13-14 Ch. Examine and describe how these differences create disparities between U. Foua's husband Nao Kao attended each birth. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. The Lees knew immediately what had happened. This chapter explains how the Hmong figured into the Vietnam War and American troops fighting there. The Hmong had always been Montagnards, mountain people. She went to. 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. 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. CHAPTER ONE. They first tried to flee in 1976, but were captured by Vietnamese soldiers and marched back to their village at gunpoint. The Lee family arrives in America in 1980. The teacher's suggestion appears in the narrative as a contrast to the tragic events in May's life. Fadiman gives a survey of sacrificial events in Hmong culture,. Vangay explains that for a Hmong, unlike an American, "it is never everyone for himself" (247). ABOUT THE BOOK Anne Fadiman’s seminal work of nonfiction, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, examines the myriad difficulties and complications that arise when two radically. Anne Fadiman’s ethnography . Chapter 15 - Gold and Dross. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different Groups. 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. In Hmong culture, epilepsy is known as "quag dab peg," which means "the spirit catches you and you fall down" (3. Chapter 12 shows violence, starvation, and death became normalized for Hmong refugees in a way few Americans can understand. Downloadable / Printable Version. ISBN: 0-374-52564-1. Medical, Racist, and Colonial Constructions of Power: Creating the Asian American Patient and the Cultural Citizen in Anne Fadiman’s . 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. 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. He wondered which would have been more discriminatory - to deprive Lia of optimal care that any other child would have received or fail to tailor her treatment in such a way that the. At the time of the war in Southeast Asia, they lived in Laos about 400 meters above sea-level. She explains how, days after Lia came home. They're disoriented and confused by new appliances like refrigerators, toilets, and electrical devices. Lia. Having immigrated with Foua and the rest of their family to America from Laos, Nao Kao is a devoted father who advocates strongly for Lia, often allowing his strong temper and stubborn disposition to dominate the interactions he has with doctors and social. This article addresses the relationship between theory, narrative form, and teaching through a close critical. Like their patients, they have biases. Menu About The Book; About The Author; Book Summary. A tvix neeb performed the ritual chant with the cow's head sitting on the Lee's front stoop. After working as a computer analyst in Paris, he relocated to Merced because he believed it was his “moral responsibility” to help his people in. In the 1980s, Lia was part of the Hmong population in America who were refugees from Laos. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose tragic demise reveals the dangers of a lack of cross-cultural. 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. The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures Acad Med. - both Foua and dad threaten to commit suicide in the period when Lia was in fostercare. D. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Introduction. A family practice resident at Merced Community Medical Center who is interested in Hmong culture. But for Lia and her family, they had added barriers of being immigrants who speak no English, who cannot find jobs, and were exiled from their own country. 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. He believed her fate was sealed, because everyone at MCMC focused entire on the seizures. At the age of three months, Lia had her first seizure caused by the sound of a door. Culture plays a major role in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Fish Soup Symbol Analysis. The story starts with the Lee’s forced immigration to America and talks about Lia being born with epilepsy. 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. Dan Murphy Character Analysis. Foua Yang is a Hmong American woman living in Merced, California, with her husband Nao Kao Lee and their family. Fadiman begins by calling attention to a carton of cassette tapes she keeps beneath her desk. The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman - MonkeyNotes by PinkMonkey. They recognized the resulting symptoms as quag dab peg, which means "the spirit catches you and you fall down. At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches you and you fall down. Fadiman writes that Lia was seven when she first met her, which was two years after she had entered a nonresponsive state (her doctors called this a “persistent vegetative state”). The family would have called in a txiv neeb, a Hmong shaman or traditional healer, if any difficulties arose. Chapter 3: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. This Study Guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Unlike her fellow Americans (Dee not included, obvs), this social worker falls in love with Lia and her family, making their plight her personal crusade. 9). A young Hmong man gave a presentation about how to make fish soup. 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. Summary: 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. 2001 Jun;76(6):620-1. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. 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. When Lia joins the Korda family, they already have five biological children and six foster children, many of whom have cognitive disabilities or mental health issues. She notes the “uphill battle” the Lees faced in converting their apartment—with its humming refrigerator and fluttering TV screen—into a tranquil, spiritual atmosphere. The Afterword was written in 2012, 15 years after the book was first published in 1997. 15-16 Ch. Seventeen years later Foua and Nao Kao have continued to resist. Martin Kilgore Character Analysis. Summary. 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. Arthur Kleinman Character Timeline in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. health care and the Hmong in California. Between the ages of eight months and four and a half years, Lia was admitted to MCMC seventeen times and made more than one hundred out patient visits to the ER and the Family Practice Center. They spoiled her and treated her like a princess, believing that her epilepsy marked her as special and that she might someday. Find out what happens in our Chapter 1 summary for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. He is interested in Hmong culture, though his attempts to connect with the. