Examples Of Connotation In Barbie Doll

In Marge Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll,” a narrator tells the story of a young girl and her struggles to accept herself as she succumbs to bullying. In the poem, there are many examples of literary devices. Among the literary devices, denotation and connotation are used often. Denotation, or a literal meaning of a word or phrase is exemplified in the line “she was healthy, tested intelligent” (line 7). This line truly has only one meaning and the words can be taken in a literal context. The line is stating that the girl in the poem was smart and healthy and it’s very difficult to read any more into the line. Connotation is another literary device used in the poem. The lines “So she cut off her nose and her legs/ And offered them up” (lines 17 and 18) are good examples of connotation because the lines could be interpreted in multiple ways. While some may think of cosmetic procedures, others can view these lines as a
Piercy uses descriptive language to portray a picture of the story and the girl included in it. The line “wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (line 4) helps paint a picture in the reader’s mind as they begin to form the scenes of the story. Describing the size and color of the lipstick gives the lipstick a life-like form in the mind. Another line that portrays a scene is the line “Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs” (line 11) which ultimately sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The description of the girl’s “flaws” helped show the reader what the girl believed to be wrong with herself. “In the casket displayed on satin she lay/ With the undertaker's cosmetics painted on”(lines 19 and 20) are two of the most striking lines of the end of the poem. These lines vividly create the scene that the girl’s friends and family must have seen after her death. While the word choice seems simple, it portrays a large turn in the story that the reader can understand and