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Emily and Irony
Emily Dickinson's "Much Madness is Divinest Sense" and Marge Piercy's "Barbie Doll" both explore the age-old battle of the individual struggling with a society that imposes a dehumanizing conformity. Although each author uses specific techniques to expound upon her message, both Dickinson and Piercy use irony effectively and powerfully to convey the overall meanings of their poems. Emily Dickinson employs a strong paradox to express her point, and uses the metaphor of madness throughout the poem. The issue at hand for the speaker in this poem is that of the individual versus society, or conformity versus nonconformity, and what happens when one chooses to ignore the crowd. Those who have different beliefs, and could even be more intelligent than ourselves, are labeled as "mad and dangerous." An ironic situation arises because there is a seeming discrepancy between what one would expect and what actually occurs in the poem. Marge Piercy examines a similar situation in her satire "Barbie Doll," in which she comments on the issues of beauty and conformity. Piercy makes use of verbal irony to emphasize certain points, as the speaker often says the opposite of what is meant or implied by the overall agenda of the poem. "Consummation at last./To every woman a happy ending." The speaker presents the reader with a girlchild who had a "great big nose and fat legs," and who, ironically, did not fit the mold of beauty society had forced upon her until after she died; clearly not a happy ending. While both poems certainly share a similar theme and tone, that of the individual caught in a fight against an imposing societal conformity, each poet has a specific approach for her piece.
Dickinson begins her poem with some tricky word play, ultimately formulating a paradox in the first line, "Much Madness is divinest Sense--." This paradox is picked up in line three when the speaker continues her thought, "Much Sense--the starkest Madness--." Madness, however, is a metaphor for those who choose not to conform, and to assert their individuality instead. Thus, while one would think the opposite, the speaker presents a scenario where insanity, or going along with the established norms, is accepted by the majority, and so-called good sense, or rejecting these ideas, is considered insane. Dickinson also employs an understated tone by means of passive verbs and overstated imagery by means of hyperbole. "Assent--and you are sane--/Demur--you're straightway dangerous--And handled with a Chain--." The majority mentioned previously by the speaker creates the dehumanizing conformities imposed upon individuals at large, and yet even those who accept these norms to become "sane" do so in a passive fashion, merely assenting.Although those who do not accept the values established by society may in fact only be served with a metaphorical chain, the final line of the poem still adds an ironic touch to her message, as it insinuates that those who are different will be treated as such.
Marge Piercy picks up on two other dehumanizing conformities in her poem the standards of beauty and the subordination of women starts that an early age when girls are taught that their role is to be a wife and mother with "miniature GE stoves an irons/and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy." In the first stanza the speaker broaches the topic of beauty and conformity, and how the girlchild does not fulfill these ideals like her dolls. "Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said/ You have a great big nose and fat legs." In contrast, there is nothing magical about puberty, for it only brought sadness and disillusionment to the girl. In the second stanza, the speaker introduces us to our subject, who "was healthy, tested intelligent,/possessed strong arms and back,/abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity." Although the girl bears various attractive qualities, they are those that are welcomed in boys, but undesirable in girls. Thus the incongruity between what society expects from her male peers, and what is acceptable for herself, has caused a perfectly normal girl to suffer a loss of all her self-esteem and all her self-worth go "to and fro apologizing" for no good reason. Piercy ends her social commentary with the girl's death, and the final execution of her goal in the eyes of Barbie's society. Piercy also uses a simile to emphasize her points. "Her good nature wore out/ like a fan belt." What strengthens this simile, and adds to the poems overall tone, is the nature of its imagery. Piercy uses car parts to describe the girl's energy, not something feminine. "In the casket displayed on satin she lay/with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,/Doesn't she look pretty?/Consummation at last./To every woman a happy ending." Although the girl had undergone surgery to have the perfect nose, and now lay there with lovely make-up, she was dead. Whether or not she had fulfilled societies preconceived notions of beauty, this could not possibly be a happy ending, because it was over too soon for her to enjoy it.Do my essay on Emily and Irony CHEAP!
Emily Dickinson and Marge Piercy each saw a similar theme in their respective societies, and chose to attack it by means of an ironic poem. Emily Dickinson was concerned with the individual who opts not to go along with the majority, and has different understandings of how the world works. She treats her tight poem as a comment on society, making use of every paradox, metaphor, and image to strengthen her message of the hypocrisy of society. Marge Piercy feared the constraining effects of society's subordination of women and the image of beauty promulgated by dolls. She sets out to construct a poem that satirizes the issue of conformity and beauty, and utilizes effective imagery and similes to fully realize her ironic tone. Both authors ultimately portray individuality as madness or inadequacy. Although Dickinson and Piercy were writing under very different circumstances and used unique means of achieving their ends, their messages are more or less the same it is not only ironic when societies place dehumanizing conformities on their own citizens, but mad and happy ending-less.
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