Barbie Doll

A poem is not what is said but how it is said; the words used or by the way it is printed on the page. In “Barbie Doll” the diction of the speaker is what stuck out to me. The speaker uses alliteration “color of cherry candy” (4) and simple innocent words such as “pee-pee” and “wee.” Even later on in the poem when the speaker is explaining the sad fate of this girl, her words remain light without a negative connotation. This is where I find the irony. The speaker talks about this tragedy as if it is a normal thing that happens all the time. The speaker effectively makes his point showing that this “Barbie Doll” image is a silent killer to many women that continues to happen without anything being done to stop it.
Emera Gould