Analysis of "Barbie Doll" (SSR)

Throughout her poem "Barbie Doll", Marge Piercy narrates the life of a "girlchild." A "girlchild" who was born perfect, grew up the proper way, and had all of the toys and whistles associated with being a female child. The child grew up healthy, intelligent, strong, and mature, but when she hit puberty she got picked on for having a fat nose and thick thighs. This was a all the "girlchild's" classmates saw and they continued pointing out her flaws, so one she decided to cut off her thighs and her nose because she was tired of being picked on. As a result, the "girlchild" passed away, and while in the casket the mortician made a putty nose for her, so others would be able to stare at her. The people who viewed her at this kept saying how pretty she looked, with the sculpted, better shaped nose. Because of these compliments and a better nose after death, the "girlchild" had a happy ending. Through this explanation, Piercy is able to bring together the absurd actions that females will do in order to fit in and to become something they are not. The purpose of Piercy's poem is to get the audience thinking about the unrealistic standards they set in society for women. This poem identifies the constant anxieties that come along with puberty and self-image in a world that demands so much of everyone, especially women. Piercy specifically uses the structure of her poem and imagery to portray the message that society is not always accepting of people who do not represent a "Barbie Doll."

Piercy uses the structure of her poem to help portray her message through a story. This is a free verse poem and has no rhyme scheme, but is split into four stanzas with each stanza representing a different part of the "girlchilds" life. The first stanza sets the scene by describing Barbie accessories, such as "miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy," and by also describing how the girl was just a normal girl. The girl was born as usual and grew up just like everybody else until she his puberty. The last line in the stanza serves as the transition from a young and happy girl to a girl who is being bullied by society for her imperfections. The second stanza then goes on to explains that she is a perfectly healthy, strong, and intelligent girl on the inside, but on the outside the girl is not excepted by society, even though she is perfectly healthy. The girl is not accepted by society and her classmates because she has a fat nose and thick thighs. The third stanza shows how society is forcing this perfectly healthy girl into unhealthy habits. The girl "was advised to play coy" and to "exercise, diet, smile and wheedle" just to change the way she looks. Although she did not have to change, the pressure from the people around her were forcing this change upon her. At the end of the stanza, the girl pays the ultimate price to be accepted into society. The price she paid was cutting off her nose and her legs. She could not live with herself anymore and the pressure to be something that she wasn't. The last and final stanza serves as a conclusion, or ending, where Piercy shows the main theme of the poem: the only way society can accept the girl is if she is perfect. This girl was self-conscious when it came to her body. She was unable to decide the shape of her nose and the size of her thighs, but this was something she had to live with. Her peers and the world around her was forcing a change on her that was unrealistic her somebody of her character. This "girlchild" was unable of portraying the "ideal woman" of the time and unfortunately that was not something society was able to accept at the time. By using this story to portray her message, Piercy is able to challenge her audience members to think about the standards for all people in society today and to think about the so-called standards are healthy and reasonable.

Another device Piercy uses to portray her message is imagery. The imagery used in this poem is very dominant because Piercy uses very strong, and descriptive, words and sentences. For example, the words she uses in the first couple lines, "and presented dolls that did pee-pee/ and miniature GE stoves and irons/ and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy." It is easy for one to imagine the little Barbie accessories that children play with. Most people can relate to the little houses, the Barbie cars, and all of the clothes, that attract younger kids to the dolls allowing for an immediate image to be presented into the audience member's mind. Piercy also uses great imagery to show the "girlchild's" experiences with great detail. The girl is described as possessing strong arms and a strong back indicating that she is healthy. The details that the girl had a fat nose and thick thighs are unfortunately shared, but this is to show that she was not perfect. She was not perfect, but she let society control her mind and who she was resulting in the girl suffering the ultimate price: death. The death and the funeral are described with phrases such as "In the casket on satin she lay," "cosmetics painted on," "putty nose," and "dressed in a pink and white nightie." These details help the audience put an image to the girl looked like at her funeral. Yes, these are gruesome and morbid details, but through them Piercy is able to portray her theme. With the phrases, “Doesn’t she look pretty? everyone said./
Consummation at last.
/To every woman a happy ending.” Piercy is able to show that society is finally accepting her because she has been made over, even though it is not truly herself. This, however, is not the way things should be. Women are a huge part of society, and without them society would not function. Women-in fact, all people-need to be accepted for who they are. When everyone is accepted, healthy standards are set and people are able to carry on. Not everyone is going to represent a "Barbie," and society needs to be more accepting of this truth.

