Barbie Doll

"Barbie Doll"
Marge Piercy

This is probably the weirdest piece we're reading in this unit.  The questions in the book were interesting, so I'll focus on some of them.  She is different from a barbie doll in that she changes through the "magic of puberty" (Piercy, line 5).  She also has a big nose and fat legs, which is nothing like the image of a usual barbie.  She is also healthy, intelligent and strong, which demonstrate her deviation from the stereotypical barbie-like woman.  The bittersweet ending proves her having accomplished looking so pretty, but she never got to appreciate it while alive.  No one could see past her imperfections when she was younger, but they all claimed her to be so pretty after she had passed away.  The third question is also interesting--I think the author used those phrases to prove her willingness to persevere and change herself.
The structure is also important because it does not really follow a set pattern for poetry.  There are three stanzas, and each one is longer than the previous one.  This adds to the depth of the barbie doll character in that she changed and adapted as she grew.