Farm Girl - Jessica Hemauer

Jessica Hemauer captured my attention in the first paragraph in her essay “Farm Girl”. At first, my impression was that this essay was going to be a sad story about Jessica’s difficult life growing up on a farm. To my surprise it was just the opposite. Her essay was more about how hard work, patience, and sacrifice has shaped her into a well-rounded responsible young adult she’s become.

Jessica shares with us her struggles as a child, from not fitting in with her piers at school, to accepting the fact that she is indeed different. Her lifestyle growing up on the farm demanded most of her time. She did what she had to do to help her family with no complaints. However, she shares with the reader how she longs to become involved with school activities, and to be like a normal girl.

From the opening paragraph, “A typical ten-year-old child does not have to wake up at five in the morning to do chores!” (ROEN/GLAU/MAID 2nd Edition 2011 P.83) I thought for certain her tone was somewhat bitter or angry. As I continued reading about her morning routine, which included her older sisters and brother, I was pulled in to her life. Her description of the simplest things, like the smell of cows on their work cloths, to cold winds accompanied by icy snowflakes, brought me to the barn as well.

As Jessica describes what the work consist of for her family, her tone begins to soften. Her job is to feed the newborn calves. Being the youngest in the family, and always looked after, this gave her a sense of being in-charge. Without any complaints, she goes on to explain the importance of her responsibilities and understands at the early age of ten, how critical it is to work together. After two hours of chores, and the smell of bacon in the air, Jessica and her sibling’s head back home to prepare for school; just another work-shift in Jessica’s daily routine.

At school Jessica explains the differences between her and the other students. Although she does not participate in discussions with other students during lunch break, that’s the only social life she has. In detail, she describes how it feels sitting in the background and listening as Susan asked Carrie about basketball practice. I can relate to feeling like somewhat of an outsider; I know I have felt that way before a time or two throughout