Piercy effectively used these two devices together to portray her message. The words chosen, the descriptions used, and the comparison to a Barbie Doll, allowed for the audience to truly realize the harm they can do by setting "standards" for women to follow. Piercy wanted women to be more than just people who sat around brushing their hair, painting their nails, and playing the perfect person. In order to do this though, they need to break away from society, accept themselves, and make something of themselves. Piercy was able to effectively portray this message throughout her poem "Barbie Doll."

Who would have thought? (SSR)

While coming up with an article for this argumentative post, I had to do a lot of thinking and searching to come up with the right article and the right reasons to support the article. Today, I came across an article on NPR title "For A Resume, Type Font Matters." Before coming across this and reading into it, I never really would have put much thought into why font matters, not just on resumes. I do to think about the fonts I use, when I use them, and how I use them before coming up with reasons to argue for why font matters. This article from NPR mainly discusses fonts on a resume and says that the typeface, or font, one uses can say a lot about them. The author, Emma Bowman, even has a very shocking quote by a person with the name Bloomberg that say, "Using Times New Roman is the typeface equivalent of wearing sweatpants to an interview." This appalled me because, as students, we are taught that using Times New Roman is the only way to go. If we dare use something else on our papers and go against the MLA guidelines we get points taken off of our paper. Times New Roman is supposed to be professional and sophisticated, but according to Bloomberg that font is quite the opposite. Another man, Brian Hoff, who was quoted in the article says when doing a resume Helvitca is a good option because it is "professional, lighthearted, and honest." The article continues on discussing certain fonts, whether they are appropriate or not, and what the fonts are associated with.



                          

       Disney

                             
After a lot of thinking, I came up with a few reasons as to why the font one chooses to use is so important. One reason font is so important is that each font carries its own personality in a sense. Font, along with colors, images, and products, appeals to the visual image of something. As humans, we are drawn to pictures and bold colors. We like when something pops and pulls us in, and that is what a font does. The font is just as important as the colors and images that go into an advertisement or product. A font helps to identify what it is associated with. Think of the font used for the Disney logos. When one sees that font, they will most likely smile, become filled with warmth and enjoyment, and think Disney because nothing else has that font. The font is Disney and is Disney's logo. If Disney used a font such as Times New Roman, it would not be nearly as appealing. Times New Roman is seen very often because it is considered to be professional. The font is in books, newspapers, magazines, and so many other places that it is just there. People think nothing of the font when they pick something up because they are so used to seeing the same style over and over again. The Disney logo would be boring, bland, and overlooked if Times New Roman was used because each font invokes a different feeling. The font one chooses to use carries its own personalities and feelings, which can be proven with the font Disney uses and the typical, boring, overused font, Times New Roman.

Another reason font is so important and changes, just like the resume font is changing, is because the times are changing. Whether you think so or not, the times and the way our society lives effects everything, even the font we use. Think of the font as fashion because the article even compares the font Times New Roman to sweatpants. The clothes we wear are changing from year to year. New styles are coming in, existing fashions are leaving, and some are staying around. Go back to the early 2000s when flared jeans, chokers, and camouflage were the must haves that every female needed in her closet. Today, however, one would not be seen wearing those clothes. Instead the females are walking around today wearing kimonos, overalls, bold colors, and abstract prints. Over the last 15 years, the fashion styles have changed dramatically, just like the fonts have. The article says Times New Roman has a "tired reputation" just like the chokers did; therefore, a change is needed. Times New Roman was the font to use in years past, but businesses are changing and the people who run the businesses in our world are changing. Nobody is the typical CEO or businessman anymore, and so many new businesses and products are coming out that tradition is not the way to go anymore. Since fonts are changing, and newer fonts are being considered more acceptable on resumes and other writings, people are able to explore the realm of fonts and find something that fits them. They can find a font that matches their personality and use it, if it still offers a somewhat professional and sophisticated approach. The font one uses is important, but it opens one up and introduces themselves to the person reading their paper or, in this case, resume. The font carries a certain feeling, and can express what type of person the person who uses that font is. Fonts, just like fashion trends, prove that change is okay.