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. Their journey in The Spirit Catches You reveals a great deal about the challenges they face—and they benefits they enjoy—as the younger generation of Hmong-American immigrants. You know when Lia is there because you'll undoubtedly find her running "up and down the corridor in the pediatric unit, banging on doors" (5. Download. The Lee Children. When Lia was three months old her older sister Yer slammed the front door. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997. Things go from bad to worse. Fadiman continues to examine the arrival of the Hmong in California, rehashing some of her earlier ideas about xenophobia and welfare. A Hmong mother, Foua took it upon herself to perform a marriage ceremony for the author of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down”, Anne Fadiman. On November 25, 1986, the day before Thanksgiving, Lia was eating as normal when she began to seize. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. This chapter focuses on Lia’s birth and all the Hmong customs that went along with the birth of any child. 18). This Study Guide consists of approximately 38 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down quotes below are all either spoken by Sukey Waller or refer to Sukey Waller. 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. Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis. Section One: Chapters 1-4; Section Two: Chapters 5-8; Section Three: Chapters 9-14; Section Four: Chapters 15-19; My Review and Takeaways;. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. The office in his home—where Fadiman stays while conducting her research—is full of ethnographies of. When Lia was around three months old, her older sister Yer slammed a door and Lia had her first seizure. When the Lee's settled in the United States Foua gave birth to a baby girl named Lia. 5). The Hmong community in Merced grows even more distrustful of. Archives of . 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. Even things we take for granted like electricity and refrigeration are new to them. Way to conquer, um, incorrect stereotypes about medicine. 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. 45. Lia neither died nor recovered. Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10. Peggy Philp and Neil ErnstThe 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. of 150 and a full-body tan from taking vacations at a nudist camp. They recognized the symptoms as qaug dab peg, "the. Just after she finished eating, her face took on the strange, frightened expression that always preceded a seizure. 9). Nao Kao can tell that this one is serious, so he calls an ambulance for the first time. Need help on characters in Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down? Check out our detailed character descriptions. Dee falls in love with Lia and cares for her like her own. Fadiman considers the fact that the Hmong view health concerns as not only relating to the body, but also relating to everything else in their lives. Hmong’s believe dab’s steal souls and cause sick illnesses. The author of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Chapter 3 Summary & Analysis Next Chapter 4 Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis Three months after her healthy birth, Lia. 1-2 Chapter 1: Birth Lia. Way to conquer, um, incorrect stereotypes about medicine. A free summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. In the presentation, he spent forty-five minutes painstakingly detailing the entire process, from choosing the right kind of hook to go fishing to preparing. This chapter jumps forward in time three years since the end of Chapter 13. To make matters worse, Fadiman writes, the Hmong believe that many Western medical practices run the risk of harming patients. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. The author of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. 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. On the one hand, the Lees had every right to exercise their beliefs. Then he hears that Vang Pao (remember, the rebel group guy) is planning to buy land in Merced. …. Born in New York, Fadiman grew up in southern California, the setting of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, and in Connecticut. Nuland, The New Republic “ The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down changed how doctors see themselves and how they see their patients. 24 Nov 2023. 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. When Fadiman told Foua that she’d gotten engaged, Foua was not surprised at all. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. Chapter 15 Quotes. When Lia returns home the family is overjoyed to have her in their beds once again. The Lee family were. One of Lia ’s primary doctors, and Neil Ernst ’s wife. C. 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. ] as threats," Nao Kao grabs Lia and attempts to flee the hospital (13. • Chapter 3 - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Lia’s parents cared for her deeply, yet this arguable preventable tragedy still occurred. The timeline below shows where the character Sue Xiong appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. “ […. The epileptic child whose tragic story illustrates the cultural divide between the Hmong and the American medical systems. When two cultures collide in defending their beliefs on western medicines versus spiritual practices, the life of a young Hmong girl hangs in the balance in Anne Fadiman’s 1997 book, The Spirit. A little girl who is part of Merced, California’s population of Hmong immigrants. The TV was off, a candle had. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman Buy Study Guide The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Quotes and Analysis Dan had no way of knowing that. The Spirit Catches You Exam. 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. For the Hmong people,. . As a writer, Fadiman herself moves in and out of her scenes; in some moments, she describes her conversations with Lia ’s. 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. Talking to Fadiman later, she and her husband tried to describe what it was like to see Lia in such a terrible state. 4. Between the ages of 8 months and four and a half years, the Lees brought Lia to the hospital dozens of times. