White Trash Primer Essay
English 112
7 May 2013
The Judgement
In the short, personal memoir, “White Trash Primer,” Lacy M. Johnson talks about a girl’s life from childhood to her early adult life. Johnson begins her piece by talking about the girl’s childhood that seemed like an average child's life growing up in a rural area. This girl grew up in a family where her family was constantly working hard on a farm to get by. As time went on, life's circumstances changed. The child began to mature and the family was forced to move due to financial problems. From the move, the family went from owning a farm and selling corn and soy beans, to a family that was forced to work at Wal-Mart. Depression eventually takes over the girl’s life and her lifestyle changed dramatically. Lack of money, rape, and loneliness filled the girl’s life which caused her to think of herself as being “white trash.” Johnson states that she wants to “put metropolitan ideas about what it means to be rural into sharp belief”(Lori
M. Myers). This memoir is a must read for any student that is capable of comprehending this material. Not only does this story give another look at the reality of being poor, but it also helps the audience stop their judgement of people that are suffering all around them.
Johnson offers a great story that is both devastating and inspiring. It is depressing to know the struggles that the main character was forced to go through, but inspiring to see the main character overcome the daily obstacles she was forced to deal with. While writing this piece, Johnson decided to use the Second Person point of view for a variety of reasons. She
2 wanted her audience to feel as if she was talking directly to them and to make the audience feel as if they were the person that was having to deal with these difficult times. Not only did this technique force the readers to feel saddened from the circumstances, but is also made them feel many other different emotions like surprise, sadness, hatred, and
7 May 2013
The Judgement
In the short, personal memoir, “White Trash Primer,” Lacy M. Johnson talks about a girl’s life from childhood to her early adult life. Johnson begins her piece by talking about the girl’s childhood that seemed like an average child's life growing up in a rural area. This girl grew up in a family where her family was constantly working hard on a farm to get by. As time went on, life's circumstances changed. The child began to mature and the family was forced to move due to financial problems. From the move, the family went from owning a farm and selling corn and soy beans, to a family that was forced to work at Wal-Mart. Depression eventually takes over the girl’s life and her lifestyle changed dramatically. Lack of money, rape, and loneliness filled the girl’s life which caused her to think of herself as being “white trash.” Johnson states that she wants to “put metropolitan ideas about what it means to be rural into sharp belief”(Lori
M. Myers). This memoir is a must read for any student that is capable of comprehending this material. Not only does this story give another look at the reality of being poor, but it also helps the audience stop their judgement of people that are suffering all around them.
Johnson offers a great story that is both devastating and inspiring. It is depressing to know the struggles that the main character was forced to go through, but inspiring to see the main character overcome the daily obstacles she was forced to deal with. While writing this piece, Johnson decided to use the Second Person point of view for a variety of reasons. She
2 wanted her audience to feel as if she was talking directly to them and to make the audience feel as if they were the person that was having to deal with these difficult times. Not only did this technique force the readers to feel saddened from the circumstances, but is also made them feel many other different emotions like surprise, sadness, hatred, and
Cited: Auchter, Amanda. "Previous Issue: Spring/Summer 2012." Pebble Lake Review: Previous Issue. Pebble Lake Review, 2012. Web. 02 May 2013. Delbridge, Melissa J. "Re: Trespasses: A Memoir." Web log comment. Trespasses: A Memoir. University of Iowa Press, Mar. 2012. Web. 3 May 2013. Myers, Lori M. "Interview: Lacy M. Johnson, Author of Trespasses: A Memoir." Hippocampus Magazine Creative Nonfiction Literary Magazine. Hippo Campus Magazine, 2013. Web. 02 May 2013. Rankine, Claudia. "Re: Praise for Tresspasses." Weblog comment. Trespasses: A Memoir. University of Iowa Press, Mar. 2012. Web. 3 May 2013.