A final reason that font matters is that it can attract people in a certain way. As briefly discussed already, we as humans like something that is visually appealing; therefore, certain fonts can attract a bigger audience because they catch people's eyes. When kids go to a book store they are not going to pick up a book that has something written in Times New Roman font on it. They are going to go to the book that has the most ridiculous font style on it because that is what they like. By being daring and bold, people can attract a broader audience with their works. This could relate to an author who writes children's book, or a person who chooses a different font when typing their resume. The author can appeal to more kids and have a number one selling book, or the person can appeal to more companies and have a chance at getting a job at multiple places. I do not think anybody has ever put this much thought into the font they use, but it definitely makes sense after you think about it for a while. The font one chooses to use matters more than they could possibly imagine.

"Best in Class" Reaction (CRR)

Well, as a class we were supposed to read and discuss "Best in Class" by Margaret Talbot, but things changed and we ended up not discussing. I, however, having OCD and the need to get things done, read the essay over the weekend prior to the week we were supposed to do discuss it, so I would have it complete. Even though we did not read it in class, I am glad that I had read it on my own.

For those of you that did not read "Best in Class" by Talbot, you should take the time to do so because the essay focuses on a controversial issue that many of us and our friends may have to face. This issue is valedictorian. In her essay, Talbot reflects on the topic and emphasizes the amount of stress placed on students who are competing to be at the top of their class. The contest for valedictorian is more intense and more aggressive than it has ever been before. "At one time, it was obvious who the best students in a school were," but now with the changing curriculum and economy "the contenders for the valedictorian title, especially at large, top performing suburban high schools, are numerous and determined." Talbot's essay explains the lengths students will go to in order to earn the honor and title of valedictorian, and it also discusses whether or not schools should continue to have valedictorians and if they how many they should have.

Throughout her essay, Talbot uses many rhetorical devices, such as imagery and diction, to help convey the lengths students will go though to be valedictorian; however, the device that is most prominent throughout is exemplification. As a class, we never really point this out, but I do not think we have read an essay like Talbot's before where the entire thing consists of example after example. Talbot relies on her interviews and examples a lot because they illustrate how tough the competition is to be a valedictorian. The examples also show how far the students will go to earn that, as well. When Talbot uses the examples, she is also appealing to logos and drawing her audience in because of the real-life examples she uses.

Here is paragraph 19:

"I recently spoke to some students who had been involved in legal actions over the naming of a valedictorian, and they seemed to share a common attitude toward the experience. On the one hand, they shrugged off the importance of the honor—they had gone on to colleges where valedictorians were so plentiful that to have claimed bragging rights would have been seriously uncool. On the other hand, they could easily recall their high-school state of mind, and feel indignant all over again, utterly convinced that they had done the right thing. In 2003, Sarah Bird, a senior at Plano West Senior High School, in Plano, Texas, requested a hearing before the local school board. Another student, Jennifer Wu, had been named sole valedictorian, although her G.P.A. was virtually identical to Bird’s. Bird had played on the school’s basketball team. The sport was treated like a physical-education course by the school, and for several semesters she had been given unweighted A’s. This had put her at a disadvantage, Bird felt. The hearing, at which Bird’s lawyer asked that the two students be named co-valedictorians, involved some very close parsing. Brent William Bailey, Bird’s lawyer, told me, “Going in, the other girl had a G.P.A. of 4.46885 and Sarah had 4.46731—so that was a difference of .00154. Then the calculations were redone and Sarah came out with a G.P.A. of 4.47647.” The school board granted Bird’s request. “I was prepared to go ahead with a lawsuit if it hadn’t gone our way,” Bailey recalled. Wu, who expressed unhappiness over the decision to the Dallas Morning News, then requested a hearing of her own, to question the way the process was handled. Wu is now a sophomore at Harvard, where she is a pre-med student. We spoke just before finals, and she clearly had other things on her mind. “Nobody in college cares about your having been valedictorian,” she said. “My roommate had no idea I was valedictorian. It doesn’t come up, and I don’t think about it.” Still, when I asked Wu why she had complained to the school board, she said, “I wanted to make sure the school knew how traumatic something like this can be—thinking you’re competing under one set of rules, and having an expectation because of that, and then finding out you’re competing under another.”"

