Florence Nightingale: A Biography

While pondering of war, people tend to think of all the dead and wounded. Most do not wonder about how soldiers are treated. The nurses and hospitals play a huge role in war. Soldiers must be properly cared for. One woman influenced nursing tremendously. Florence Nightingale fulfilled her purpose in life by becoming a nurse during the Crimean War.

Florence Nightingale’s family had an enormous impact on her career. Born on May 12, 1820, Florence was born into a wealthy family who named her from her Italian birthplace (Iggulden 236). Frances Nightingale, Florence’s mother, was a very social women (biography.com). She taught social graces to Florence including how to properly take care of the household (“Florence Nightingale”). This was well needed because Florence was socially awkward. She was not comfortable being the center of attention, but she strived to please her mother which was her main goal. Florence’s father, William Shore Nightingale, was a landowner with many properties (biography.com). In Hampshire, he taught Florence and her sister Parthenope. The subjects he taught included the following: Latin, Greek, French, Italian, German, history, and philosophy (Iggulden 236). As a result, Nightingale's family influences her occupation.

Through experiences, Nightingale was able to start preparing for her career. When Florence was 17 years old, she refused to marry Richard Monckton. “Nightingale explained her reason for turning him down, saying that while he stimulated her intellectually and romantically, her moral… active nature… requires satisfaction, and that would not find it in this life” (biography.com). Also, she turned him down to focus studying (“Florence Nightingale”). In 1836, Florence visited the London Society. T...

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... help (Iggulden 238-240). Florence Nightingale spent her whole career fulfilling God’s plan for her.

In conclusion, Florence Nightingale had a huge impact on nursing. She was able to change the ways of helping the wounded. Nightingale showed how important hospitals are in war. Because of her, soldiers are now properly cared for. She will always be remembered as the “Lady with a Lamp” because of the impact she had on the soliders. She fulfilled God’s plan for her by helping in the war.

Works Cited

Bloy, Marjie. “Florence Nightingale.” Victorian Web. 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

“Florence Nightingale.” Biography.com. A+E Television Network, LLC, 2013. Web. 23 Feb, 2014.

“Florence Nightingale.” The World Book Encyclopedia. Volume 14. 1990. Print.

Iggulden, Conn, and David Iggulden. The Dangerous Book of Heroes. New York: HarperCollins Publishing, 2010. Print.