The essay read was "Farm Girl" by Jessica Hemauer. What I think Jessica was trying to tell her readers was tasks or situations you may be in that you may consider awful or just plan not fair can turn out to benefit you later in life. Struggling through these tough situations might just be worth it later on in life. I don't believe that was Jessica's only main point.
Jessica also explained to us that even though you're not similar to the people around you doesn't mean it's bad or your way of life is wrong and trying to change yourself to fit in may not be the answer, because just like Jessica stated " I believed that joining various clubs and social activities would make me fit in with my peers. But in fact, it has not. I still stick out."(Hemauer,2011,p.84) so in the end after managing her time to follow in her friends foot steps to fit in she never accomplished that goal, instead she turned out as a leader so peers and friends started to follow her.Jessica is a farm girl who has a big family and tons of responsibility.
Jessica works hard every day to acquire friends and to manage her time, which helped her participate in school actives and functions. One thing Jessica dreamed for was to try and be as normal and similar as other kids. Jessica believed she wasn't normal, because of how different her day to day routines were compared to other kids her age. So she pushed so hard to fall into the status of what she thinks is normal.
First I have to say after reading all four essays I connected with this story the most. When Jessica talked about how she had to get up early and do all those chores before school made me think about when I use to have to do the same things when I was back in high school. I didn't have to do so many chores but, like Jessica I had to get up very early to try to be the first one in the shower or my sisters would take all day in our only bathroom, then I had to ride my bike to school every day for 6 miles in the Arizona heat hoping not to sweat to much before I get to school.Jessica really reached out to the young generation when she explained in depth what she did to acquire friends. She was an outsider listening from a distance at the lunch table and pretending to be a part of something she wasn't.
I would go as far as to say that she reached kids in today's society that are so bored with their normal routines and are searching for a easy way out of those repetitious daily duties. Jessica painted a clear picture that when you push yourself through the agony of boredom and selfishness your hard work does pay off, the chores and your personal wants are here in the present, but look how it can pay off in the future if you stay strong and keep on fighting.When Jessica started to express how she and her siblings felt about her daily chores " as we dress, not a single word is spoken because we all feel the same way. I hate this!" (Hemauer,2011,p.83) really made you feel their pain. When I read Jessica's daily routine I got depressed instantly, How tired she was and what she was thinking about when doing her tasks really put me inside her head at those moments.
Oh and when she described the smells that came from their clothing after chores made me instantly want to plug my nose! I would read this essay again just because of how detailed and reality of the story.
