Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy Essay Example for Free

Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy Essay The poem, Barbie Doll, is about a girl who was growing up in a society which regard highly of female beauty. The title illustrates that most females were expected to be like Barbie dolls. These dolls cast pressure on the girl to be like supermodel. In this story, the girl failed to meet the standards of society and viewed as a social outcast.The first paragraph describes a growing girl who was presented with dolls, miniature GE stoves, irons and lipsticks. This will ensure that the girl will know which gender roles she should be and not too deviate from the accepted social custom. The mood of the poem changes when the author describes, the magic of puberty. Here, it refers to a time of emotional crisis that the girl went through as she matures. She is constantly teased for not looking like the typical Barbie dolls. The second paragraph began with mentioning the girls positive aspects, such as She was healthy, tested intelligent, possesses strong arms and back and abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity, These sentences portray the girl image (female) to male characteristics. The tome in the poem changes again when the author stated, the girl went to and fro apologizing, and everyone still say she had a fat nose and thick legs, the society again, scorn at the ugly appearance of the girl. In the third paragraph, line twelve to sixteen, the girl is expected to fake her natural behavior, emotion and characteristics. The fan belt was used to exemplify that one cannot endure the pressure placed by society to meet their standards and will wear out eventually. Consequently, she cut off her nose and legs. Therefore, the last paragraph expressed her death as consummation at last. Dont she look pretty? Everyone said. In this line, the author wants the reader to make good judgment to the senseless situation in which society judge beauty to female. I think that children, especially boys, are not born with hatred or feelings of enmity towards female who have physical figures below social standards. They are all programmed that way by selfish or ignorant male adults. If these male adults can only take a look at themselves and see that all they have done is to destroy. The lives of their opposite sex, driving down their  self-esteem to the deepest pit, then this society will be a better place to live in.

This Life Time Has 42048000 Minutes :: essays research papers

Listen up soldiers, we have a crisis on our hands. A silent army has been built up over hundreds of years and is the most deadly enemy we have ever had to face. This enemy you people have known since the day you were brought into this world. You are face to face with this enemy every day, unknowing that every step you take, every move you make, and every decision you face is contributing somehow to this army’s strength. In case you haven’t noticed yet, ladies and gentlemen, this enemy is ourselves. Slowly and surely we are destroying animals, ourselves and most importantly the only planet we have, Earth. You have probably all heard this speech a thousand times before, and well if this has to be the 1001 before we get off our lazy, self-destructing asses and do something to fix it, so be it! I admit I’m no better than the rest of you at the simple things in everyday life that are destroying this planet, but the whole issue pisses me off. Our whole existence revolves around money, and our personal benefit. We have forgotten how to do things for others, how to help the planet and, in turn, how to benefit the species. The fact is simple people, we’re killing ourselves. Many, however, don’t notice it. They believe what they’re doing is either beneficial, or that they are too small to do anything about it. Well most of them are right, most of us fall under some sort of higher power, which means that the root of the problems are mainly the governments. Don’t think that this is leading into one of those x-filesy, conspiracy theory type lectures, however if you’d like to call it that, I wont be one to judge. I do believe the governments know how to prevent and stop much of the problems in our world today. For example, it’s a widely known fact that we have the technology to use water instead of gas for cars, but the government wont allow production because they get money off gas, and to them it’s more important than a clean environment, more important than contaminating the water, or killing off animals because of the pollution even when the money they ge t from the gas ends up being put back into trying to control these problems anyway. And who was the guy who thought that burning fossil fuels would be a good source of energy anyway?