 

This paragraph is just one example used towards achieving the exemplification Talbot used. Throughout this paragraph there is also ethos and logos. The example serves as logos, but adds to the multiple examples used towards the exemplification. When Talbot says, "I recently spoke to some students who had been involved in legal actions over the naming of a valedictorian," not only is she establishing her ethos, but she also helping to show the lengths students have gone through to be valedictorian. By saying she spoke to students first-hand, she is establishing a trust with her audience. She has the knowledge and the proof that she got on her own to support her argument of how far students have gone to receive valedictorian. In this example, Talbot shares the story of Sarah Bird who pressed charges against the school board and was willing to go even further is she had not been given the title. This example, along with many others like throughout the essay prove Talbot's point.

 

What struck me the most about this essay though was that multiple students said that when they went to college, their valedictorian title did not matter. Nobody cared and nobody knew or even wanted to know whether they were valedictorian or not. I think the people, like Bird, who went to such extremes probably look back and feel embarrassed for going though all of the trouble that they went through; I know I felt a second-hand embarrassment for them. I also understand that valedictorian is a huge honor and a great title to receive, but I think that by pressing charges like that makes someone who is supposed to be so knowledgeable look bad. Plus, Bird went to Harvard and many of the students in the other examples also attended Ivy League schools, so whether they had the title or not they were still going to very prestigious, high-ranked colleges. All of the students in the examples went to on to medical school or law school where valedictorian did not matter and with that being said, I believe schools should get rid of the title all together. Once somebody is name valedictorian it is the end of the school year, and the students are already accepted to their desired school and have plans on attending it. The title is just the icing on the cake. Nobody cares once you graduate, so why does it matter if there is one anyways? I do not believe in the title, but I do believe in a college looking at a student based on rank in their class. That is something more personal and less controversial because it is not something being pointed to many.

 

Talbot's essay shows that being a valedictorian causes more harm than intended to students, parents, and school faculty because of the competitiveness amongst students. By eliminating valedictorian there would be less law suits and schools that operate more smoothly. Talbot even used examples to show some schools that have eliminated valedictorian. I think the examples used were excellent in helping to prove her point and can really get her audience thinking about the issue at hand. The examples showed that the problem occurred in the past, is still occurring today, and will continue to occur because people will never be satisfied. The students themselves said the title did not matter after graduation, so why does it have to matter at graduation?

 

Too much patience or not enough? (PB)

 

I find myself thinking a lot about the amount of patience I have for things that I encounter on a daily basis. People at school and homework? I have all the patience in the world for most of the time. My sister when I come home from school and have loads of homework to do? None. She manages to make me crazy and lose all possible patience that I have causing tension between us for the rest of the night.

With that being said, everything in life always seems to come back to having patience. Do you want a new shirt from your favorite store that you saw online, but the local store does not have it in yet? Well, be patient. The store will eventually get this shirt you are just dying to have. Are you waiting for someone to ask you to prom? Well, be patient because there is some guy out there who wants to ask you, but just has not been able to come up with the perfect way to yet (although he should hurry up because he is running out of time). Or have you just encountered one unfortunate event after another and are waiting for your life to turn around? Well, be patient because God works in funny ways and is just testing your patience with Him! As you can see, everything comes back to having patience.

As a person, and for those of you that know me, I like to know things. I am organized, I like to have a plan and follow it, I like to be on time to places, I like to know all of the possibilities before making a decision, but even then cannot make a decision on my own to save my life, but most importantly, I have patience and tolerance for a lot of things. When I have patience and comfort with my surroundings change is always difficult because I have to acquire patience for new things around me. Life is not able to be lived by always being patient and adaptable to your new surroundings because life does not work that way. It is physically impossible for us to control every aspect of our life with a plan and to live a perfect life, contrary to some people’s beliefs.

