"Women on the Edge of Time" by Marge Piercy, is a novel that illustrates some problems of today's society and compares them to a possible future time. The other world that is presented in the book is called Mattapoisett. Mattapoisett is described as a utopian science fiction place because is much different from the place that Connie lived. Even though Mattapoisett might be the world that Connie's culture needed it is not a perfect world. Some of the problems that Marge Piercy presents in the book are controversial issues within the feminist circles of the seventies such as women's rights and social status in society, gender-related violence, sexism and patriarchal ideology. Focusing on the protagonist's abilities of time-travel, Piercy presents the reader with two incompatible social structures, depicting the present time as an anti-utopia and the future society as a sexless social environment (Sümbül). However, how is the society different from the two cultures presented in the book? Connie, the heroine of the book will lead us as she describes the difference between the utopian culture of Mattapoisett and Connie's world. .
Consuelo Ramos is a 37 year old Chicano living on welfare. Most of her life she had contended with the problem of poverty and drug abuse. After the death of her good friend and lover, Claud, Connie stars a phase of drug abuse and is place on a mental institution and goes through "mind-control" treatment. But regarding Connie's mental problem she has a gift. She begins to get visits by an individual named Luciente who comes from the year 2137. Luciente communicates with Connie mentally and Connie visits Mattapoisett the same way, experiencing everything without moving her body. She got the opportunity to see the difference of her time from the future world. The story ends with Connie's resolution to fight back. She thinks that she is fighting a war on behalf of her and other people who are in the same circumstances.
In the poem "Barbie Doll", Marge Piercy talks about and explains the expectations of women in society. ... " Marge Piercy pg. 352. ... " Marge Piercy pg. 352. ... Words can hurt "Her good nature wore out like a fan belt" Marge Piercy pg. 352. ... " Marge Piercy pg. 352. ...
Marge Piercy had a specific idea in mind when she wrote the poem entitled, "What's That Smell in the Kitchen?" The purpose Marge Piercy had for writing this poem was to express her opinion about feminist rights. Marge Piercy used metaphors and symbolism to maximize the effectiveness of her work. By using these techniques in combination with each other, Piercy successfully gets her message across that women detest the idea of being oppressed and are trying to escape it. ... Symbolism is a key technique that Piercy uses as she illustrates the idea that women despise not having equal ri...
Time to Break The Mold Society has put a mold on how the typical female should look, behave, and think. ... Marge Piercy is a poet and author who writes mainly from a feminist point of view. ... Piercy shows how women who are not strong enough to fight publicly somehow fight back in their own subdued way. ... Piercy did not fit the image of what women were supposed to be ("edwardsly"). ... Piercy shows how girls turning into young women think and how they act. ...
In Marge Piercy's poem Barbie Doll, Piercy examines the struggle of the girl child who tries to conform to society's preordained standard of beauty. ... Piercy carefully constructs the idea of a girl child establishing that this girl could be anyone. ... Rather than choosing the toys she gets to play with, girl child is, "presented dolls that did pee-pee / and miniature GE stoves and irons." (2-3 pg. 814)The comedy in this quote more deeply addresses that these toys are created for girls by a society that is trying to mold women into housewives; who nurture children, cook and clean. ...
The poem "Barbie Doll", written by Marge Piercy, describes the life of a female, with physical features outside the measurements that society deems attractive. ... The next stage of a female's life brought up in the poem is puberty; this stage is introduced by Piercy near the birth, adding an element of youth to the age. ... The lack of acceptance in our society for less attractive women leaves the female of the poem in a hard place, that common role that society has left open for women is not one that she fits into. Piercy then begins to describe the young female's attributes, "...
The poem "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy and "The Leap" by James Dickey have similar views, although the styles are different, it is supported by the narration of the tones and the development of the themes. ... The narrator defines the impressions with dramatic turns of both women at a young age, which later ends tragically for both girls. The narrator talks about the child in the poem as the girl-child (Piercy) who plays with her "doll that did pee-pee, miniature stoves and cherry colored lipstick" (Piercy) as she applies the color to her lips. However, the narrator in "The Leap" feels mo...
Three literary works from the death unit that illustrate the conflict that many women encounter are "Barbie Doll" by Marge Piercy, "No Name Woman" by Maxine Hong Kingston and "The Woman Hanging from the Thirteenth Floor Window" by Joy Harjo. ... In the poem "Barbie Doll," written by Marge Piercy, evidence shows this idea in the poet's use of irony, her attitude on the subjects of both inner and outer beauty, and her attitude on the significance of words interfering with a woman's self-confidence. Piercy employs the stylistic device of irony throughout her poem. ... When the time ca...
The largest group who plays a role in this is women between the ages of 19-50 (bringoutyourbest). All of these women who contribute to these surgerys are helping to increase in the growing rate of body altering procedures performed in America. ... Although the group that most people tend to focus on is women it is well documented that a growing number of men are also using plastic surgery. ... Marge Piercy used some very symbolic writing in this poem with lines such as, "in the casket displayed on satin she lay". In other words Piercy was comparing the coffin to an actual box, very similar...
Magazines that are desiged for women, show women that are exstreamly thin and beautiful. The latest styles and clothing are advertised in womens magazines. According to Marge Piercy in her Barbie Doll poem," wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy"(338). Piercy is referring to the dolls females are given as children and how they have a certain lipstick that seems to portray what the child is supposed to look like as she grows up. ... The women in the story would like her needs to be met. ...