These folktales often serve to illustrate some aspect of the character of the Hmong people. 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. 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. 19 - Afterword Chapter 19: The Sacrifice According to Hmong folklore, Shee Yee, the sorcerer who had turned into a tiny red ant and bit the evil dab on the testicle, had spent many years fighting dabs and restoring health to the sick. The Hmong New Year fell during Lia’s stay at MCMC, but Foua said that it was the only time. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. On December 18, 1980, Foua and Nao Kao Lee arrive in the United States with their six surviving children. 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. At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches. Chapter 9 Summary and Analysis. EDSE 460. The Sacrifice. By now, Lia has been seizing for almost two hours. 5). There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. 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. Home The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Q & A 1. 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. Find a summary of this and each chapter of The Spirit Catches. Naturally, they go through some serious culture shock. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction . 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. • Chapter 1 - Birth. When the United States military withdrew from Laos, former North Vietnamese forces came in to occupy the villages. Although Lee and her family live in the United States, and thus receive medical care from Westerners, her family believes that Lee’s condition. Lia ’s father and Foua ’s husband. In this union, an American was celebrating an event in a Hmong way, truly a collision of. The doctors believe epilepsy is a pathological process in the brain, while the family believe “the spirit catches you and you fall down”. Lia is the first Lee child born in an. Major characters Lia Lee ( Romanized Popular Alphabet: Liab Lis, [4] July 19, 1982 – August 31, 2012. She explains that Foua and Nao Kao, like many older Hmongs, didn’t speak any English after 17 years of living in the United States. The colored dots and icons indicate which. The timeline below shows where the character Arthur Kleinman appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. When the Lee's settled in the United States Foua gave birth to a baby girl named Lia. . Jeanine Hilt just might be our favorite person in The Spirit Catches You. 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. ” At this point in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the idea of right and wrong begins to blur. 5-6 Ch. Within moments following the door's closing, Lia's first seizure commenced. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. Members of 14 Hmong clans live in Merced. 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. For example, the Hmong maintain that each person contains a finite amount of blood, so any blood extraction is viewed as dangerous. Bill didn’t assign blame to Neil for not catching the sepsis. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. ”. As a way of coping with the grief and uncertainty of Lia ’s medical complications, both the Lee family and MCMC’s team of doctors try to assign blame. Analysis. The book is about a young Hmong child named Lia Lee. Yikes. Nao Kao is preparing "spirit money"—pieces of paper. She's rushed to the hospital, where the doctors learn that the Lees are finally giving Lia the right amount of medication. Summary. Their selection of this town is largely because of the influence of Dang Moua, an energetic Hmong American businessman. Lia Lee. Fadiman brings up a program of eight questions designed by. Her family celebrated by sacrificing a cow and inviting many relatives to rejoice with them. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. Chapter 5 Summary and Analysis. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. Chapter 13 represents the falling action of Lia's story as the family adjusts to the reality of her fate. Foua and Nao Kao learned to recognize the signs signaling the onset of Lia's seizures, such as twitching. Analysis. Fadiman notes that many Hmong believe spinal taps are “potentially crippling both in this life and in future lives. 540 Words3 Pages. At the time of the war in Southeast Asia, they lived in Laos about 400 meters above sea-level. Jonas Vangay Character Analysis. As a metaphor for this, she tells a story about a young Hmong man who, in a presentation. Like many shamanic cultures, the Hmong believe that the condition serves as the gateway between our world and the. You'd think Saran Wrap would be less tough to navigate than, say, a brick wall. …. Her seizures normally lasted only a few minutes, but when she didn't get. 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. 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 spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures Acad Med. …. 24 Nov 2023. 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. Despite living alone on the margins of society, however, the Orphan is actually clever, courageous, resilient, and a. 10). "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. The little girl’s name is Lia Lee and she suffers from severe epilepsy at the very young age of 3 months. The even-numbered explanatory chapters often begin or end with a Hmong folktale illustrating an important aspect of the culture. When Peggy first saw Lia after the girl’s return from Fresno, she was heartbroken: Lia was hardly alive. 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. Analysis Of Midterm: The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down 1960 Words | 8 Pages. Summary. Blame and Power Theme Analysis. Summary. The book suggests no doctor can be completely impartial. Chapter 15 - Gold and Dross. From the creators of SparkNotes. • Chapter 2 - Fish Soup. In this miniscule event, two cultures with completely conflicting ideas came together to form a union. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. Chapter 9 continues Lia's story, sharing events from both Lia's parents' and doctors' points of view. 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. 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: ). Dressing Fadiman up in traditional Hmong clothing, Foua presented her to her boyfriend, who thought she looked ridiculous. Two men slaughter the pig, and the txiv neeb marks Lia with the pig's blood to protect her from dabs, or evil spirits. Peggy Philp Character Analysis. