The modern and fast-moving wind of the twenty-first century leaves many people exhausted. Their fatigue might be linked to a variety of factors, but one issue that is common to many involved looks and statue. Are they popular enough and do they have impeccable, toned figures like the models and celebrities in magazines? Women in particular have become fearful of living to the expectations of society; while some become bulimic and want to change their bodies others just want to be themselves with better lives. Two poets Marge Piercy and Julia Alvarez explain these pressures. In "Barbie" by Piercy the speaker self sacrifices to the point of death. In contrast, Alvarez in "Dusting" sacrifices her mother's approval for the sake for self-discovery.
Both speakers are in a world mostly of traditional values which for some may be a battle; these values in essence play the customary figure in each of them. In "Barbie" by Piercy it is clear that after being born a usual girl and then realizing the disparity among her class mates, the blurred feeling of being accepted hits her; "a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs" Piercy (5-6). Our poor Barbie Doll is puzzled with classmates who all look good, are all popular, and realize that they don’t see her for her intelligence. She will go to school every day knowing she is ugly and that people talk about her, as she "plays coy". There is no need to live behind the mask as she is dying for acceptance.
The young lady in "Dusting" also has that unclear feeling of being accepted, that feeling of being able to accomplish the goals one sets yet clueless of what it is you want to accomplish however, she will only want to be appreciated for goals she has set for herself. Our speaker leaves prints all over the house "I wrote my name on the dusty cabinet, then crossed the dining table in script" (1-3). Her ambition, unlike her mothers, is far beyond expectations as her goals are bigger. The writing on the...