Older and younger generations Essay

Describe and explain the different responses of the characters to the Inspector’s visit; and explore Priestley’s reasons for showing a difference between the older and younger generations  The characters respond to the Inspector’s news in very different ways. You get the impression that Arthur Birling doesn’t care about the situation that has occurred with Eva Smith.  Ã¢â‚¬ËœAnd I don’t see where I come into this.’ This suggests that he thinks that he cannot do wrong but we find out that he is the one that sacked Eva Smith for wanting a pay rise. This started the sequence of events that led to her eventual death. Arthur Birling is moved to anger. He implies that he is a friend of the Chief Constable Colonel Roberts and that the Inspector cannot talk to him in such a way. He considers the talk as ‘uncalled for and officious’. Arthur tries to belittle the Inspector and is very hostile towards him. He reacts like this because he doesn’t want to ruin his reputation and blames the Inspector for the interruption of the celebration of Sheila and Gerald’s engagement. Arthur’s social position makes him react as he does. He thinks that he is superior and only looks after himself. Birling is presented to us as a character that thinks he is right and won’t be tolerant Birling’s daughter Sheila on the other hand is co-operative with the Inspector. She notes that no one told him anything that he did not already know. She is moved to tears of shock and guilt: the Inspector is successful in making her see the consequences of her actions. When she realises that she is the person that got Eva Smith sacked she thinks that she is responsible for her death. Sheila is more supportive to the enquiry. This shows that she is understanding and shows that she cares about the whole Eva Smith situation, unlike her father Mr Birling. Here we can start to see the different attitude that the younger and older characters play. Arthur Birling keeps insisting that Sheila should not be brought into this matter. Mrs Birling says to Sheila ‘I think you ought to go to bed’. She is trying to control Sheila and treats her like a child. Mrs Birling thinks that she is superior ‘Girls of that class -‘it is as though she is looking down on the girls. Regardless of the fact that Gerald, Mr Birling and Mrs Birling try to protect Sheila; she is the one that can actually face the truth. When the Inspector says that Eva Smith was also known as Daisy Renton, Gerald tries to hide his reaction because he played a part in Daisy Renton’s life. He is distressed by his realisation in Eva Smith’s/Daisy Renton’s life and death. Sheila tells him to tell the Inspector, implying that the Inspector knows the truth already. Gerald asks Sheila to leave the room because he doesn’t want to expose any more unpleasantness. Gerald tries to justify that he is a hero when he says:  Ã¢â‚¬ËœI became at once the most important person in her life†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã‚  whereas he is also anxious that he has a shameful link to Eva Smith’s death. Mrs Birling remains entirely untouched by the Inspector’s questioning.  Ã¢â‚¬ËœI did nothing that I’m ashamed of or that won’t bear investigation.’  She feels no shame because she refuses to see how Eva Smith’s death can have followed as a consequence of her actions. Mrs Birling believes that a working class girl deserves all that she gets. She reveals her assumptions about people ‘make sure that he’s compelled to confess in public his responsibility’. She thinks this is the right thing to do but at the end she doesn’t do the right thing.  When the inspector confronts Eric, he reacts similarly to his sister, realising that he has done wrong. Eric is a complicated character. At the start of the play he is really immature. He believes that women are just there to be sexually used. When he gets Eva pregnant he tries to do the decent thing by giving her money. He steals the money from Birling’s office.

Repressive Society in Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut...

