English 1000 with Janie Miller
Monday, January 24, 2011
Hemauer's Farm Girl
1.) I think the purpose of Hemauer writing this essay was to remind herself of the time on the farm and share with her audience the things that she learned from it. She is almost giving a reason for why she turned out the way she did, but she is extremely proud about it. An older audience might perceive it as a child that actually lifted a hand like they did back in the day, whereas a a majority of the younger audience might not be able to relate to working on the farm.
2.) I think for that exact reason, she is reaching out to the younger audiences. She is sharing her personal experiences in order for this generation to learn from her generation. She talks about the stress and pressures of being a kid and "fitting in".
3.) She describes/gives credit through her explanation of everyday chore activities and having to choose the farm work and obligations over something that she would rather be doing, or even thrives to do.
4.) Hemaur's responsibility to her readers is to teach them a lesson. The lesson is that sometimes you have to do things that you don't want to do. By showing/ telling her story and/or experiences, she hopes that the audience can use that information in order to make what she considers to be the right decision.
5.) In order to connect with her audience on a much broader subject, Hemauer talks about internal struggles more than physical labor. She talks about fitting in and succumbing to peer pressure. Peer pressure and the hunger to be accepted has and probably always will be a part of teenage life.
6.) I have personally been targeted when it comes to peer pressure or negative social treatment. I didn't grow up or work at a farm, but I have moved to different schools and sometimes they don't welcome you with open arms. I connected with this particular author on a mental level because I shared the same wants as her. She grabbed my attention by connecting with me on such a personal level.
7.) The significance to Hemauer's story, to me, was that no matter what you go through, the experience will shape you for the future. You may not like it or want it at the time, but you learn from it and you accept the past and then move on to something bigger and better. Toughing things out can have a positive effect on the rest of your life. It is the foundation of a strong person.
8.) Descriptive as well as narrative details function in the essay as dialogue, using the five senses, and describing exactly how she felt in some moments. An example that best sums up every is at the end when her boss is asking about where he could find some hardworking girls and she says "Try hiring farm girls. I hear they turn out pretty good."
9.) She doesn't use dialogue a lot, but when she does, she uses it to reiterate her point/ significance of the essay. It is to merely point out her hardships and that it was all worth it in the end.
10.) To me, all stories of this kind share the same moral. The moral is that hard work, while annoying and time consuming, will always pay off in the end.
Posted by Melissa Reavis at 10:31 PM