Bertolt Brecht: A Bed for the Night
A Bed for the Night
I hear that in New York
At the corner of 26th Street and Broadway
A man stands every evening during the winter months
And gets beds for the homeless there
By appealing to passers-by.
It won’t change the world
It won’t improve relations among men
It will not shorten the age of exploitation
But a few men have a bed for the night
For a night the wind is kept from them
The snow meant for them falls on the roadway.
Don’t put down the book on reading this, man.
A few people have a bed for the night
For a night the wind is kept from them
The snow meant for them falls on the roadway
But it won’t change the world
It won’t improve relations among men
It will not shorten the age of exploitation.
Discussion Questions
The poem has a really interesting structure, with repetition of lines, interrupted by the direct statement: “Don’t put down the book on reading this, man.” What meaning is conveyed with this structure?
What role do you think physicians and the broader healthcare system should play in addressing poverty, homelessness and other social determinants of health?
Reflections from #MedHumChat
“The repetitive lines conveyed a feeling of a person's life cycling in and out of poverty, that it seems might never improve. and this line says, "even if you, as an outsider, perceive this person's life as hopeless- you don't get to look away bc you're uncomfortable."“ —@melanie_fritz_
“The barriers of social inequity may seem insurmountable, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying to dismantle them. Don’t devalue the impact of a simple act of kindness.” —@KamnaBalharaMD
“Concisely, I see 3 role categories: 1) adjust treatment decisions to account for #sdoh when needed (ex: maybe that homeless patient needs to be admitted not discharged); 2) help patients with #sdoh needs, ideally via partnerships with community orgs (ex: refer to employment training program); 3) advocate for policy change to get at the root drivers of #sdoh (ex: advocate for affordable housing because #housingishealth)” —@KellyMDoran
“Advocate for policy changes. Support and respect the work of social workers, lawyers, case workers. Integrate them into your teams. Ask what they do, go to case management meetings with them if you can. And advocate for Housing First policies.” —@davidrosenthal
“I know this gets quoted a lot, this is what was on my med school yearbook page: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead” —@meggerber
About this #MedHumChat
“A Bed for the Night” was paired with “A Worker’s Speech to a Doctor,” a poem by Bertolt Brecht for a #MedHumChat discussion February 20, 2019 exploring Poverty, Homelessness, & Health in the Poetry of Bertolt Brecht.
We were honored to be joined by special guests Dr. Kelly Doran, MD (@KellyMDoran) and Dr. David Rosenthal, MD (@davidrosenthal) for this #MedHumChat. Dr. Doran is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at NYU with a focus on the effects of homelessness and substance use disorder on health. Dr. Rosenthal is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale with an interest in social determinants of health and medical-legal partnerships.
The pieces for this chat, along with the discussion questions, were selected by Colleen Farrell.
About the Author
Bertolt Brecht (1898 - 1956) was a German playwright and poet. You can learn more about him here.