One can infer that these dolls were probably Barbie dolls because during the poems publication, the Barbie phenomenon was in full flight and girls scrambled for these dolls. This girl had little to no interest in Barbie and dolls but was still presented dolls because that was what little girls played with. This shows the absurdity the adults of the world have on girls and the conforming standard they have on their lives. Society has already set what kids should play with according to their gender rather instilling freedom and thinking on their minds, constraining the opportunities they have in the future. 3) (2 & 4) Presented wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy The girl was not only given dolls, she was given wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. This image evokes ideas of miniature lipsticks contemplates the small faces of dolls for girls to practice on. Yet the face that these are the miniature versions of adult products, it

already instills the fact that there is a normal product that women use and in turn, girls should use too. The problem the speaker is inferring here, is not the toys and girls, but the adults who continues on the societal rules when it comes to girls and women. It continues on the cycle of patriarchy and conformity. The alliteration of the Cs in color of cherry candy help continue the nursery rhyme feel of the poem, putting a faade on the realities of girl-life. It has an effect of a nursery rhyme gone wrong, a darker side of the innocence of toys such as Barbie. It was not Mattels idea to infuse an ideal picture of women on little girls yet that has become the consequence of making such a doll. Barbie encourages sales of miniature lipsticks because she requires those things to be pretty. The effect of Barbie permeates factors of girls growing up, whether it is toys or the way they are supposed to act. According to Barbie, they are supposed to act sweet and smiley all the time, hiding their emotion and true feelings inside. 4) (5) Then in the magic of puberty The girl is now transforming into a young woman. This phrase evokes images of Cinderella changing from rags to a beautiful princess. Yet the phrase tinges with irony as one knows that puberty is not such a magical time but rather one of confusion and where appearance becomes a greater importance. Puberty is where growth of our bodies occur and sexual parts become engaged. The thoughts that adults have been infusing in their childrens minds now become activated as judgment about appearances and not normal actions become prevalent. Barbie represents the ideal form of a woman that society encourages and though puberty do girls realize that most will not come close in matching that supposed perfection. The rise in sexual maturity makes one more selfconscious of ones own body but it is through ideas such as Barbie that create this selfconsciousness. If there was no set standard for girls, then girls would not have to feel aware of their body type and rather have the freedom to be what they want. The speaker stresses the importance aspects of humans such as healthiness and intelligence yet society only cares about the outside. 5) (11) Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs Despite all the great qualities the girl has, the classmates and people around her only saw a fat nose on thick legs. The visual imagery here makes one picture a comical huge nose walking with thick legs. It seems to reference toys such as Mr. Potato Head, overly large disproportional body parts. This completely contrasts with the thin, fit and nicely proportioned Barbie doll that is mentioned in the title and hinted throughout the poem. That actually is the point that the speaker is making. Readers immediately judge and compare the fat nose and thick legs of the girl to the beautiful Barbie doll. That is the issue surrounding the materialistic, shallow culture of society; the outside is valued much more than the inside. The distinct and direct visual imagery of a fat nose on thick legs conveys the absurdist view that a twisted society makes on its own people which in reality, is the actual society that one lives in. The speaker realizes that this unrealistic assumption that beauty is only found in perfectly fit bodies such as Barbie only brings

