The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman Summary. Analysis. 1-2 Chapter 1: Birth Lia. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Lia Lee suffered from seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. Fadiman is skeptical at first: the txiv neeb (shaman) is kinda goofy, and the whole solemnity of the thing is. Two men slaughter the pig, and the txiv neeb marks Lia with the pig's blood to protect her from dabs, or evil spirits. Now we know where the overbearing-and-oppressive idea comes from. The Spirit Catches You closes with a neeb ceremony—a Hmong religious ritual meant to bring Lia's soul back to her body after a big seizure leaves her officially brain-dead. Jeanine takes thorough notes about Lia’s circumstances, notes that Fadiman draws upon extensively to illustrate the specifics of the young girl’s story. Summary Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Fadiman 1860 Words | 8 Pages The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, explores cultural competence, ethics in medicine, and the provision of culturally competent health care in the United States by following a family of Hmong culture in their struggles with mainstream. Although Dee Korda turns out to be an amazing foster mother (and friend to the family), Lia's condition only worsens after being placed into foster care. Every other chapter shares some aspect of Hmong history or culture: food, clothing, language, family structure, birthing rituals, and so on. From the creators of SparkNotes. This was regarded by American doctors as neglect, and Lia was taken. Downloadable / Printable Version. From the creators of SparkNotes. Makenzie Griffith EDSE 460 Denise Hitchcock 1 March 2018 Midterm: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down It is a story about a family who shows so much loyalty to their traditions and cultures, but it clashes with the strict American “norm” and creates conflict. Fadiman notes that many Hmong believe spinal taps are “potentially crippling both in this life and in future lives. Both Hmong patients and Western doctors have biases about one another. It has sold almost 900,000 copies, according to its publisher, Farrar, Straus. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. Foua and Nao Kao immediately suspected what happened: the loud sound so frightened their daughter that her soul fled her body, a phenomenon known to them as quag dab peg, meaning the spirit catches you and you fall down. Chapter 3: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Fish Soup Symbol Analysis. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the poignant story of a young Hmong girl suffering from epilepsy who is caught in the cultural chasm between her family and her. Unlike her fellow. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. When she was forcibly taken into a foster home, word spread throughout the Hmong community, reinforcing the idea that American doctors are not to be trusted. Adorbs! Foua, in particular, takes a strong interest in Anne's life. …. Despite the careful installation of her soul during the hu plig ceremony, the noise of the door had frightened out of Lia’s body, and it became lost. At the age of three months, Lia Lee had an epileptic seizure. It was awarded many honors including: A Salon Book Award Winner Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest Boston Book Review 1997 Ann Rea Jewell Non-Fiction Prize A New York Times. Analysis. A family practice resident at Merced Community Medical Center who is interested in Hmong culture. Fadiman begins by calling attention to a carton of cassette tapes she keeps beneath her desk. • Chapter 7 - Government Property. Things go from bad to worse. Reviews Book Excerpts Media About the Author Reading Guide. Their selection of this town is largely because of the influence of Dang Moua, an energetic Hmong American businessman. 15-16 Ch. The Lee Children. 2001 Jun;76(6):620-1. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. According to Chapter 6, medical school rarely equips doctors to deal with populations who believe physical illnesses have spiritual causes. At the age of three months, Lia had her first seizure caused by the sound of a door. They now treat illnesses in their family at home. Cultural and geographical borders within any society are believed to create boundaries that limit similarities between those on opposite sides. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For example, the Hmong maintain that each person contains a finite amount of blood, so any blood extraction is viewed as dangerous. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the poignant story of a young Hmong girl suffering from epilepsy who is caught in the cultural chasm between her family and her rationalist American doctors. Dressing Fadiman up in traditional Hmong clothing, Foua presented her to her boyfriend, who thought she looked ridiculous. Neil is at home when Lia arrives at the hospital. Now we know where the overbearing-and-oppressive idea comes from. Jeanine Hilt. Nonetheless, she manages to remain reasonably neutral, not blaming any of Lia’s doctors personally nor Lia’s parents, but rather the aforementioned idea that the cultural “gulf” is “unbridgeable. What listeners say about The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Average customer ratings. Why do you think the author included them? 3. The book contains many Hmong phrases and many medical phrases, both unfamiliar to most readers. Unfortunately, she couldn’t save their only son or her husband. The mood declined, however, when the Lees realized how Lia's mental capacity had declined. Their advice was daunting and they felt her journey lacked promise. Lia neither died nor recovered. And it gets worse. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997. In 1993 social worker Jeanine Hilt dies unexpectedly. In the 1980s, Lia was part of the Hmong population in America who were refugees from Laos. At the time of the war in Southeast Asia, they lived in Laos about 400 meters above sea-level. Neil is a good dude and a good doctor, but even he fails to look past his own cultural preconceptions and see the Lees as people. Lia's treatment is complicated by Nao Kao's and Foua's inability to speak English, making it all but impossible to communicate with her doctors. The Story Catches You and You Fall Down: Tragedy, Ethnography, and "Cultural Competence" Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (Noon-day Press, 1997) is widely used in "cultural competence" efforts within U. 14). 5 out of 5. "The spirit catches you and you fall down" is the literal translation of the Hmong name for epilepsy, qaug dab peg. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. By ANNE FADIMAN. the landlord told Hmong women to move out and called police after the landlord found out her family was about to. Everything you need for every book you read. Her first book, "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," is an account of the unbridgeable gulf between a family of Hmong refugees and their American doctors. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores issues of culture, immigration, medicine, and the war in [Laos] with such skill that it's nearly impossible to put down. A Review By Will Connolly. Her parents assumed the noise of the door had caused her soul to flee. A fun and humorous chapter by chapter summary broken into tasty tidbits that you can digest. She considers what she's learned while researching, writing, and hearing reader reactions. Naturally, they go through some serious culture shock. It has sold almost 900,000 copies, according to its publisher, Farrar, Straus. 9). Writing both a literary profile and an in. Once gone, her soul was captured by a dab, or evil spirit. Summary. , 2002). While working at a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, Conquergood hosted a parade "led by three important characters from Hmong folktales" that also conveyed some very useful medical information (4. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down quotes below are all either spoken by Sukey Waller or refer to Sukey Waller. The epileptic child whose tragic story illustrates the cultural divide between the Hmong and the American medical systems. Compared to the polite and nonintrusive methods of the txiv neeb s, American doctors' methods are frightening. This chapter is so intriguing, because it presents not only the frustrations of the Hmong with American medicine, but also the terrible stress it created within the medical staff. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Nothing like medical problems and totally opposite cultures to show you how messed up things. Comprehensive Study Guide with Chapter Analysis, Themes, Characters & More. • Chapter 3 - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. In the Lees' view, Lia's soul had fled her body and become lost. The book was written by Anne Fadiman, a journalist with some serious pedigree. Neil Ernst didn't believe in giving a different standard of care to different patients, which is why he continuously fine-tuned her drug regimen. Chapter 10 - War (Cont. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Dan Murphy. There are still "tens of thousands" of Hmong in Laos (12. Need help on characters in Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down? Check out our detailed character descriptions. Plot Summary & Analysis Themes Quotes Characters Symbols Theme Viz Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Spirit Catches You makes teaching easy. Two cultural assumptions rise to the surface of this section: the first is that the Hmong eat dogs and cats; the second assumption is that Americans only care about money and thus would be unperturbed by the sight of a severed cow’s head on a doorstep as long as the cow had been fairly purchased. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman is an analysis of Western medicine and traditional Hmong medicine in the treatment of a young child with severe epilepsy in Merced, California. They haven't been back since. When the Lees refuse to give in to their doctors' demands they demonstrate the historical. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. Menu About The Book; About The Author; Book Summary. If Lia had been born in Laos, her mother would have squatted on the floor and pulled the baby out of her womb with her own hands. It might be the first time a book focusing on transcultural health care made it onto the New York Times best-seller list. Citation Generator. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures Acad Med. