medical student 1– Doctors of Representation; addresses patient directly (I and you); a white doctor “his coat embodies his skin” judges the patient for eating familiar foods, wearing a hijab, assumes her husband controls her; the doctor may have more experience, more status than the narrator, “but he is not aware/of who we really are, or what we’ve suffered through;” the narrator questions why this arrogant doctor should be in charge – “why let him drive this way, while I take a backseat?”; she begs the patient “why not let me draw your blood, when that is what we share?”
The narrator sees that this is where they begin their journey as a healer; she has faith that the patient soon will see that she can help the patient heal; she will see why the narrator chose this path and who she is committed to; she beseeches the patient not to let the cold doctor win, not to choose a stranger over one who understands her and is ready to cure through love and care.