Naomi Rosenberg, an emergency room physician, writes a gripping essay in the New York Times entitled “How to Tell a Mother Her Child Is Dead”. She writes her detailed and heart-rending instruction in second person. Is her use of second person effective? Can you see yourself in this situation, having to deliver the most terrible news? Those of us in medicine have had to deliver bad news, often frequently: a cancer diagnosis, a chronic debilitating illness diagnosis, a loved ones imminent or unexpected death. Rosenberg brings the reader into her situation and hints at the lessons she’s learned on how and how not to approach such a grueling task.
Writing prompt: Have you ever had to deliver bad news? If you’ve had to do this many times what lessons have you learned? If you’ve received bad news, how was it delivered? How do people respond differently to difficult news?