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. ISBN: 0-374-52564-1. On December 18, 1980, Foua and Nao Kao Lee arrive in the United States with their six surviving children. Even though she had a dirt floor, she would have been very careful to never allow her to. Lia did not die, nor did she recover. Who now lives in America, but still manages to head a rebel group. In “The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down,” Anne Fadiman provides us with her book about two different cultural worlds and how they collide. The Orphan. Fadiman turns her attention to Hmong history, surveying the origins of their time in Laos, where they dwelt in the mountains at high altitudes in which few other populations cared to live. Midterm: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down It is a story about a family who shows so much loyalty to their traditions and cultures, but it clashes with the strict American “norm” and creates conflict for their most prized possession, their daughter. 2) Title alert! Again, it's important to remember that epilepsy isn't necessarily a bad thing in Hmong culture. Foua Lee Character Analysis. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Chapters 1-4: The book begins with background on Lia Lee and the Lee Family. 5 out of 5 stars 4. A conversation and reading with Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors and The Collision of Tw. This essay, "Cultural Conflicts in Fadiman’s “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”" is published exclusively on IvyPanda's free essay examples database. Chapter 14 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Chapter 15 Summary & Analysis Next Chapter 16 Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis Fadiman writes that Lia. Hmong Studies Journal, 2004-05, 5: 1-36. At the hospital Lia's seizure becomes more violent, defeating all the EMTs' attempts to sedate her. Though Lia's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. One night, Foua tells Anne about their life back in Laos. This book reveals the tragic struggles between a doctor and patient because of. ” Analysis. The book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall down by Anne Fadiman is one of the highlights of the Hmong culture and the challenges socializing a family from Laos faces in American society. ”. Chapter 15: Gold and Dross. Share to Twitter. At this point, [Lia’s sister], who was three at the time, ran over to Lia and started banging her on the chest. The first chapters introduce the Hmong: both the family who suffers the book's tragedy, and the people as a whole. Analysis. When the Lees left Laos, Foua explains, at least they hoped for a better future. Her father is furious, while her mother is devastated. 1097/00001888-200106000-00012. . Lia's doctors ascribed her seizures to the misfiring of her cerebral neurons; her parents called her illness, qaug dab peg--the spirit catches you and you fall down--and ascribed it to the wandering of her soul. Neil is at home when Lia arrives at the hospital. Chapter 1 - Birth. There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. sacrificed a pig and chickens, sometimes they want to do it in the hospital. ABOUT THE BOOK Anne Fadiman's seminal work of nonfiction, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, examines the myriad difficulties and complications. • Chapter 6 - High-Velocity Transcortical Lead Therapy. He is interested in Hmong culture, though his attempts to connect with the. Lia ’s mother and Nao Kao ’s wife. James Naas . Although Dee follows "the anticonvulsant prescriptions to the letter," Lia continues to have seizures—more frequently than she did at home, in fact. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. The epileptic child whose tragic story illustrates the cultural divide between the Hmong and the American medical systems. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. It was awarded many honors including: A Salon Book Award Winner Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for General Nonfiction Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest Boston Book Review 1997 Ann Rea Jewell Non-Fiction Prize A New York Times. ] as threats," Nao Kao grabs Lia and attempts to flee the hospital (13. It tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong girl with severe epilepsy, and her family’s journey with managing the condition and the cultural barriers that posed great challenges in Lia’s care. These stragglers form several rebel groups, one of which is led by Vang Pao. Dee is a gentle, kind person who devotes herself to caring for children. Chapter 12 shows violence, starvation, and death became normalized for Hmong refugees in a way few Americans can understand. Foua carried her in a large, embroidered nyias, or baby carrier, preferring it to the wheelchair provided by the Merced County Health Department. A tvix neeb performed the ritual chant with the cow's head sitting on the Lee's front stoop. While their children take their father's clan name, Foua follows Hmong tradition and retains Yang—her original clan name—after marriage. