Fitting the Mold
Poetry Seminar Response to the poem:
“Barbie Doll” By: Marge Piercy
Afraid- Afraid of what I will become what I will do how I will look. One's whole life dependent on a mold. The perfect woman. The emotionless-muscular man. Molds trap us suffocate us- me- I fear I won't fit in the mold. Molds of society kill. Never think you are different-unique Condemned to failure. Fit the mold. Survival is to become perfect. The perfect being; the being whose existence matters, but you don't matter. You are just worthless plastic- Until you fit the mold. FIT THE MOLD- of society.
In this piece I really focused on the idea of the perfect human being. In the original poem, it talks about the expectations of females in our society. It works on describing the constant thoughts of the woman such as having “thick legs” and a “fat nose”. Piercy’s overall idea of the poem was to bring to light all of these crazy ideals society pushes onto women of all ages and how it affects them mentally and the lengths it makes them change themselves physically. I played with this idea by incorporating not only the pressures on women, but also the societal norms of men and the affects these pressures have on the individuals. By looking at the title of Piercy’s poem (Barbie Doll) my first thought was on the idea of a shaping mold, which ultimately evolved into the idea of human beings being shaped into the “ideal” individual. As a little girl, playing with Barbie’s was always my favorite activity and after growing up; I began to experience all these pressures and thoughts the world pushes on us as individuals such as having the certain looks of perfection much like a Barbie doll. Being compared to a toy that every little girl looked up to as a child is nothing but sad and scary, especially when you are told that you aren’t beautiful unless you fit the mold society has made us focus on since we were kids. After reading this poem it was really interesting to connect to all the elements the writer touched on. My hopes within my response poem is that I to can connect with the readers and spark their ideas regarding societal pressures and norms.
Citations
I Apologize
Poetry Seminar Personal Response to the poem:
“Apologies For Living On” By: Meena Kandasamy
Apologize- I apologize for being human for being independent having and using the voice God gave me to speak up- to protect myself- I am told to stay marinate- deal with this silence I could prevent it but I don’t I can’t- I’m told I can’t Apologize- I apologize for being helpless making choices out of fear the unknown haunts me- for being human cold trills of the power men no sorry; I apologize- society gives me make me quiver in fear entrapped in the tower only I can save myself no-sorry only a man can save me Apologize- I apologize for dreaming- believing I was special thinking I could ever save myself running- racing- into darkness- into security- into the arms of a man I am told to love no sorry; I apologize a man that I love Light- truth is my enemy freedom isn’t what I think it is. I am told I am free no-sorry I am free Apologize- for overcoming my trials- for moving on- for living on- I apologize.
This poem is a focus on the many feelings of being trapped, much like in Meena’s poem. I used some of the key points in her piece “Apologies for Living On” to almost respond to the ideas that she brings up such as being a princess trapped in a castle. My intentions with this piece was to connect with the writer’s inner voice so that I could almost strip away all of the fake personas we make up and apologize for as human beings. In Meena’s poem, it is taken from the point of view of women everywhere who apologize for being themselves. As a female I really connected with all the struggles brought up by Meena that we face as women everyday. It is almost like as women we have to apologize for doing anything that is deemed “un-ladylike” and it is very frustrating. When writing this, it was interesting to see and go through all my thoughts as I noticed that connecting with this writer was easier than expected. I am not much of a feminist, but regardless the amount of frustration that crossed my mind regarding things I feel the need to apologize for was astounding and concerning. As women, struggles such as the ones I brought up in my poem go unnoticed everyday. My hopes are that through this piece I can at least try to bring up some of the pain we face as females through a sarcastic, yet insightful, apology.
Citations
Dear Alia,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece. It has many layers that expand on the ideas of Piercy’s poem. I especially liked your decision to focus on both men and women, and the pressures they each have to face. Although men and women have different struggles, they all are pressured into “fitting the mold” that society has set for them. Your poem really illustrated this point and made me think of all the ways I might be trying to fit the mold.
As for improvements, I can’t say that I found anything you need to change. Both your poem and explication are great, and the visuals you chose to include just enhance the experience.
In conclusion, I think you’re a really great writer, and I look forward to reading more of your work.
Sincerely,
Tooba
Dear Tooba,
Thank you so much for your comment! I am beyond happy that you enjoyed my piece and was able to take something away from it. It is definitely a topic that many only associate to females, but it can surely be applied to men as well so I’m glad you liked that aspect of my poem!
Sincerely,
Alia:)
Dear Alia,
I love reading your writing. You are always able to write such beautiful and authentic pieces that I find I can always relate to or understand well. You touched on the issues of not just pressure on women, but societies acceptance of pressure on woman. I LOVED that. I hope that future generations can realize that social media is not an accurate representation of people’s lives and looks. Advertisements are always photoshopped and Instagram posts are always the highlights of people’s lives, yet those advertisements and posts are the molds that young girls have to fit. And what is the definition of a perfect woman? What is perfect for me is probably a dislike for someone else. How can there just be one exemplar? Your piece sparked these questions for me and I hope you continue to inspire others with your work. I miss you so much Alia!
Love,
Jeanette!
Dear Jeanette,
I am so glad you liked this post and the content in it! Thank you so much for your comment; it was really cool to hear other individuals thoughts while reading this as it has a lot that really challenges you and forces you to think more! I appreciate the cool thoughts that you shared and the ideas that came to you while reading this! Miss you lots!
Sincerely,
Alia:)
Dear Alia,
I really enjoyed reading your piece. I really loved how you talked about the pressures of women and their role in society. I related to your piece very much as I too feel these societal pressures. I really respected the fact that you talked about male pressures as well. I am certain many individuals in our class related to that aspect of it as well. There are so many expectations from society and it can get overwhelming at times and I think you discussed that very well in your piece. I also really enjoyed the images you chose. It really kept me engaged! I honestly cannot think of anything that you need to improve on. Keep writing! Hope to see more of your work 🙂
Sincerely,
Rabia
Dear Alia,
As I know you have a passion for poetry, I am once again amazed at what you have created. I loved your response to the poem, “Barbie Doll” By: Marge Piercy. Thank you did an amazing job capturing the main idea behind what the poem was portraying. I loved the images you use throughout, especially that they are all black and white themed creating a sense of balance throughout the blog. I personally don’t think you need to add anything, as you have every target required. I really enjoyed reading this piece, and I look forward to reading much more of your work in the future.
Sincerely, Alisha
Dear Alia,
I really enjoyed reading this. I’m in awe of how good you are when it comes to writing poetry. I really love how you decided to talk about the social pressures of being a woman. I really was able to personally relate to what you had. Honestly, I have read over your poem a bunch of times trying to find room for improvement, but from what I’ve seen you’ve done an amazing job with both of these. I hope you continue to write poetry in the future.
Sincerely,
Navleen Sekhon