Barbie Doll

What a sad poem. After reading this and Emily Dickinson's poem "Madness is divinest Sense," I feel like I can make a connection between the two. In "Barbie Doll," the character starts out as a girl who loves herself for what she is. She loves life and is a happy person. Then in high school, she is criticized for what she looks like, "a fat nose on thick legs" (11). The character takes this to heart and does what everyone tells her and thinks she should do. She completely changes herself and ultimately dies inside. This "sense is madness" (Madness is divinest Sense). Instead of standing up for herself and being her own person, she came to sense and conformed. Both poems teach us a lesson about being happy for what and who God made you.

Much Madness is divinest Sense

This whole piece is a paradox. Dickinson, in a twisted way of telling it, tell readers he views of conformity and madness. "Much Madness is divinest Sense-To a discerning Eye-Much Sense-the starkest Madness-" In these lines, she says that madness is sense, and sense is madness. Sense is madness goes along with the verb "assent" which means to agree or go along with. This also goes along with conforming to what society wants you to do. Having sense, in Dickinson's mind, is being a follower who can't make decisions and goes along with what everyone else is doing. Madness is sense goes along with the verb "demur" (7) which means to disagree with. It also goes with nonconformity. Dickinson is telling people to step out and be themselves, even if other people think you are mad. Become your own person and don't care what other people think about you.