Imagery, Language and Sound
Imagery, Language and Sound in the poems What’s That Smell in the Kitchen? and Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy. This paper is a comparative analysis of two poems: “What’s That Smell in the Kitchen?” and “Barbie Doll” both by Marge Piercy. It will compare how the effective use of imagery, language and sound gives any reader strong visual impressions in order to create an image in their mind. The language used will convey particular meanings and implications of individual words. These words are used because they have certain sounds, and the sound effects are used to create a mood or establish a tone. Sometimes the sounds of words are crucial to what is happening in the text of the poem. The tone expresses the attitude the poem will take towards its subject. In “What’s That Smell in the Kitchen?” Piercy explores the way women are sometimes held in low esteem by men through the eyes of a tired housewife who has had it with her monotonous day-to-day duties. In this poem, it is not stated that the speaker is a homemaker, but the reader is told about one woman in particular who is meant to express the feelings of women as a whole. In “Barbie Doll” Piercy explores the way a little girl is held in high esteem by her parent . . .
- - The magic of puberty / great big nose and fat legs. This poem is a protest or war against these circumstances which is why the poem is filled with images of combat such as "bomb" and "missiles. In this poem, the reader is told about the plight of one girl’s terrible transition from childhood into adulthood. In the lines following the poem goes back to its matter-of-fact tone and gives us a very ironic image of the woman's husband roasting on a spit like a pig. Wax is also known to be a very malleable and weak substance, like women were assumed to be at one time. Then Piercy moves on to give us another humorous image of an angry woman serving her husband a rat with a bomb in its belly, because she does not feel appreciated for the meals she cooks day after day. It is in this way that Piercy develops her view that women are the lesser gender in the eyes of men and peers and shares her refusal to conform to society’s expectations of woman. (lines 7-9) - - Then the onset of family opinion sets in - - advised to play coy / exhorted to come on hearty / exercise, diet, smile (lines 12-14) - - After all her hard work and trying to become what society displays as the perfect size and beauty of a woman she caves to the pressures. The usage of the word "missiles" is connected to the last line in the poem - - Burning dinner is not incompetence but war. - - cosmetics painted on (line 20) - - and - - dressed in a pink and white nightie. Together they give the reader a picture to imagine and tone to go along with the spoken words in order to convey the message they are sending. This is her message that "I'm SICK OF THIS!" and also it is the central idea in "What's That Smell in the Kitchen?" The woman is declaring a war on her husband and society in general for taking advantage of women and not giving them a more fulfilling role. Then the author uses repetition to emphasize her introductory statement again, and adds an additional phrase, - - women are burning / food they're supposed to bring with calico / smile on platters glittering like wax (lines 6-8) - - This statement is somewhat ironic, because it conveys an image of a very "false" woman, something like a mechanical doll or robot, or even like the flawless "model mom" figure of June Cleaver of the television series "Leave it to Beaver. - - Her good nature wore out / like a fan belt. Ironically now that she is dead this is when she looks her prettiest.
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