In the essay, “Farm Girl”, Jessica Hemauer writes about her experiences growing up on a working farm and the positive outcome it had on her life. She shares how difficult and sometimes hated the farm life was as a child and how the difficulties and responsibilities helped her evolve into a stronger, better person. “A typical ten-year-old child does not have to wake up at five in the morning to do chores. ” (Hemauer) Jessica thinks this upon waking in the morning. She has hours of chores to do every day before and after school.
Until eighth grade she could not participate in any school activities or sports. She felt left out and alienated when her peers discussed activities that they were involved in. Wanting to fit in so much, Jessica never told anyone she lived on a farm so she would not be seen as different. She always had enormous responsibilities and had to learn to manage her time effectively. Starting with the calves that she loved to feed, her life was filled with many responsibilities. Her chores being completed every day were her obligation and she found a way to complete that and her school work early on in life.
Later, school officials were in awe over how she accomplished so much and in a timely fashion, without stress (Hemauer).
While growing up Jessica tried to fit in with her peers. She did not want to be seen as different. When she joined the basketball team, she started to feel more included. In high school she joined more activities and participated more. Despite all that she had done to blend in, the author realized that she stood out among her classmates. She was always the leader while everyone tried to keep up. Her friends seemed immature around her.
The Homework on High School Life 5
High school is a place where young teens learn to become mature and responsible. It is a place where students get trained to take on bigger challenges in life. Obstacles such as college. From my own personal experiences, high school didn’t seem that way. Students were more concerned about getting a passing grade then about what they were taught. They would even cheat their way out of high ...
Jessica developed a strong work ethic due to the hard, sometimes disgusting chores she did on the farm. She learned not to complain about work as it won’t change what needs to be done. Her boss compliments her by asking her “where he can find other hard-working people” and knowing what inspires her to work hard, Jessica replies “Try hiring some farm girls. I heard they turn out pretty good”(Hemauer).
Jessica sums up her experience in the sentence ”Though I hated it growing up, working on the farm has taught me many lessons about life, and it has shaped me into the individual I am today.
” I think in this sentence she conveys her purpose of inspiring people to overcome difficulties, work hard and it will make you a stronger person. This narrative can be motivational to everyone, although I think it was intended for her peers, teachers, and young people trying to fit in. When the author began her tone was wistfulness, missing the experiences of her childhood. Later, you hear the tone of contentment, realizing not being the same as everyone else is ok. Finally, there is a tone of pride, in being different and standing out.
Jessica made me feel a part of her story from the beginning. I felt sad thinking of how hard she was trying to fit in and yet how alone she felt inside. As she found time to play basketball and still do chores, I felt so relieved for her. After the family meeting I felt that a big burden had actually been lifted from the whole family. And, finally I felt pride for her and with her that the lessons learned growing up on the farm made her such an inspirational person now. References Hemauer,J. (2011) Farm Girl. The McGraw-Hill Guide. Writing for College, Writing for Life.
