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Old world Quote by Thomas Olde Heuvelt

“Having fled to the New World, but with the scars of the Old World still etched in their skin, they had burned casks of pitch and herbs in the streets to drive away the tainted pestilential air while carrying their dead in sinister processions to be burned on pyres, all the while spreading the…” quote by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
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““Having fled to the New World, but with the scars of the Old World still etched in their skin, they had burned casks of pitch and herbs in the streets to drive away the tainted pestilential air while carrying their dead in sinister processions to be burned on pyres, all the while spreading the disease by excising their infected buboes. And here their descendants were driven one by one into the Hudson on a winter morning, never to be found.””

Thomas Olde Heuvelt

About This Quote

Source Novel: The Drowned World, 2021

Describes a tragic migration where survivors spread disease while trying to escape, highlighting the horror of forced displacement.

In simple terms: Forced migration spreads disease and death.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the human cost of displacement.

Themes

migration disease colonialism survival

Mood

somber critical

Type

historical fictional

When to use this quote

  • refugee crises
  • public health responses
  • historical analysis

Key Concepts

historical trauma epidemics

Questions to Reflect On

  • What responsibilities do storytellers have when depicting trauma?
  • How can we honor victims without sensationalism?
A Different Perspective

The narrative may romanticize suffering.

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