The poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy explains about a young girl who killed herself
by cutting her nose and her legs because she was tired of people criticizing her imperfect
physical appearance. “La Migra” by Pat Mora explains about a Mexican woman playing
“hide and run”. In “La Migra” one person was the border patrol, and the author a typical
Mexican maid. The poems are very different in that they have two different topics and
have two completely different tones. Putting aside the differences they have a trait in
common; they are true life stories that happen to women on a daily basis.
The poem “Barbie Doll” is very different from the poem “La Migra.” It is a very
discouraging poem because the destructiveness of the standards of female beauty led to the
girl’s death. The young girl classmates used to make fun of her big nose and fat legs.
“Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.”(line 6). She got to the point that she was not
strong enough to take all the pressure, so she cut herself up and offered her legs and nose
up. In the poem “La Migra,” it is a whole different concept. The Mexican woman, referred
to as the Mexican maid, had a different attitude. She is a strong woman who does not get
intimidated very easily. While playing the game “hide and run,” she was suppose to stay