these concepts in one's life is challenging. Impermanence is concerned with the thought that nothing remains static, and change is to be expected. Selflessness holds that there is no immortal soul or external Self that exists in each individual; (Fadiman & Frager,1994:p 545) selflessness is closely connected with impermanence. Dissatisfaction is a larger concept entir ely- it involves the acknowledgment that suffering exists. The world is founded on suffering, (DeSilva, 1991:p 21) and once anything
story of two American families over three generations, seven decades from the Civil War to World War I, told in a book that confuses us with contradictions, that lacks fictional concentration and that wanders in and around too many themes. Clifton Fadiman once said it was wrong to describe Steinbeck as a hard boiled writer. Well, if a comparison with eggs is necessary, "East of Eden" is an overdone omelet. Steinbeck himself worried about its weaknesses. In a letter to his editor, he said, "It's kind
is why it’s our duty to father the rest of the world when conflicts arise. American culture and ideals are also thought to take precedents over all other cultures and ideals. In the book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall down, written by Anne Fadiman, there are many great examples of how American culture is imposed on the people residing with in its enclosed boundaries. The U.S. going to war in Vietnam is also a great example of how the U.S. tried to impose American values on the “less fortunate
Reflection of the story of the book author Fadiman First and foremost, the book of Fadiman (2014) is very inspiring, eye opening to anybody who reads the book, and it is also disappointing because of the medical practitioners provided unequal treatment to the Hmong family. One of the most refreshing attitudes of the Hmong people is their honesty, humility, patience, never gave up to fight fo their daughter, fight fo their belief and the close families ties, as well as the support among Hmong people
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures (Fadiman, 1997) is an ethnography based on the story of Lia Lee. Lia was born to Hmong immigrant parents in Merced, California in 1982. The story is recounted in the Lee family and their collaborations with the medicinal group in Merced being taken care of by Lia, who develops an epileptic seizure at around 3 months of age. Dialect hindrances and conviction framework differences
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, written by Anne Fadiman, emulates on the ways in which cultural ignorance can have drastic effects on the lives of people caught in between two cultures. Published in 1997, the book chronicles the struggles of a Laos refugee family, and their experience with the health care system in Merced, California. This story centers on Lia Lee, a young Hmong child diagnosed with epilepsy. At three months old; Yer, Lia’s older sister, slams a door that triggers Lia’s
her at Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC). Lia’s parents believed in traditional Hmong practices associated with holistic medicine while the doctors at MCMC believed in the Western medical practice of allopathy. Throughout the novel, we see how Fadiman aims at placing herself in a neutral position and analyzing Lia’s case unbiasedly through
every morning and evening with a broom she had made of grass and bark. She used a bamboo dustpan, which she had also made herself, to collect the feces of the children who were too young to defecate outside, and emptied its contents in the forest.” (Fadiman, 1.) Any American would read this and think, “those poor people, their lives must be awful” while in actuality this is the common practice in the Hmong culture. In America children are rarely born at home. When one goes into labor they head to their
the culture clash between the Hmong parents of an epileptic girl and the American doctors at Merced Community Medical Center(MCMC). The novel begins with the predicament of where to assign responsibility for the maltreatment of Lia Lee’s epilepsy. Fadiman uses the tension between the parents of epileptic Lia Lee and the doctors of MCMC as a way to show that the Western culture can be insensitive to other cultures. As the novel progresses, it becomes evident that this battle is rooted to differing cultural/religious
In “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman, the whole story revolves around Lia, the thirteenth child of Lee family. Lee family was a refugee family in USA and Lia was their first child to be born in US. At the time of time of birth, she was declared as a healthy child but at the age of three it was founded that she is suffering from epilepsy. In the words of western or scientific world the term epilepsy mean mental disorder of a person and in Hmong culture, epilepsy is referred
challenge they had to face when their daughter, Lia Lee, was diagnosed with epilepsy. In particular, during Lia's hospitalized the Lee family's struggle with a language barrier, and the cultural different between western and eastern medicine. Anne Fadiman allows readers to see the differences between western and eastern cultures as well as how each group views the patient. Cultural Competency I thought this book was amazing but heartbreaking as the same time. This book helps me gain new knowledge about
had a certain amount of blood so too many exams could lead to death as well as surgery to altering the body for reincarnation or even giving way to new illnesses after disturbing the body’s original form. When it came to medications as the author Fadiman explains, they often felt as though the dosage was off, or they simply didn’t like the side effects they came with. The author seems to indicate that much of the medical system the Hmong practiced relied on their Shamon and the calling of their ancestors
Eric Lovett Jr.- Klemm Fund Projects Abroad Internship Program In Anne Fadiman’s, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, a young Hmong girl named Lia, endures an egregious form of epilepsy characterized by several general mal seizures each day. Lia and her family, are Hmong refugees from Laos that sought asylum by living in a highly concentrated Hmong community in California. The Hmong’s beliefs and cultures can be compared to typical Western culture, including their beliefs in the effectiveness
The book, Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, is a true story narrative on the life of Lia Lee. Lia Lee was a child who was born in the 1980s in Merced, California. She was a Hmong child who was epileptic. Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures (convulsions) over time. Seizures are episodes of disturbed brain activity that cause changes in attention or behavior. Lia suffered from severe grand mal seizures since the age of three months. When the first seizure occurred
The tenth case study, “Falling from My Pedestal” explores the troubling family life of a girl named Chhaya. Her story details how her relationship with her family influenced and affected her identity and later her health. In the case, Chhaya adopts an identity in order to please her parents and gain their love while saving her parents’ toxic relationship. All the while, the fake persona causes her not to develop a real one of her own. When Chhaya fails to uphold her perfect child identity, she feels
Fall Down by Anne Fadiman one cannot help but notice the different themes that plays an integral role in understanding the book. This book is an intriguing read and Fadiman wrote in a cultural appropriation context and it was clear from the background give about the Hmong culture that I was an investigative research method type of book. Fadiman gave readers a clear insight about lives of the Hmong and how culture plays a vital role in how one perceives health (sickness) etc. Fadiman also highlighted
professionals communicate. (Kohn, 2000.) As part of my Culture, Health and Illness class, I undertook a critical analysis of the book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures” by Anne Fadiman. This book was published in 1997, and documents the struggle of a Hmong family from Laos in communicating with and understanding the American health system. The Vietnam War caused great destruction in Laos, and so the Lee family migrated to America
how marriage can feel, it is the start of a union that without this union the world would not be the same. 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. In this miniscule event, two cultures with completely conflicting ideas came together to form a union. In this union, an American was celebrating an event in a Hmong way, truly a collision of two cultures. Foua sees
After reading the book called “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman it made me think about life a little different. It made me view life as if I were Lia and her family and going through everything they are going through within this book. How they have overcome every obstacle and challenge. No woman in the world should have to go through a phase where they have lost their child. Reading this book also made me realize some the things I don’t want to go through when I have children
young Hmong girl stricken with epilepsy, her family, her doctors, and how misunderstandings between cultures can lead to tragedy. The title comes from the Hmong term for epilepsy, which translated, is “the spirit catches you and you fall down”. Anne Fadiman alternates between chapters on Hmong history or culture and chapters on the Lees, and specifically Lia. The condensed history of the Hmong portrayed here starts at their beginning, and traces their heritage, their movements, and why they do what they