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis. Nao Kao Lee Character Analysis. They also knew, in the midst of their grief for their infant daughter, that people. Her medical chart from this time describes her as a female Hmong child well known to the facility. In California's Central Valley agricultural town of Merced, Hmong Americans make up one fifth of the population. Chapter. They also established themselves as masterful opium farmers, though very few of them became addicts. 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. 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. Taylor, J. Summary. 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. She considers what she's learned while researching, writing, and hearing reader reactions. Children as young as ten are forced into military service. When Lia Lee's sister slammed the front door to their Merced, California, apartment, Lia experienced her first in several years of increasingly severe seizures. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. ” In the culture of Western medicine, this is epilepsy. Web. Dialect obstructions and conviction framework contrasts kept Lia from accepting ideal care, despite the fact that both her family and the specialists did their closest to perfect to help. 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. Lia Lee suffered from seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. If a Hmong walked into a doctor’s office complaining of a stomachache, she says, he may actually be “complaining that the entire universe was out of balance. Analysis Of Midterm: The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down 1960 Words | 8 Pages. Summary. In 1973, 150,000 members of the Hmong ethnicity—the Lees included—were forced from their homes after "their country fell to communist forces" (1. The Lee family knew that the noise had awakened a dab, an evil spirit who stole Lia's soul. The second student was a Hmong, who proceeded to speak about a recipe for fish soup. She gave birth there to her thirteenth child, Mai. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose tragic demise reveals the dangers of a lack of cross-cultural communication in the medical profession. Lia 's family celebrates her permanent return home in April 1986 by sacrificing a cow. 1 March 2018. • Chapter 3 - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. By now, Lia has been seizing for almost two hours. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. S. She was in a "persistent vegetative state," able to breath, sleep, and cry, but showing no signs of self-aware. The doctors believe epilepsy is a pathological process in the brain, while the family believe “the spirit catches you and you fall down”. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Despite living alone on the margins of society, however, the Orphan is actually clever, courageous, resilient, and a. Lia is the first Lee child born in an. On the day before Thanksgiving, Lia had a mild runny nose, but little appetite. They now treat illnesses in their family at home. Within moments following the door's closing, Lia's first seizure commenced. As a writer, Fadiman herself moves in and out of her scenes; in some moments, she describes her conversations with Lia ’s. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. The Lee family was convinced that the door's slamming had been so frightening as to make Lia's soul fly away. Overall. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Quiz 3. 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. Personal and communal crises mirror one another in the plot. When the United States military withdrew from Laos, former North Vietnamese forces came in to occupy the villages. ''. In this union, an American was celebrating an event in a Hmong way, truly a collision of. OCLC. After much debate, a lot of planning, and a ton of help from Jeanine Holt, the doctors finally agree. For their part, the Lees respond by doing something even more powerful—making Jeanine a part of the family. " LitCharts. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. • Chapter 7 - Government Property. Share to Reddit. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between. Open Preview. For those who did leave, the toughest part of. 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. 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. Chapter 3: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down When Lia Lee was about three months old, her older sister Yer slammed the front door. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Lia did not die, nor did she recover. They preferred it to the pediatric wheelchair. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” is the story of a Hmong family living in Merced, California and their Daughter, Lia, who has severe epilepsy. The lack of understanding and communication lead to a medical tragedy for Hmong child Lia Lee. Purpose In this small-scale study, we pre-supposed that The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down wouldThe Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose tragic demise reveals the dangers of a lack of cross-cultural communication in the medical profession. The little girl’s name is Lia Lee and she suffers from severe epilepsy at the very young age of 3 months. After spending eleven days at Valley Children's Hospital, Lia returned to MCMC on. Clapsaddle, Diane. Lia has her first seizure when she is three months old. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, among other awards. What had occurred was known as qaug dab peg in Hmong (translated as "the spirit catches you and you. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. CPS workers arrived at the Lee house with Sue Xiong , a Hmong interpreter whom. • Chapter 4 - Do Doctors Eat Brains? • Chapter 5 - Take As Directed. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Analysis. Buy Study Guide About The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary Character List Glossary Themes Quotes and Analysis Ch. Anne Fadiman celebrates the complexity and the individuality of the human interactions that make up the practice of medicine while simultaneously pointing out directions for change and breaking. "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. • Preface. But the families—who don't trust hospitals or medical staff—are skeptical of her. Sofia Mejia Chapter 11 Analysis In this chapter of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall. 368 pp. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. 