harm to young girls. Everybody is born differently and not everybody will look like Barbie and one should not even care to try to look the Barbie. 6) (12) She was advised to play coy By stanza three, the girl has grown older and now begins to face pressures about how she should act. Now, not only is she taught how she should look, but taught what an ideal girl should do. One of the main traits is to play coy or act shy. According to society, girls are supposed to be modest and timid, just let the boys approach them and listen to what they are supposed to do. The phrase connotes a flirty tone, as if she is taught to lead boys on. Already there is an imbalance and double standard towards women that the speaker is trying to express. Girls are encouraged to be shy and playfully reluctant but are blamed when boys attempt to have sexual encounters with them. They are taught and shunned for their actions, a hypocrisy that the speaker points out about the adult values of the world. As pointed out in the second stanza, this girl has superb abilities in intelligence, strength and health but she is told to restrain those talents and instead be someone she is not. She need to play coy and exercise in order to be pretty and accepted by society. The Barbie dolls not only have an unrealistic picture for the female body, their personalities also represent societys ideal portrayal of women. All Barbie does is try to act pretty, do supposed women work and act playful. These shallow traits are a product of a materialistic society that the speaker warns are detrimental to the livelihood of young girls. 7) (15-16) Her good nature wore out like a fan belt The acting and unnatural performance of the girl is taking her to the breaking point. Fan belts are flexible rubber belts connecting engine parts in most vehicles that are vital to their performance. The simile in this line makes one imagine the sputtering and breaking of a fan belt, forcing a car to stop in the middle of the road. Her good nature refers to the good acting of the way she is supposed to act yet it is ironic to call it nature because it is not truly how she is, contrary to her actual nature. By comparing the girl to that of a car, one can see her mind breaking down like a fan belt because she is running her engine against how it should be run; her good nature is not natural, forcing the fan belt to break faster and easier. Barbie represents that good nature that society wants to instill on young girls yet this nature is impossible for most girls, forcing them to wear out their fan belts much quicker than it should. Barbie affects girls internally, making them act in accordance to societys sexist standards, creating an artificial childhood filled with discomfort and grief. 8) (Line 17-18) So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up Sick of her lifestyle, the girl finally succumbs to her unnatural standard of living and commits suicide. She decides to rid the problems that have caused her the pain in the first place, her nose and her legs. This gruesome imagery reveals the nonsense that society tries to do to girls who do not fit the norm. Although her fellow classmates and peers do

not directly encourage the girl to kill herself, they make the girl seem like no matter what she did, she could never match the acceptance of society. With Barbie dolls, they can be broken to different body parts and matched to fit other dolls. This seems to ironically relate to how the girl cuts off her body parts in order to meet the standards she is trying to meet. By offer*ing+ them up, the speaker seems to allude to the idea of worship and sacrifice that Old Testament Israelites had to accomplish to cleanse themselves of sin. By contrast though, her forgiveness is death, to be away from all the judgments of the world. 9) (21) A turned-up putty nose At the girls open casket funeral, the undertaker has beautified her body and even made a turned-up putty nose to replace the one she had just cut off. The turned-up putty nose evokes images of handmade, play dough like creations that are paired with dolls or a part of a larger play dough creation. Even after death, the girl still cannot escape the clutches of societys attempt to make her right. Even at death, the girl does not look attractive or inviting, therefore they have to manifest her to a figure right for display. Here, one can see connections to Barbie and dolls as the girl is transformed to a doll, painted on with an added nose to form the perfect girl everyone was looking for. Ironically, the thing that she was trying to escape from, those unnatural criteria that society wants, is what the girl ends up looking as in the casket. The visual imagery of her in the casket creates an ominous, uncomfortable tone that reveals the ridiculousness of the expectations that society bestows on girls. The speaker notes the dramatic irony that the same people who deemed the girl wrong are the ones fixing her up at the casket and feeling sympathy for the poor girl. They do not understand that they are the sole cause of her death, and they keep making the same mistakes over and over again. 10) (19) In the casket displayed on satin she lay The disfigurement of her nose and legs have killed the girl as the reader sees her lying in a casket. This image evokes a sight of beauty and tranquility. Satin is a beautiful silk and creates a sense of awe in whatever is laid on it. The speakers sarcastic tone is prevalent here as she creates image of subjective beauty in a tranquil and somber setting. The girl is paired with the pretty satin that compares to societys persistent grasp on its idea of beauty. Even after death, the girl is still being made and transformed into something she is not. Just like how Barbie is meant to be displayed on shelves and houses, the girl is displayed on the casket, making her like a doll. The dolls that she was given to play with at the first stanza are now her, just another toy to other humans to play with. She is an object that society treats and alters to fit the ideal looking girl that is comfortable to look at from the audience. The girl becomes the Barbie in the title, a human reduced to a dolllike being, deprived of the humanity and freedom it so utterly deserved.