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. These questions are used to convey a patient. In the Lees' view, Lia's soul had fled her body and become lost. Chapter 7: Government Property. Plot Summary & Analysis Themes Quotes Characters Symbols Theme Viz Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Spirit Catches You makes teaching easy. By far the most common cause of illness is soul loss. 47352453. 24). The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down moves from hospital corridors to healing ceremonies, and from the hill country of Laos to the living rooms of Merced, uncovering in its path the complex sources and implications of two dramatically clashing worldviews. Because Foua and Nao Kao continued their pattern of noncompliance by neglecting to properly administer the drugs again, she was once more taken away on June 6th, this time for six months. It has sold almost 900,000 copies, according to its publisher, Farrar, Straus. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. . Summary. Shee Yee escaped nine evil dab brothers by shapeshifting into various forms and eventually biting a in the testicles. 15-16 Ch. Nonetheless, he asked her to marry him. Peggy Philp. Dee Korda Character Analysis. By studying miscommunication between Hmong patients and their American doctors, Fadiman demonstrates that many cross-cultural misunderstandings hinge on a disconnect between the two parties’. Chapter 7: Government Property. Taylor, J. Personal and communal crises mirror one another in the plot. Read the Review. 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. In one story, he offers his home to two sisters, one good and one snotty. 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. She explains how, days after Lia came home. In 2700 B. Why do you think the author included them? 3. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. Share to Twitter. Read More. Ultimately, everything comes to a head when Lia's doctor, Neil Ernst, gets fed up with this lack of communication and sends Lia into a foster home. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. Meanwhile, Western medicine is based on the advancement of science and technology. Her family however believed her illness was caused by soul loss (Fadiman 21). When the Lees refuse to give in to their doctors' demands they demonstrate the historical. “Don’t do that, there’s a good boy,” said Martin, addressing the little girl in English, of which she did not speak a word. Her recently-deceased father was a well-respected txiv neeb —or shamanistic healer—who used to seize so. Anne Fadiman. She was in a "persistent vegetative state," able to breath, sleep, and cry, but showing no signs of self-aware. Clapsaddle, Diane. Thing weren't quite so rosy when he "used to live in Richmond, Virginia" (16. Next. Unlike her fellow. ” Analysis. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down The two cultures 1. 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. The book contains many Hmong phrases and many medical phrases, both unfamiliar to most readers. 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. At this point, Fadiman finally goes beyond merely suggesting that doctors ask their Hmong patients what they believe is happening to them. Analysis. 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. Fadiman's father is Clifton. They spoiled her and treated her like a princess, believing that her epilepsy marked her as special and that she might someday. She was the only one in her family to be born outside of Laos. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down is a work of literary nonfiction that chronicles the life and medical troubles of Lia Lee, a young girl from Merced, California. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Nonetheless, when she came back inside after watching the family sacrifice a pig in the parking lot, the room’s atmosphere had changed. 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. Free, fun, and packed with easy-to-understand explanations! The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. 3-4 Ch. Between the ages of 8 months and four and a half years, the Lees brought Lia to the hospital dozens of times. Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. • Chapter 1 - Birth. Lia at the age of three months began to seize, the family had diagnosed her with qug dab peg which also means the spirit. Yes, including the pigs (after the sacrifice, that is). Anyway, to everyone's surprise, it's one of the most effective campaigns the camp has. 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 15: Gold and Dross. translating literally to “the spirit catches you and you fall down. The family lived in a refugee camp in California, and Lia’s parents treated her with traditional Hmong remedies. 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. Her American doctors had a strict and rigorous. 2) Title alert! Again, it's important to remember that epilepsy isn't necessarily a bad thing in Hmong culture. E. Qaug means to fall over, and peg means to catch. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. 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. The Lees' story takes on a more reflective mood in Chapters 15 and 17–18. The first chapters introduce the Hmong: both the family who suffers the book's tragedy, and the people as a whole. Afterwards, Foua maintained that Lia got more and more sick because the doctors. Lia Lee began suffering seizures at a young age and was diagnosed with epilepsy by American doctors. Lia Lee suffered from seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. Basically, the main difference between Hmong and Western views of medicine is simple—Hmong treat the soul, Americans treat the body. Who now lives in America, but still manages to head a rebel group. In the Lees' view, Lia's soul had fled her body and become lost. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them. At the same time, it is considered. Unlike other doctors, Fadiman points out, Neil Ernst remained unbending in his care for Lia, ultimately unwilling to compromise the quality of his services to accommodate Foua and Nao Kao ’s beliefs or abilities. Language, religious beliefs, and ideas about parental authority all prevent the Lees and their doctors from understanding one another. