Farm Girl

Assignment 1.1: Summary and Personal Response

English Composition

May 29, 2013

Assignment 1.1: Summary and Personal Response

I read through a few essays in The Brief McGraw-Hill Guide: Writing for College, Writing for Life. One of the essays that got my attention was “Farm Girl”, written by Jessica Hemauer. In “Farm Girl”, Jessica described how her life was like growing up on a farm. Unlike her peers, she had to balance between schoolwork and housework every day. Even though she didn’t like chores and responsibilities, Jessica realized how they had affected and molded her into the woman she is today.

Ten-year-old Jessica’s day started at five as her eyes “are heavy with sleep and struggle to open” (Roen/Glau/Maid, 2011, p.83). The daily morning chores for her and her siblings, Angie, Melissa, and Nick, were to help their father milk and feed the cows besides other chores before school started. And they had more chores to take care of after school. School time was Jessica’s only social time. However, she often felt as an outsider among friends. Because of lacking of time for school activities, Jessica had nothing in common to talk to her friends. Finally, in eighth grade, Jessica was allowed to join the basketball team as long as she helped with chores before school and after practice. Now, the challenge started to grow. Jessica must manage her time efficiently between chores, school activities, and homework. Jessica became more involved in high school as her father no longer needed the help from his children. She joined “the homecoming club, audition for musicals and plays, serve as the president of the student council as well as president of my class” (Hemauer). She even took on job at a resort as a waitress. Jessica started to notice that no matter what she does, she always stood out from the group. Her friends and coworkers admired her for the ability of managing time, handling stress, and keeping responsibilities. Now, she realized how growing up...