Summary Of Ann Rinaldi's Time Enough For Drums

517 Words3 Pages

When thought upon, women from the 1700s were considered dainty and delicate. Jemima Emerson proves just the opposite of these claims on women. Time Enough For Drums is about a spunky young patriotic women’s trials throughout the American Revolution who ends up falling for her tutor in a town called Trenton. Jemima Emerson strikes the interest of readers with her insubordination at the beginning of the novel and patriotic spirit throughout it. Although her disrespect is dislikeable her courage and strength are admirable. In the novel Time Enough For Drums by Ann Rinaldi the narrator, Jemima, shows disrespect, courage and strength, three traits that a “proper” lady would never have. At the start of the astounding novel Time Enough For Drums Jemima Emerson shows a great amount of disrespect. Initially, Jemima misses her lessons so she could learn how to fire a musket with her brother Dan. When Dan asks if she can remember the steps to firing a musket on her own, her tutor, John Read, appears and says “How can she? She can’t even remember to come for her lessons when her tutor is waiting for her” (Rinaldi 5). This shows disrespect because Jemima was supposed to come to lessons with her tutor but instead ran off. This means she does not respect her tutor’s authority or …show more content…

Jemima and Lucy, her servant who used to be a slave, were the only people in the house when the Hessians and British came to town. Instead of fleeing, she stood her ground and stayed in her home in Trenton unlike many citizens of the town. When she was speaking to Mr. Moore, against his wishes, she stood in Trenton and kept the shop open with Lucy (Rinaldi 168). Also, when the Hessians came into her home and ransacked the home, she still stayed at her home. These examples show courage. Jemima could have left Trenton, but she stayed and put her own safety at risk because of her remarkable trait of