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. Birth. “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. Anyway, to everyone's surprise, it's one of the most effective campaigns the camp has. Fadiman came to Merced in 1988 after hearing that the hospital was experiencing a swath of cultural misunderstandings and miscommunications with the Hmong community. . The. Summary. In Anne Fadiman’s book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, two cultures clash with each other in the struggle to save Lia Lee, a Hmong child refugee with severe epilepsy. Neil Ernst constantly questioned himself over whether his uncompromising standard of care had actually compromised Lia’s health. Her full name is used only five times in the narrative. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down tells the story of Lia Lee, a Hmong child with epilepsy, whose tragic downfall reveals the dangers of a lack of cross-cultural communication in the medical profession. At 3 months old she started showing signs of severe epilepsy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Anne, Chapter 1. Anne Fadiman, 1997. Shee Yee eventually transferred his powers to human tvix neebs, or shamans, who summon his spirit as they do his work. Neil is at home when Lia arrives at the hospital. Her American doctors had a strict and rigorous. Although The Spirit Catches You is all about Lia, there's not much actually about Lia within its. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. Fadiman continues to examine the arrival of the Hmong in California, rehashing some of her earlier ideas about xenophobia and welfare. There are still "tens of thousands" of Hmong in Laos (12. Anne Fadiman’s book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, tells the story of an epileptic Hmong child and her collision of two cultures. Chapter 7 - Government Property. There are interesting frictions and incongruities in these places, and often, if you stand at. The book contains many Hmong phrases and many medical phrases, both unfamiliar to most readers. While considered by some to be an illness, seizures are actually seen as a good thing to the Hmong culture. 5). The teacher's suggestion appears in the narrative as a contrast to the tragic events in May's life. Chapter 9 continues Lia's story, sharing events from both Lia's parents' and doctors' points of view. Personal and communal crises mirror one another in the plot. "TheBestNotes on The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down ". Analysis. Jeanine Hilt just might be our favorite person in The Spirit Catches You. She was seen by the staff on countless other occasions that did not require admission. 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. Chapter 9 - A Little Medicine and a Little Neeb. The Spirit Catches you and you fall down. Her seizures normally lasted only a few minutes, but when she didn't get. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them. Fadiman is accurate and detailed in her digressions about the Hmong people and their history in China and Laos. S medical system battles with their traditional Hmong healing methods. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Quotes Showing 1-30 of 44. She had epilepsy and struggled with American medicine because she did not speak English. Aside from the medical parts, which are described carefully and objectively, and without portioning any blame, this book is a very touching story of a family coping with adversity in a brave and dignified. Hmong Studies Journal, 2004-05, 5: 1-36. 5). Fadiman presents Shee Yee as a symbol of the Hmong people. Summary. Fadiman notes that many Hmong believe spinal taps are “potentially crippling both in this life and in future lives. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. When Lia came home in 1986, Nao Kao and Foua held a sacrificial ceremony in which they killed a cow. From the creators of SparkNotes. 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. Fadiman reminds readers that The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down was written in the 1990s and concerned itself with events that took place in the ’80s. “I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet. Chapter. 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. While commonplace in Hmong culture, Americans are uncomfortable with the idea of ritual sacrifice, especially when it is in the public domain. Analysis Of Midterm: The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down 1960 Words | 8 Pages. Lia neither died nor recovered. Then he presents spirit-money to thank the pig for its sacrifice. On November 25, 1986, Lia has a severe seizure at home. If Lia Lee had been born in the highlands of northwest Laos, where her parents and twelve of her brothers and sisters were born, her mother. " In Hmong folklore a dab is an evil spirit that steals souls. Analysis. Lia Lee was three months old when she suffered her first epileptic seizure. Nao Kao is preparing "spirit money"—pieces of paper. Lia Lee began suffering seizures at a young age and was diagnosed with epilepsy by American doctors. These babies were born at home on a dirt floor. Foua and Nao Kao learned to recognize the signs signaling the onset of Lia's seizures, such as twitching. Chapter 10 - War. Analysis. Nao Kao and Foua arrived at Children’s Valley Hospital after Lia and were troubled to learn about the spinal tap that had been inserted. They both work exceptionally hard and continually go the extra mile for the Lee family. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book that highlights the struggles between two cultures in healthcare. Lia Lees’ story shows the importance of communication in the medical profession dealing with different cultures. Lia's treatment was complex—her anticonvulsant prescriptions changed 23 times in four years—and the Lees were sure the medicines were bad for their. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. Jeanine takes thorough notes about Lia’s circumstances, notes that Fadiman draws upon extensively to illustrate the specifics of the young girl’s story. 540 Words3 Pages. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. • Chapter 7 - Government Property. When the Lees refuse to give in to their doctors' demands they demonstrate the historical. Chapter 12 Summary: “Flight”. 1-2 Ch. 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. com. A Review By Will Connolly. Hmong residents ask her if American doctors eat the organs of dead patients. Preface. Read More. While Lia has a United States birth certificate that includes a time and date. , 2002). 20). These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. He always called an ambulance when Lia had a seizure.