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1997. Read More. After much debate, a lot of planning, and a ton of help from Jeanine Holt, the doctors finally agree. MonkeyNotes Study Guides Download Store-Downloadable Study Guides/Book Summary,Book Notes,Notes,Chapter Summary/Synopsis. Summary. Section Two: Chapters 5-8. The author begins this chapter with the assertion, “I do not know if Lia would be able to walk and talk today had she been treated by Arthur Kleinman instead of by Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp. 2. ) When the author took Selvidge’s information to Neil Ernst, he said that if he’d thought that Lia was septic, he would have done a lumbar puncture. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. Due to the diligent research and interviewing by the author, the reader is privy to all. Nao Kao, Blia. A feast of traditional beef dishes followed the ceremony. At the end of Chapter 12, Fadiman introduces the character of Shee Yee, the hero of the greatest Hmong folktales. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Ge, one of Nao Kao and Foua's daughters, dies after they arrive at a refugee camp in Thailand. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anna Fadiman tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose life could have been different if only her family was caught up in western medicine. Upset because he "perceived the doctors' comments [. Like many shamanic cultures, the Hmong believe that the condition serves as the gateway between our world and the. Anne, Chapter 1. Previous Page | Table of Contents | Next. Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. They also knew, in the midst of their grief for their infant daughter, that people. Peggy Philp. Nonetheless, when she came back inside after watching the family sacrifice a pig in the parking lot, the room’s atmosphere had changed. These babies were born at home on a dirt floor. Her worst seizures advance to status epilepticus—when she seizes for minutes at a time without regaining consciousness. Lia’s parents cared for her deeply, yet this arguable preventable tragedy still occurred. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. Analysis. Explanation and Analysis: Unlock with LitCharts A +. The aura, a sense of premonition common to all. Dressing Fadiman up in traditional Hmong clothing, Foua presented her to her boyfriend, who thought she looked ridiculous. “ […. 3-4 Ch. By the time Fadiman meets her. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Neil is a highly intelligent and inquisitive pediatrician who specializes in infections, asthma, and allergies. She was the only one in her family to be born outside of Laos. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ). Hmong residents ask her if American doctors eat the organs of dead patients. Then he hears that Vang Pao (remember, the rebel group guy) is planning to buy land in Merced. The book is crafty in its juggling act between the Lee Family perspective and the MCMC perspective. Hmong medicine consists of herbs and shamanism, a practice that interacts with the spiritual world. When Lia returns home the family is overjoyed to have her in their beds once again. Chapter 5 - Take As Directed. We learn that the Hmong have very different birthing traditions; that they believe in evil spirits called ‘dabs’; and these spirits can steal that they believe a baby’s soul. Villages are destroyed wholesale. taboo: against blood tests, spinal taps, surgery, anesthesia, and autopsies— the basic tools of modern medicine— seemed like self-defeating ignorance. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures Anne Fadiman, 1997 Farrar, Straus and Giroux 368 pp. The family would have called in a txiv neeb, a Hmong shaman or traditional healer, if any difficulties arose. 31). Exactly what every hospital needs. 20). Nao Kao is preparing "spirit money"—pieces of paper. On November 25, 1986, the day before Thanksgiving, Lia was eating as normal when she began to seize. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. When Lia was around three months old, her older sister Yer slammed a door and Lia had her first seizure. Her parents assumed the noise of the door had caused her soul to flee. It tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong girl with severe epilepsy, and her family’s journey with managing the condition and the cultural barriers that posed great challenges in Lia’s care. Web. Beginning in infancy,. Members of 14 Hmong clans live in Merced. When she learns that Anne's boyfriend is in town, she decides to "dress [Anne] as a Hmong bride" to entice her bae into popping the question (8. Martin Kilgore Character Analysis. Some of these perceptions are. Summary and Analysis of Chapter 13 of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. She. Fadiman began writing while at Harvard University as a columnist for Harvard Magazine. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. 10). Anyway, to everyone's surprise, it's one of the most effective campaigns the camp has. Write a 350-word summary of the chapter that includes the following: Identify the historical events or cultural practices in your selected chapter. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. The first paragraph focuses on why Lia’s birth is so different than her siblings. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down tells the story of treating Lia’s epilepsy, examining her medical experience in Merced in order to consider divides between Hmong and American culture. In the Fall of 1986, Lia had a terrible seizure and needed to be. Although The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down may sound like the debut album from an obscure EDM artist, this little non-fiction book has changed the world in more ways than one. . The Lee family were. The. A Summary of National Trends, Department of Health, Durham University, Department for Education. The teacher's suggestion appears in the narrative as a contrast to the tragic events in May's life. The Lee's, a family that endured hardships, frustration, anger, confusion, and hope while living in the United State's of America. On the other hand, Epilepsy is referred to as a neurological. Neil and Peggy 's son receives a cancer diagnosis, and Peggy and Foua mourn together, bonding over the pain of having a sick child. Foua and Nao Kao grow to distrust American medicine almost completely. Fadiman A. Unlike violence, death, and exile, Lia's medical catastrophe is not a tragedy the Lees expect. 31). Print Word PDF. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Lia ’s foster mom and Tom Korda ’s wife. • Chapter 6 - High-Velocity Transcortical Lead Therapy. Lia's story becomes the story of the Hmong people, the doctor-patient connection in Western medicine, and the immigrant experience in the United States. Denise Hitchcock. Fadiman's father is Clifton. Her parents call an ambulance, fearing the doctors won't give her immediate attention otherwise. Writing both a literary profile and an in-depth ethnography, Fadiman devotes whole chapters to the history and context of the Hmong ethnic identity, which she characterizes as “independent, insular. By these dictates, Laos was declared a neutral country. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary and Analysis of Ch. Basically, the main difference between Hmong and Western views of medicine is simple—Hmong treat the soul, Americans treat the body. Social Media Book Review by Chirag Mitra ,No 18533168,MPH&MHA, Social And cultural Perspectives of Health,La Trobe university,Summary and Analysis of Chapter 14 of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Chapter 2 introduces key facts about the Hmong, which place the Lees' behavior in a broader context. • Preface. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. eight hours in a Hmong home while an American doctor demanded the patient come to the hospital where the. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1997. The Hmong see illness and healing as spiritual matters linked to virtually everything in the universe while medical community marks a division between body and soul and concerns itself almost exclusively with the former. Many shamans—known as txiv neeb—use seizures to commune with the spirit realm. Summary When three-month-old Lia Lee arrived at the county hospital emergency room in Merced, California, a chain of events was set in motion from which neither she nor her parents nor her doctors would ever recover. Over two years after Lia's big seizure, she was still alive. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. Chapter 1. Incredibly driven and willing to seek out the truth even if it unearths his own mistakes, Neil eventually comes to. Shee Yee escaped nine evil dab brothers by shapeshifting into various forms and eventually biting a in the testicles. But the whole experience is a disaster—Lia even catches an infection at the hospital. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Introduction. Clapsaddle, Diane. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. The first chapters introduce the Hmong: both the family who suffers the book's tragedy, and the people as a whole. On the other hand, though, their failure to administer Lia’s medications had seemingly measurable negative results, meaning that Neil was equally entitled to wield his. Analysis. Anyway, this sparks a rebellion that goes on for centuries, until the Hmong finally retreat into the mountains. Neil's decision to send Lia into foster care throws a wrench into things, devastating Nao Kao and Foua and nearly breaking their family apart. The story told in ''The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down,'' by Anne Fadiman, a freelance journalist and the newly named editor of The American Scholar, is that of Lia Lee, born on July 19, 1982, in the Merced Community Medical Center. 18). On June 26, 1986, Lia—now considered a Dependent Child of the Juvenile Court—is removed from her home and placed in foster care for six months. She remarks that, even though these recordings have already been transcribed. The office in his home—where Fadiman stays while conducting her research—is full of ethnographies of. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. In the Lees' view, Lia's soul had fled her body and become lost. The way the content is organized and presented is seamlessly smooth, innovative, and comprehensive. health care and the Hmong in California. read analysis of Fish Soup. Lia 's family celebrates her permanent return home in April 1986 by sacrificing a cow. Many Hmong people don't trust American doctors. He always called an ambulance when Lia had a seizure. Dee falls in love with Lia and cares for her like her own. We watch Lia, the little Hmong girl diagnosed with epilepsy, slowly fade from. Foua. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Dan Murphy Character Analysis. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. At the same time, it is considered. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. Summary. She remains in a persistent vegetative state for the rest of her life, with a functioning brain stem but little awareness of or response to her environment. 5-6 Ch. A Hmong community leader in Merced. . " In Hmong folklore a dab is an evil spirit that steals souls. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down offers an insight into the clash of modern western medicine with the traditional methods and people of another culture, in this case the Hmong. It tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong girl with severe epilepsy, and her family’s journey with managing the condition and the cultural barriers that posed great challenges in Lia’s care. They're disoriented and confused by new appliances like refrigerators, toilets, and electrical devices. For their part, the Lees respond by doing something even more powerful—making Jeanine a part of the family. Do you feel the author was evenhanded in her presentation of Hmong culture and medical culture? 2. Anne Fadiman. When Lia came home in 1986, Nao Kao and Foua held a sacrificial ceremony in which they killed a cow. While working at a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand, Conquergood hosted a parade "led by three important characters from Hmong folktales" that also conveyed some very useful medical information (4. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down The two cultures 1. It’s no surprise, then, that things have changed in the fifteen years that have elapsed between the book’s last chapter and this afterword. Even things we take for granted like electricity and refrigeration are new to them. …. In the Hmong language the term for epilepsy is qaug dab peg. This chapter explains how the Hmong figured into the Vietnam War and American troops fighting there. 9. CHAPTER ONE. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores issues of culture, immigration, medicine, and the war in [Laos] with such skill that it's nearly impossible to put down. Birth. When a rabies scare cropped up, to get the Hmong to bring in their dogs for vaccines, he organized a Rabies Parade in which there were three characters - a tiger, a chicken, and a dab - which told the people by loudspeaker to bring in their dogs. Upset because he "perceived the doctors' comments [. Her parents were newly arrived Hmong immigrants from Laos. At first she meets with Hmong families at the hospital using a nurse's aide as her interpreter. 24). Jonas Vangay Character Analysis. On December 5, 1986, Lia returns to. The s pirit catches you and you fall down is cited in 14 different citation styles, including MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, APA, ACS, and many others. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. She's rushed to the hospital, where the doctors learn that the Lees are finally giving Lia the right amount of medication. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the riveting narrative of a showdown between modern American medicine and ancient Hmong beliefs, a blow-by-blow account of the battle fought. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction . Lia Lee was born in central California’s Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC) in July 1982. Confronting “culture” in medicine's “culture of no . The teacher's suggestion appears in the narrative as a contrast to the tragic events in May's life. In her case, only Western medicine could've saved her father from colon cancer. Arthur Kleinman Character Timeline in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. (2003). Recorded on these tapes are the many conversations she had with American doctors and the Lee family, who came to the United States from Laos as refugees in 1980. E. Preface. Share to Reddit. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down explores the clash between a small county hospital in California and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with severe epilepsy. This is evident in the recountment of a Hmong American that returns to visit Ban Vinai, a refugee camp in Thailand. This section contains 495 words. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are. This case study illustrates and analyzes the tension an ESL science teacher encountered when his science curriculum came into conflict with the religious and cos-mological beliefs of one of his Hmong immigrant students. Many of Li’s healthcare provi. The Spirit catches you and you fall down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman presents a case study of a young Hmong girl, Lia, and her journey with Epilepsy in America. In Fadiman’s unbiased book I learned that there are many cultural differences betweenThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down has been shown to facilitate important discussions about health disparities as well as serve as a teaching tool to better engage a broader dialogue (Fadiman, 1997; Lie et al. A free summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. The doctors prescribed.