Don't we forgive everything of a lover? We forgive selfishness, desire, guile. As long as we are the motive for it...There are some European words you can never translate properly into another language.
Michael OndaatjeRead
So many nurses had turned into emotionally disturbed handmaidens of the war, in their yellow-and-crimson uniforms with bone buttons.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the emotional turmoil faced by nurses during wartime, highlighting their sacrifice and transformation into figures of distress.
Michael Ondaatjeβs quote poignantly addresses the heavy emotional burden carried by nurses who serve in war zones. It suggests that the experience of war has deeply affected them, transforming their roles from caregivers into 'emotionally disturbed handmaidens,' indicating a loss of their former identity and the toll that conflict takes on those who provide care amidst chaos and suffering.
Themes
NursesWarEmotionsSacrificeIdentity
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a speech about the emotional impacts of war on healthcare professionals.
More from Michael Ondaatje
All quotes βWhen we are young we do not look into mirrors. It is when we are old, concerned with our name, our legend, what our lives will mean to the future. We become vain with the names we own, our claims to have been the first eyes, the strongest army, the cleverest merchant. It is when he is old that Narcissus wants a graven image of himself.
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