The doctors prescribed. 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 Big One. The family would have called in a txiv neeb, a Hmong shaman or traditional healer, if any difficulties arose. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. Now, instead of living off the land, they're forced to rely on American food drops to survive. . 00 Carol A Redding, MA, is a member of the American Medical Writers Association and an InformationSummary. Intensely researched and eloquently written, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down weaves sociology, history, medicine, and psychology into a tapestry that permanently raises the bar in literary journalism. Summary. There are still "tens of thousands" of Hmong in Laos (12. The Hmong New Year fell during Lia’s stay at MCMC, but Foua said that it was the only time. 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. In the 1980s, Lia was part of the Hmong population in America who were refugees from Laos. • Chapter 1 - Birth. A free summary of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Chapter 9 Summary and Analysis. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 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. • Chapter 3 - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. She went to. The Hmong traditionally lived high in the mountains of Laos, where they practiced agriculture and. She was seen by the staff on countless other occasions that did not require admission. The Lee family were. Find out what happens in our Chapter 1 summary for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Thanks for exploring this SuperSummary Study Guide of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction, among other awards. 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. These babies were born at home on a dirt floor. Upset because he "perceived the doctors' comments [. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures is a 1997 book by Anne Fadiman that chronicles the struggles of a Hmong refugee family from Houaysouy, Sainyabuli Province, Laos, [1] the Lees, and their interactions with the health care system in Merced, California. 3-4 Ch. On the day before Thanksgiving, Lia had a mild runny nose, but little appetite. But the whole experience is a disaster—Lia even catches an infection at the hospital. A young Hmong man gave a presentation about how to make fish soup. Lia Lee. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. Looks like you're viewing this page on a mobile device. At this point, Fadiman focuses on the concept of immigration and assimilation. 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. 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. • Chapter 4 - Do Doctors Eat Brains? • Chapter 5 - Take As Directed. Animal sacrifice, a reverent occasion for the Hmong, is more difficult in America but still part of Hmong American life. The spirit referred to in the name is a soul-stealing dab; thus, the Hmong believe that epilepsy has a spiritual origin and should be treated accordingly. On the other hand, Epilepsy is referred to as a neurological. Dee Korda Character Analysis. By suggesting that Hmong culture. Summary. Despite living alone on the margins of society, however, the Orphan is actually clever, courageous, resilient, and a. The teacher's language has a rational detachment similar to the tone of the medical notes on Lia 's case. 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. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman Summary. It deals with their child Lia, her American doctors, and the collisions of those two cultures. ”. the landlord told Hmong women to move out and called police after the landlord found out her family was about to. No matter how hard he tries, Neil just can't get on Nao Kao and Foua's level. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Lia was admitted to MCMC seventeen times between the ages of eight months and four and a half years. read analysis of Fish Soup. 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. Preface. The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures Acad Med. When the Lees refuse to give in to their doctors' demands they demonstrate the historical. S. Some of these perceptions are. Though Lia's mother Foua Yang gives birth to Lia in the United States, she delivered 12 children in her native Laos. A tvix neeb performed the ritual chant with the cow's head sitting on the Lee's front stoop. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book that highlights the struggles between two cultures in healthcare. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. Nothing like medical problems and totally opposite cultures to show you how messed up things. Many shamans—known as txiv neeb—use seizures to commune with the spirit realm. When he tosses two water buffalo horns on the floor and they land flat side down he knows the spirits have arrived. Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis. 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. Taylor, J. Exactly what every hospital needs. At the end of Chapter 12, Fadiman introduces the character of Shee Yee, the hero of the greatest Hmong folktales. 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. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a 1997 nonfiction book by American journalist Anne Fadiman. . 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. When the Lee's settled in the United States Foua gave birth to a baby girl named Lia. However, the Lees become discouraged when they notice Lia's verbal skills have regressed. In one story, he offers his home to two sisters, one good and one snotty. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman - MonkeyNotes by PinkMonkey. Chapter 5: Take as Directed. Summary. Chapter 10 describes a defining moment in Hmong history, working together with the defining crisis in Lia 's life that dominates Chapter 11 . One of the recurring themes of Anne Fadiman’s novel The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is the cultural unawareness that is present, not only the American perspective, but the Hmong perspective as well. Neil is at home when Lia arrives at the hospital. and Peggy even allowed her to pour some noxious green liquid down the child’s nasogastric tube on the belief that Lia was going to die. They knew the y wouldn’t approve of swidden agriculture and because the Hmong had sided with the French, they fear reprisals. 