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. They preferred it to the pediatric wheelchair. By suggesting that Hmong culture. Summary 1997 Winner, National Book Critics Circle Award - NonfictionThis Hyperink Quicklet is over 5,200 words and includes an overall summary, chapter commentary, key characters, literary themes, fun trivia, and recommended related readings. • Preface. In the Fall of 1986, Lia had a terrible seizure and needed to be. Unlike violence, death, and exile, Lia's medical catastrophe is not a tragedy the Lees expect. In retrospect, Fadiman writes, he questioned this decision, but at the time he was steadfast in his belief that he was doing the right thing. 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 study guide contains a biography of Anne Fadiman, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Luckily, Lia ends up in the home of Dee Korda, a woman who fosters several children with special needs. In contrast to the Western view, the condition is actually considered a blessing—many shamans, known as txiv neeb, use their seizures to take "journeys into the realm of the unseen" (3. 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. “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 teacher's language has a rational detachment similar to the tone of the medical notes on Lia 's case. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Fadiman sensed something else amiss in the girl, too, admitting that perhaps her soul really was missing. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. Her older sister, Yer, slammed the front door of the Lees’ apartment. ) The Hmong had their own reasons for defending the Royal Lao government, and thus, collaborating with the United States. ) Citation. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 1997. However, he now wonders if it might have been better to keep Lia's prescriptions more consistent so that her parents could more easily comply and so that they would. They both work exceptionally hard and continually go the extra mile for the Lee family. The family has two pigs to sacrifice—one for them and one for Lia—as well as a host of tasty Hmong food. Neil Ernst. Anne Fadiman, 1997. This book reveals the tragic struggles between a doctor and patient because of. E. "--Linnea Lannon, The Detroit. 13-14 Ch. Fadiman is also the author of two essay collections. 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. Fadiman came to Merced in 1988 after hearing that the hospital was experiencing a swath of cultural misunderstandings and miscommunications with the Hmong community. . This book reveals the tragic struggles between a doctor and patient because of. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down written by Ann Fadiman is about a Hmong child, Lia Lee, that has epilepsy. Though Lia 's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. Looks like you're viewing this page on a mobile device. (approx. Book review for Social and Cultural Perspectives of Public HealthThe timeline below shows where the character Yer Lee appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. 15-16 Ch. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. Do you feel the author was evenhanded in her presentation of Hmong culture and medical culture? 2. There are still "tens of thousands" of Hmong in Laos (12. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a sad, beautiful, complicated story that is ostensibly about a tragedy that arose from a clash of cultures, but is really about the tragedy of human beings. Lia’s parents cared for her deeply, yet this arguable preventable tragedy still occurred. Her worst seizures advance to status epilepticus—when she seizes for minutes at a time without regaining consciousness. Fadiman begins the chapter with an autobiography that May, one of Lia’s sisters, writes for a school assignment about her family’s experience fleeing Laos in 1979. Lia was born in 1982 in Merced, California. The Hmong religion permeates the Lees' life. medical school curricula. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. 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. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. [5] ): a Hmong child born in Merced, California, in 1982. Lia neither died nor recovered. 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. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 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. The best study guide to The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. S. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book by Anne Fadiman about a Hmong family (the Lee’s) that moved to the United States. Medical, Racist, and Colonial Constructions of Power: Creating the Asian American Patient and the Cultural Citizen in Anne Fadiman’s . Share to Pinterest. 1-2 Chapter 1: Birth 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. Many Hmong people don't trust American doctors. Everything you need for every book you read. Many shamans—known as txiv neeb—use seizures to commune with the spirit realm. 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. Their character proceeded from that. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between. The even-numbered explanatory chapters often begin or end with a Hmong folktale illustrating an important aspect of the culture. CPS workers arrived at the Lee house with Sue Xiong , a Hmong interpreter whom. 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. Her parents assumed the noise of the door had caused her soul to flee. Comprehensive Study Guide with Chapter Analysis, Themes, Characters & More. The Hmong traditionally lived high in the mountains of Laos, where they practiced agriculture and. C. 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. 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. Book Details. • Chapter 7 - Government Property. 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. 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 for their most prized possession, their daughter. They now treat illnesses in their family at home. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman Summary. Fish Soup. Contrary to the belief that the qualities of one side do not merge with those of the other, however, it. “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. However, I have come to believe that her life was ruined not by septic shock or noncompliant parents but by cross. By 400 C. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. In her case, only Western medicine could've saved her father from colon cancer. Culture plays a major role in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Each student will be creating an individual blog dedicated to The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Neil and Peggy 's son receives a cancer diagnosis, and Peggy and Foua mourn together, bonding over the pain of having a sick child. Birth. However, the Lees become discouraged when they notice Lia's verbal skills have regressed. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Yet again,. Lia Lee. • Chapter 3 - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. 1). We're at the Lee's apartment and a txiv neeb has just arrived "to perform a healing ceremony for Lia" (19. Preface. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. Preface. Writing both a literary profile and an in. Lia Lee Character Analysis. Dan is the first doctor to diagnose Lia as epileptic after seeing her in the throes of a seizure during her third visit to the hospital. They knew the y wouldn’t approve of swidden agriculture and because the Hmong had sided with the French, they fear reprisals. Her full name is used only five times in the narrative. A free summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. 45. The complicated politics surrounding this war reach back to the Geneva Accords of 1954, when Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam were recognized as independent states in what had been French Indochina. They haven't been back since. The epileptic child whose tragic story illustrates the cultural divide between the Hmong and the American medical systems. Free Summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Anyway, to everyone's surprise, it's one of the most effective campaigns the camp has. Lia 's epileptic crisis is over. The Lee family were. A public health nurse who makes house calls to provide Lia with medical checkups after her final neurological crisis. The Lee family knew that the noise had awakened a dab, an evil spirit who stole Lia's soul. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. The Lee family was convinced that the door's slamming had been so frightening as to make Lia's soul fly away. Misunderstandings and disagreements manifested in day-to-day interactions reveal. S medical system battles with their traditional Hmong healing methods. "TheBestNotes on The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down ". Chapters 5-8: In the second section of the book, the reader meets Neil and Peggy, married pediatricians who are incredibly hard working and see the light at the end of the tunnel with Lia’s case. 2 pages at 400 words per page) It is no surprise that Fadiman obsessed over the idea that the gulf between Hmong culture and Western medicine might be “unbridgeable,” since the very aim of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is to examine the missed avenues of communication in a disastrous instance of cross-cultural misunderstanding. • Chapter 2 - Fish Soup. Dan is devoted to learning about the Hmong people, even inviting various Hmong. . Lia was carried by Foua or another older member of the family on the back in a nyias, an apron shaped baby carrier that Foua had embroidered and ornamented with bright colors and fuzzy pink pom-poms. Unfortunately, she couldn’t save their only son or her husband. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 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. The high stakes of medical care increase the need for strong. Just be glad you speak the same language. In the 1980s, Lia was part of the Hmong population in America who were refugees from Laos. 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. Fish Soup Symbol Analysis. The Orphan is one of the recurring characters in Hmong folktales. She went to. James Naas . 3-4 Ch. Chapter 11 - The Big One. By now, Lia has been seizing for almost two hours. Description. They live in Portland for two years before moving to their current home in Merced, California. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different Groups. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. 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. By these dictates, Laos was declared a neutral country. 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. . The Spirit Catches You Exam. For the Hmong people,. It has sold almost 900,000 copies, according to its publisher, Farrar, Straus. By ANNE FADIMAN. Fadiman begins by calling attention to a carton of cassette tapes she keeps beneath her desk. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Yikes. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1. LitCharts LLC, 18 Sep 2017. 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. In the Hmong language the term for epilepsy is qaug dab peg. ‘The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down’ is the literal translation of the Hmong terminology for an epileptic seizure. 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. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. At the age of three months, Lia Lee had an epileptic seizure. 7-8 Ch. Foua. 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, antiauthoritarian,. When Fadiman told Foua that she’d gotten engaged, Foua was not surprised at all. (Fadiman, 2012. 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. Talking to Fadiman later, she and her husband tried to describe what it was like to see Lia in such a terrible state. Summary. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. She considers what she's learned while researching, writing, and hearing reader reactions. Compared to the polite and nonintrusive methods of the txiv neeb s, American doctors' methods are frightening. 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. E. Foua's husband Nao Kao attended each birth. Dressing Fadiman up in traditional Hmong clothing, Foua presented her to her boyfriend, who thought she looked ridiculous. Jonas attended the most elite secondary school in Laos before eventually earning a master’s degree from a French university. Hmong Studies Journal, 2004-05, 5: 1-36. 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. When Lia was three months old her older sister Yer slammed the front door. 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. She lay suspended in time, growing only a few inches, gaining little weight, always looking far younger than her age, while her six siblings grew up around her. Q. In 2700 B. The Lees placed her on the mat on the floor where they always placed her at these times. 1.