I am more than aware that I am a very compliant person. I like being a people pleaser and just going with the flow because I have the patience to do just about anything.  But instead of being patient and telling myself to do whatever others want, I need to learn to say the word “no”. When it comes to saying “no,” I over-analyze the situation I am put into and think about what would happen if I actually said “no” to a certain situation. But by never saying “no,” I let these thoughts hold me back from something I want to do. I need to learn to take consequences, deal with regrets, and accept failure in order to grow as an individual. I am not going to be able to go through life and do whatever everybody else wants to do all of the time because it does not work that way. Life throws change at you every chance it can get, that is just the way it works, and to continue living one needs to be more comfortable with change, while clinging to who they are as a person.

We are still in high school though, and this is where we can learn to let go and grow as individual. We need to become who we are and learn what qualities we have, such as a patience, and how we are going to use them later in life. The amount of patience I have gets pointed out by many, and it does not bother me because it makes me who I am, but I cannot always be as patient as I am and continue using that quality to be a people pleaser. That is what gets said to me by those who point out my patience, and they are right. In our lives right now, we need to find the balance between being patient and being able to say “no” because everything comes back to having patience.

It is not about whether you have patience or not, but rather how much patience you have.

Freebie!

Back from Beta! (PB)

I know this is long, but I promise it is worth the read!

As I am sure most of you know, the school's Senior Beta Club attended State Convention last week in Columbus, and for those of you that do not know, I ran and campaigned for a state office while there, but unfortunately did not win an office place. My friends and I, along with teachers and advisors, worked very hard to put a campaign together and to make the projects needed to go to Convention. I would like to share with you the experience I had while there because it was both a rewarding and very memorable experience.

What is Beta Convention you might ask? Beta Convention is held once a year at a site determined state sponsors to enforce the ideals of leadership, achievement, service, and character, and each Beta chapter throughout the state is invited to attend. (Fun fact: Only 18 states hold state-wide conventions and Ohio's happens to be one of the smallest!) Not all schools attend Convention, however, I highly encourage them to do so and wish they did. Convention only lasts two days, but trust me, two days is more than enough time.

We arrive on Wednesday and have the night to ourselves for the most part. As a group this year we went out and ate dinner and wandered around downtown for quite some time. Most of the activities do not begin until Thursday, and not too early either, which makes most of us happy. Throughout the day there are tests ranging in subjects from Spanish to Agriculture, oratory competitions, art competitions, and talent competitions that happen later at night. Needless to say, there is something for everybody there to participate in making it all the better. By having so many options, students are able to participate in something that they excel in and really have a chance to compete in. Two general sessions are help on Thursday where everybody attends and gathers together to listen to speakers share a story, or a lesson with the rest of it. The 2014-2015 Ohio State President gave a speech this year that really touched all of us emotionally, and the other speakers all presented speeches that were relatable to the rest of the audience making the experience interesting and memorable. To end the night on Thursday, an annual Beta dance gets help, which in my opinion, is ten times better than homecoming, and our very own Mr. Shanower and his brother DJ this because they come to run sound for the Convention. The main event that happened for me on Thursday though was campaigning.

I was so nervous about the campaigning part that I woke up at 4:30 in the morning un able to sleep. While my speech was running through my mind I was watching Shrek, some paid programming, and another show, but I am still not sure as to what it was called because I did not have my contacts in. After that and my friends woke, we all proceeded to get ready and to go to our events. I had a meeting at 10:00 to meet the other candidates, and later that day I had to present a speech, my friends had to deliver my campaign skit, and then I had a question and answer segment. I do not want to go into long detail about all of this because I want to get to the point I am trying to make, but the question and answer segment was rough! The other candidates and I were extremely nervous because we did not know any of the questions he could potentially be asked and the sponsors who are in charge of the Convention claimed they were "easy." Well, I disagree! The guy sitting next to me had to answer his question before me and his question was: If you could describe your life in one song, what would be? For only having 30 seconds that is difficult to come up with an answer to and thank goodness my question was slightly easier than that.