The story â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† by Kurt Vonnegut is120 years in the future, which allows us to more easily accept some of the bizarre events that happen in the story such as when the character Harrison Bergeron is dancing with a ballerina and there is no law of gravity and motion, so they can almost touch the studio ceiling which is thirty feet high. The author emphasizes in his work themes such as freedom, mind manipulation, the American dream, and media influence, also the opposition between strength and weakness and knowledge and ignorance. The story illustrates that being equal to one another is not always the best way to live because everyone is different for a reason. Also, this is what makes everyone special in your particular way.†¦show more content†¦The author wants to get our attention to the major differences from the present world to Harrison Bergeron’s world and examine the notable similarities in both as well. The opposition of knowledge and p ower versus suppression and ignorance are used by the author to satirize the society because who has the knowledge also, has the power. The more knowledge the government has and does not share it with the population, the easier is to control people and their minds. For example when Hazel watches her son die on television after performing a beautiful dance that theoretically could have brought about radical change, and instead of gaining even an ounce of understanding, she ends where she begun. When George asked her why she had tears in her eyes, her memory had already failed her, but she takes his advice to simply forget sad things, commenting that she always does. Equality can be interpreted in many ways, as we can see throughout the history such as racial, gender, and socio-economic equality. The Civil Rights emphasize that everybody should be treated equally and another view is the one represented in the story that everybody is equal. It is a completely out of reality to have a perfect society or no competition at all because how we could make advancements if the government was allowed to impose handicaps on the naturally gifted. The great thinkers would not be able to have new ideas because of the mentalShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. s Harrison Bergeron1500 Words   |  6 Pagesothers, as we make choices in an effort to satisfy others and ourselves. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† offers a dark insight into an idealistic utopia, and the consequences of a ruthlessly equitable society. Although equality provides a beneficial component to a desirable society, forcing it upon society would ultimately b e at the expense of individuality. Initially, Harrison Bergeron is physically constrained by society, however through his willful arrogance and determination to gain controlRead MoreJames BaldwinS Sonnys Blues713 Words   |  3 PagesSonnys Blues, and in Kurt Vonnegut Jr.s short story Harrison Bergeron, are the title characters of each respective work. They both embody conceptions of youth within each story Sonny as the younger brother of the nameless narrator in Baldwins tale, and Bergeron as the son of the George and Hazel Bergeron. In their own way, each is antisocial and engage in practices that are disapproved of by their societies. Sonny is struggling with a heroin addiction/habit, while Harrison has plans to overthrowRead MoreRelationship Between V for Vendetta and Harrison Bergeron1752 Words   |  8 PagesAccording to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dystopia is defined as the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being  utopian. Dystopian societies feature different kinds of repressive social control methods and various forms of active and passive intimidation. Works about dystopian societies often explore the concept of humans neglecting technology and humans individually and collectively trying to manage or not being able to properly manage with technologyRead MoreA Dystopia Is Not A Contemporary Idea2159 Words   |  9 PagesA dystopia is an unpleasant and repressive society which usually has the intent to make equality an opportunity for all. 1984 and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† are two examples of dystopia literature. In each, technological advances and psychological stimuli is designed to overwhelm an individuals thought. Based upon these pieces of literature, is it possible for a utopia exist? For clarification purposes, there are some definitions to keep in mind when reading this essay. The dictionary defines a utopia

Comparison of Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from...

One of the greatest speakers for the black civil rights movement was Martin Luther King, Jr. Two of his pieces that stand out the most, was the â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail† and â€Å"I Have a Dream†. The Letter From Birmingham Jail is exactly that, it’s a letter that King had wrote while he was in jail, to a group of clergy members who disapproved of his action in Birmingham City. I Have a Dream was speech that was delivered in Washington, DC at Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. This speech was written to inspire people to look beyond themselves and also demanded the country unity focusing on equality for all without focusing on the color of their skin; King also wanted the people to take a stand in a nonviolence manner. The Letter from†¦show more content†¦There are also repetition in both pieces, in I Have a Dream, he uses I have a dream, let freedom ring, insufficient funds, and more. But in the Letter from Birmingham Jail, he uses the words when and extremist. A difference is the tone, other rhetorical appeals and the meaning of the two pieces. In the speech â€Å"I Have a Dream†, there are obviously logos, pathos, and ethos, but there are also parallelisms, metaphors, personification, symbolisms, and repetition. King uses personification when he says, â€Å"It is obvious today that America had defaulted on this promissory not insofar as her citizens of color are concerned†¦,† King is using American society as a person who has been done wrong. But also in the quote he uses metaphor and symbolism by saying, â€Å"†¦sacred obligation, America has given its colored people a bad check, a check that has come back marked â€Å"insufficient fund.† â€Å"†¦.the bank of justice is bankrupt... insufficient funds in the great value of opportunity of this nation.† what King is trying to say is that America had given promises to the America Americans, but the promises are empty. Another metaphor in I Have a Dream is, â€Å"In a sense we have come to our Nation’s capital to cash a check†. â€Å"Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Caroline, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this

William Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream - 904 Words

The woods in many forms of media is portrayed as a place of enchantment, mystery and horror. Often a common place characters become lost within, or use as an escape from the binds of society. In A Midsummer Night s Dream, the scenes that take place in the woods are full of enchantment and mystery, but Shakespeare also uses the word wood in several very unique and distinct ways. The term is associated with several meanings and Shakespeare uses these differently throughout the play. The purpose of this essay is not to focus on the wood as a setting in the play, but how Shakespeare plays with the various meanings of word wood and in turn connects those meanings with the setting. As mentioned, the word wood has many meanings but I will be focusing mainly on the Oxford English definitions associated with insanity, enclosure, and violence. During Shakespeare s time the word wood could have meant a variety of things ranging from a simple grouping of trees, to much deeper meanings involving insanity, collectiveness, violence and beasts (OED). In A Midsummer Night s Dream Shakespeare seems to use some of the various meanings to influence the actions of his characters. Some experience fury and insanity, some simply seek refuge and community, while others are actually turned into beasts, all of which only occur in the wood. Not only are the characters actions within the wood influenced by Shakespeare s understanding of the word, but the setting itself is very fitting in that itShow MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1339 Words   |  6 PagesHonors For A Midsummer Night s Dream By William Shakespeare 1. Title of the book - The title of the book is called A Midsummer Night s Dream by William Shakespeare. 2. Author s name - The author of the book A Midsummer Night s Dream is William Shakespeare. 3. The year the piece was written - A Midsummer Night s Dream by William Shakespeare was believed to have been written between 1590-1596. 4. Major Characters - There are three major characters in the book A Midsummer Night s Dream by WilliamRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1474 Words   |  6 Pagesinstance, one could look at the movies A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Shakespeare in Love. The latter follows the life of William Shakespeare himself, everything from his love affair with Viola de Lesseps to his creation of Romeo and Juliet. A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is one of the most famous plays of Shakespeare’s, revolving around the tumultuous relationships of four lovers, aided, and sometimes thwarted by the mischief of fairies. Although Shakespeare in Love outlines a few of the characteristicsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1548 Words   |  7 Pagesspoken by Helena in Act 1 Scene 1 line 234, explains that it matters not what the eyes see but what the mind thinks it sees. In the play, A Midsummer Night s Dream, written by William Shakespeare, there are several instances where the act of seeing is being portrayed. The definition of vision is the ability to see, something you imagine or something you dream. This proves that even though one has the ability to see; the mind tends to interfere and sometimes presents a different picture. VariousRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream867 Words   |  4 Pagesspecifically how they will benefit that other person, you’re in love.† In A Midsummer Night s Dream, William Shakespeare intertwined each individual characters. Through the concept of true love and presented to the audiences a twisted yet romantic love story. The love stories of Renaissance are richly colorful, so Shakespeare used multiple literary techniques to present to the readers a vivid image of true love. Shakespeare applied metaphor in the lines of Lysander. In Act 1, scene 1, Lysander saysRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream990 Words   |  4 PagesSymbols in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream Symbols help to play an important part in giving a deeper meaning to a story. William Shakespeare uses a variety of symbols in his play A Midsummer Night’s Dream and by using these symbols he offers some insight onto why certain events take place in the play. Symbols are sometimes hard to decipher but as the reader continues to read the symbol’s meaning might become more clear. Shakespeare uses a variety of symbols in A Midsummer Night’s DreamRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1397 Words   |  6 PagesShakespeare’s comedies, like those of most Renaissance playwrights, involve love and its obstacles. Much of the comedy in A Midsummer Night’s Dream derives from the attempt of Lysander and Hermia to remain together while overcoming the adult authority figure who attempts to hinder the love of a young couple. The overcoming of an obstacle functions as a common motif in Renaissance comedy. The audience must wonder, however, whether Lysander and Hermia, as well as Demetrius and Helena, actually loveRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1207 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been categorized as a comedy play because of all the characters being passionately in love to the point of being foolish. It’s a play all about love, and the characters that are in love are only young adults, so they are still naive when it comes to love. Their naivety and foolishness regarding love is what allows them to be taken advantage of by mischievous fairies when they all run away into the woods. By critiquing the love affairs and numerousRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream By William Shakespeare1882 Words   |  8 PagesWritten during the Elizabethan era where gender roles played an important part in society and relationships, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare portrays the interaction between both sexes, and the women’s respo nse to the expectation of such norms. Although the characters: Hippolyta, Hermia, Helena, and Titania, are portrayed as objects (both sexual and material) contingent upon their male lovers, they are also given empowerment. During the Elizabethan Era, and present throughout MNDRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1277 Words   |  6 Pagestogether. Nor will love ever be a controllable compulsion. Maybe we are fools for going into the perilous, eccentric universe of love; yet what fun would life be without it? William Shakespeare s play A Midsummer Night s Dream investigates the unconventional, unreasonable and unpredictable nature of love during his time. Shakespeare conveys this through the main plot of the play, which is composed of the relationships between three couples. The three couples show examples of three different types ofRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1442 Words   |  6 Pages William Shakespeare is estimated to have lived from 1564 to about 1616. He is often recognized as great English poet, actor, and playwright, and paved the way for many on all of those categories. Over that span he wrote many pieces that are still relevant today such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Macbeth. I would like to take a deeper look into one on his pieces â€Å"A Midsummers Night’s Dream.† This piece is estimated to have first been preformed in about 1595 and then later published in 1600. Many

