P2Q4 example answer

Compare how the writers convey their different feelings and perspectives on providing medical care.

While both writers in Source A and Source B feel initially overwhelmed by the stress and responsibility of providing medical care to sick patients, Kay finds the experience intriguing and is fascinated by the prospect of all his hard work in medical school paying off. However, Seacole in Source B feels sorrow for the suffering of her patients and doesn’t take pleasure in the act of providing medical care but instead is in awe of the strong hearts and bravery of her patients.

In Source A, Kay says that there is an “endless stream of worryingly sick patients” to attend to. Here the writer uses the metaphor of “endless stream” to convey the magnitude of patients he has to care for, with the noun “stream” evoking an image of a never-ending flow of water. This conveys Kay’s stress and the chaotic environment of the hospital. Moreover, Kay also says “it’s sink or swim.” Through the use of the sibilance, Kay conveys how similar the two words are and therefore also conveys how rapidly one can become another “sink” or “swim.” This implies that providing medical care is a job with high stakes as the life of the patient is in Kay’s hands which suggests that he finds the job frightening. Similarly, Seacole poignantly displays feelings of overstimulation and stress with her job as she describes the sick and wounded soldiers using the extended metaphor of “party.” Here, by using a noun usually associated with joy and fun, Seacole conveys the opposite. She conveys the chaotic and overwhelming nature of her job due to the numbers of sick soldiers she had to attend to. This suggests that this job is over-demanding and daunting to her.

However, in Source A, the writer takes pride in his work and feels excited by it. The writer uses anaphora in a rule of three sentences by saying “sure it was hard work, sure… and sure… but I was a doctor now.” By listing all the trials and tribulations that accompany the job but ending it with the declarative sentence, Kay displays how he feels that all the struggles he endures are worthwhile as he enjoys his job and finds it “exhilarating.” However, Seacole uses the adjective “heart-rending” to describe the scenes she witnessed while working. This conveys her sorrow regarding the job and how she finds it barbaric. Moreover, Seacole describes how she “sympathised and brotherly love” is “drawn by the strong to the weak” and how it could change people’s minds about “the great wickedness and selfishness of the human heart.” This suggests that Seacole is in awe of the kindness and bravery of the wounded soldiers she treats and while she doesn’t enjoy providing medical care, she has found the experience life-changing.

The difference between the writers’ feelings is due to their perspectives. In Source A, Kay is surrounded by medical professionals and modern medical care in a hospital which explains his excitement. Also, he has trained for this so he finds the experience gratifying. However, Seacole was a volunteer so she lacks the training and perspective of Kay. Also, she was treating soldiers who risked their lives in war which explains her greater sorrow and sympathy due to the nationalism and bravery of her patients.