“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down‚” tells a story about a Hmong child Lia Lee‚ who suffers her first epileptic seizure at three months of age. Her treatment becomes difficult to go through because of her parents‚ Nao Kao and Foua‚ inability to speak English. They cannot speak to the doctors and many problems follow because of it. It started when Lia was three months old when her sister had slammed the front door. Quickly after‚ “Lia’s eyes rolled up‚ her arms jerked over her head‚ and she
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1. In her critique of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down‚ Janelle Taylor argues that Anne Fadiman’s portrayal of Hmong culture is problematic. Please explain how Fadiman’s story is problematic. In your discussion‚ be sure to consider: • How is the story set up as a tragedy? That is‚ if both the parents and the doctors are uncompromising in their quest for Lia’s well-being‚ how do they wind up colliding so tragically? • How are Hmong culture and Western medicine used as explanations for
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The spirit catches you and you fall down Introduction: “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down’’ by Anne Fadiman represents true story of the epileptic Hmong girl and her family displaced from China to the USA. She suffers severe grand mal seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. Lia Lee’s story was a poignant example that emphasizes the cultural barriers between modern and traditional cultures through their approaches to the life‚ which results in complete destruction
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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Cultural Clash This book focuses on the “clash” of cultures that occurs between the Lee family‚ immigrants to the US from Laos‚ and the doctors that treat their daughter‚ Lia‚ who has been diagnosed with epilepsy. Lia’s parents‚ Foua and Nao Kao believe that Lia has fallen ill because she has “lost her soul”. This clash of ideas highlights one of the problems that the Lee’s faced when dealing with the medical community in the US – the Lee’s believed
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While reading‚ “When The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down” you easily see how well this book relates to this class. You see people of different backgrounds coming together with the same goal. You see people with good intentions making mistakes due to lack of cultural competency. There isn’t a time in this book that doesn’t involve the confliction of people with different backgrounds. These conflicts such as different languages‚ different beliefs‚ and unknown information about medicine and technology
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have been prevented a lot. The Lee’s thought the reason why Lia was sick was because her sister slammed the door too loud and it caused her soul to leave her body and become lost. However‚ the Doctors said she had epilepsy. Both of them had different views of what was going on with Lia‚ spiritual problem and mental problem. The American doctors should have had a few translators early in treatment that was familiar with the Hmong people that could explain to them and Doctors the cultural difference of
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country you know little about except for the fact that it’s safer than yours. You and your three children have successfully escaped persecution and are subsisting off of government aid. However‚ you don’t understand the Native language and you differ tremendously when it comes to cultural beliefs. You do know that when anyone is ill‚ it is because their soul is out of balance with their body‚ but the Natives in this country constantly resort to temples for intimate examinations that you consider
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Immigrants Need to Know English If you turn over a permission slip or handout from a public school in Southern California on the backside you will find the same English words translated into Spanish. The act of translating the paper for the “child’s” wellbeing only provides a false illusion to the parent’s that the need to learn English is trivial. In reality it actually hinders the immigrants’ chances of success by denying the full language immersion in English that is needed to thrive in America
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Counseling The Culturally Diverse THE SPIRIT CATCHES YOU AND YOU FALL DOWN By: Yvette Bradley Professor: Dr. K. Doka The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by: Anne Fadiman In the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down starts with the traditional nurturing of the Hmong people. The most significant tradition is the burying of the placenta. The Hmong people believe that the placenta must be purposefully buried in a particular spot under the dwelling of the Hmong’s between
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The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman 1st chapter reflections: This chapter which introduced me to Lia’s family was interesting. I was shocked to read that in her mother’s country of Laos‚ Lia would have been born by her mother squatting on the floor! They also used special created remedies to solve health issues without relying on hospitals or clinics. It was also interesting to read how important the Hmong people believed in sprits and how their life decisions where decided
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