Female and Camille Paglia Men Free Essays

In the article Rape: A Bigger Danger than Feminists Know by Camille Paglia talks about how rape cannot be tolerated in a society and how feminism has put young women in danger by hiding the truth about sex from them. Although rape has been a problem for women for a long time, there was a time where the penalty for rape was death. However in the article Rape: A Bigger Danger than Feminist Know by Camille Paglia states â€Å"In our cities, on our campuses far from home, young women are vulnerable and defenseless†. We will write a custom essay sample on Female and Camille Paglia Men or any similar topic only for you Order Now Camille Paglia insists that feminism states that both sexes are equal nd tells women they can act, and dress any way they want. However Camille Paglia argues â€Å"No, they can’t and women will always be in sexual danger† (Camille Paglia, pg 40). As we will all know there are sexual differences that are based in biology, but according to academic feminism men and women are equal. Although Camille Paglia states that academic feminism is lost in a fog of social constructionism. She believes that college man are their hormonal peak and that a drunk girl at a part with them is setting herself for failure and will possibly be raped. According to Camille Paglia men and women are different because for example one of Camille Paglia make students recently slept overnight at a Great Pyramid in Egypt. The student described the moon, and sand, etc. Camille Paglia points out that because she is a woman, she would never get to experience that because it is to dangerous. Camille Paglia can possibly get robed, raped, murdered, and many other possible horrible things. Camille Paglia goes on to talk about how sexual desire and arousal cannot be fully translated into verbal terms. She believed that sometimes men and women tend to misunderstand each other. For example sometimes when a male and a female are alone and they kiss, the female might just want to kiss and the male may misunderstand that thinking that she wants to have sex. These types of situation sometimes lead to rape unfortunately. According to Camille Paglia rape is a big danger and woman need to know the precautions the can take to be safer. Camille Paglia makes it clear for woman not to blow off a vulgar remark directed towards them. Camille Paglia stated that if a male student makes a vulgar remark about a female students breast, that the female student should deal with it on the spot Camille Paglia states to respond with the situation by saying â€Å"Shut up, you jerk! † She believes this is the best way to deal with it instead of running to your mom and dad or some campus grievance committee. Camille Paglia believes that female students that stick up for themselves are the students that are harassed less often. Currently there are many rapes that happen all over the world, however according o Camille Paglia there are two solutions. Camille Paglia claims that female self- awareness and self-control. Basically for example a woman’s number-one line of defense against rape is herself. If females educate themselves to help avoid, bad situations leading to rape, this will in turn reduce the percentage of rapes. She believes reporting rapes to College Committees would do a woman injustice. Camille Pagli a explains that woman should report their rapes to the police instead of College committees who are not equipped or trained How to cite Female and Camille Paglia Men, Essay examples