The part I would like to get to is my speech. I gave a speech on how we as humans lack empathy for others. In my speech I said things such as "we judge others based on appearance, occupation and attire" and "we judge others without knowing the unique details behind every person's own story." I do not think my speech necessarily appealed to all of the people in the room, particularly the students, but some of them did pay attention and really took in what I had to say. After the first general session was over (this was when I gave my speech), I was walking out flustered because I forgot some of my speech, ran low and basically out of time while giving it, and I said, "Uhm," twice during my speech. When I was walking out, however, moms from another school went out of their way to approach me, to thank me for what I said, and to say they appreciated what I stood up and said during my speech to that room of students. This made me smile and feel good inside because even though I thought I did a poor job, I really did make an impact on someone and there were people listening to me. This brought up my emotions and I was able to continue walking out of that room with a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. Later on though, I found out a student campaigning against me was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. This student was from the school that those moms who approached me were from. After putting two and two together, I briefly remembered those moms being sort of shaken up while they were talking to me, and I thought it was odd that they approached me, but now I understood why, and that me made feel even better inside. The student with the disease probably gets judged for the way he looks and speaks because it effects one's nervous system, one's function of the arms and legs, and one's facial appearances. Others probably judge this student without knowing he has Parkinson's and to be honest with you, I had not the slightest clue this student and fellow Beta of mine had the disease until I was told. Once I was told everything started to make sense and I had the greatest amount of empathy towards this person, and knowing that I spoke to that particular group of people was a victory in and of itself for me.

This experience was something I will always remember! I met new people, talked to people I never would have spoken to before, and learned the different stories of so many people around me. I do not regret one thing and would not want to change one thing because I went there and did what I was sent there to do. I encourage everybody to attend Convention at least once if they are able to, so that they can connect and experience the fulfillment that I did, but in there own way.

The Dreadful "S-Word" (PB)

Dare I say it? No, I probably shouldn't... but wait! Maybe you want to know what this word is that I'm talking about. Do you? I mean, it's nothing major, and it is not even a curse word, but still can have a negative meaning. Okay, I'm just going to say it. Sorry. See, I told you it was nothing to jump out of your seat over.

I probably say the word 'sorry' more than I should on a daily basis. In fact, I know I do, but I can't change that. I can try, but it never works. I say 'sorry' so much that parents tell me that the word has lost it's meaning to them when I say it to them, or anyone for that matter, because they know just how much I say the word. You might say 'sorry' a lot , too, without even realizing it, and what does the word mean to you? What does the word actually mean?

 

Well, after finding out the "S-Word's" actual meaning, I come to realize that when I say 'sorry' I don't actually feel distressed, or pitiful, or unhappy. I am not a really unhappy person, but I still use the word. I think women as a whole resort towards using the word 'sorry' to be courteous not because they actually are sorry for something. Women, I think, apologize more than men do because they feel inferior about their actions. We, and this could relate to everyone, also use the word to cover up a situation and to avoid a conflict. I use the word sorry when somebody runs into me as if it's my fault, I use the word when my mom and I both grab for the same sock while folding laundry, and I use the word when my mom forgets she left a pan of cookies in the oven because she got distracted doing something else. I am very good at apologizing for things that I haven't done, but I'll admit I'm not very good at apologizing for the things I have done, and I think this could relate to most people. I was taught how to properly use the word, but I have just let the word take over my life, in a way. Most people use the word to appease something or someone. We, and I know I am not the only one, use the word so much that it doesn't have the true meaning behind it anymore

 

The word 'sorry' has become a filler word in the English language. Because we use the word so much, it no longer has the heartfelt and sincere connotation that is supposed to accompany it. We don't need to apologize for every little thing like we do. You grab the same sock as your mom, fine. Let her have it and pick up another one. You didn't do anything wrong, so don't say you're sorry. Because we use the word so much, it doesn't mean anything when you actually want it to. Only use the word when you want to be sincere about something you have done or feel sorrowful for something that someone has gone through, such as a death of a loved one. The word means something and has value when you use it in the right context.

 

Use the word 'sorry' because it is not something we can just go the rest of our lives without saying, but use it in the right context. Find other words that can replace the word sorry and have a more positive impact on the conversation at hand. By choosing other words instead of the "S-Word" and constantly apologizing, you may start to feel better about yourself. Own your actions, be more true to who you are, and actually feel what the words you are saying mean. I know I am going to try and change. I want to reduce the use of the word 'sorry' from my daily life, but it is not going to be easy. I want my words and actions to mean more to me and others around me, and I hope you do, too. Make the "S-Word" actually mean something. Give it value. Give it care. Give it the use that it deserves.

 

Sorry, but I'm going to challenge you: Can you stop using the "S-Word"?