In the poem, "To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair" by Finuala Dowling, how is the title of the poem unusual and...

The title of the poem “To the doctor who treated the raped baby and who felt such despair” by Finuala Dowling is unusual in that it is a direct address to the physician who treats the child in the poem. It not only acknowledges the doctor’s emotions; it dedicates the poem to the physician.  Visually, the title is unusual due to its stylistic lack of capitalization.

The narrator gives the reader an understanding of the poem’s contents with the title. The juxtaposition of the horror of the injured child’s condition with experiences of children who are well cared for by family members unfolds throughout the poem. The poet uses the title as a direct address to the doctor who is available to treat the child while the rest of the world sleeps trusting in his/her ability to address the problem of child rape. While the doctor questions the presence of God, the narrator informs the doctor that her presence is what brings peace to others.

And for the rest of us, we all slept in trust
that you would do what you did,
that you could do what you did.
We slept in trust that you lived.