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. [5] ): a Hmong child born in Merced, California, in 1982. Many Hmong people don't trust American doctors. In 1985 Mao Thao, a Hmong American woman, visits Ban Vinai—a refugee camp in Thailand. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Fadiman, Anne. The snotty sister insults him, calling him dirty and ridiculing his poverty. That is why it is so important to establish an appropriate contact to avoid a situation similar to Lia’s problem. In 2700 B. Chapter 12 shows violence, starvation, and death became normalized for Hmong refugees in a way few Americans can understand. Fadiman's father is Clifton. Meanwhile, Western medicine is based on the advancement of science and technology. 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: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. 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. • Chapter 7 - Government Property. Anne, Chapter 1. Q. To make matters worse, Fadiman writes, the Hmong believe that many Western medical practices run the risk of harming patients. Summary. Print Word PDF. By ANNE FADIMAN. Jonas Vangay Character Analysis. medical school curricula. The teacher's suggestion appears in the narrative as a contrast to the tragic events in May's life. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. taboo: against blood tests, spinal taps, surgery, anesthesia, and autopsies— the basic tools of modern medicine— seemed like self-defeating ignorance. ) Citation. Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction . Chapter 9 - A Little Medicine and a Little Neeb. When Lia returns home the family is overjoyed to have her in their beds once again. Nonetheless, he asked her to marry him. A social worker who works closely with Lia and the Lee family. 7-8 Ch. This article addresses the relationship between theory, narrative form, and teaching through a close critical. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (1997) is an ethnography written by Anne Faidman. They also knew, in the midst of their grief for their infant daughter, that people. translating literally to “the spirit catches you and you fall down. 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. Like. Share to Twitter. 20). Summary. She. Foua Yang is a Hmong American woman living in Merced, California, with her husband Nao Kao Lee and their family. Lia ’s mother and Nao Kao ’s wife. Writing both a literary profile and an in. 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. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a tragic true story written by Anne Fadiman, who spent over five years in the middle of a fight between Hmong culture and American medicine. She was interested in investigating the circumstances surrounding Lia's health care but was warned by fellow colleagues. The aura, a sense of premonition common to all. Bill didn’t assign blame to Neil for not catching the sepsis. The teacher's language has a rational detachment similar to the tone of the medical notes on Lia 's case. 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. Everything you need for every book you read. Just after she finished eating, her face took on the strange, frightened expression that always preceded a seizure. 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. The teacher's suggestion appears in the narrative as a contrast to the tragic events in May's life. Foua and Nao Kao learned to recognize the signs signaling the onset of Lia's seizures, such as twitching. Terry drops a bomb on her—he believes that Lia had caught "septic shock" while at the hospital, which was the real cause of her health problems (17. Nao Kao and Foua are devastated. 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. On December 18, 1980, Foua and Nao Kao Lee arrive in the United States with their six surviving children. They retaliated against the. 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. Plot summary. 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. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. Nonetheless, when she came back inside after watching the family sacrifice a pig in the parking lot, the room’s atmosphere had changed. Lia Lee was three months old when she suffered her first epileptic seizure. Chapter 15: Gold and Dross. Anne Fadiman wrote a nonfiction book entitled The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which is the story of a young Hmong girl named Lia Lee who had epilepsy. 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. The story starts with the Lee’s forced immigration to America and talks about Lia being born with epilepsy. Chapter 5 Summary and Analysis. At the age of three months, Lia Lee had an epileptic seizure. Lia was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 1. Acclaimed by reviewers, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” won a National Book Critics Circle Award. When Lia Lee was about three months old, her older sister Yer slammed the front door. Animal sacrifice, a reverent occasion for the Hmong, is more difficult in America but still part of Hmong American life. 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. This section contains 495 words. They haven't been back since. 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. Do you feel the author was evenhanded in her presentation of Hmong culture and medical culture? 2. ABOUT THE BOOK Anne Fadiman's seminal work of nonfiction, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, examines the myriad difficulties and complications. In response, Lia's eyes rolled up, her arms jerked over her head, and she fainted. The author recalled her introduction to Hmong culture and the Lee family. Cultural and geographical borders within any society are believed to create boundaries that limit similarities between those on opposite sides. 1-2 Ch. Analysis. 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. Her parents call an ambulance, fearing the doctors won't give her immediate attention otherwise. They recognized the symptoms as qaug dab peg, "the. Chapter Summaries with Notes / Analysis. Her seizures normally lasted only a few minutes, but when she didn't get better, Nao Kao's nephew, who spoke English, called an ambulance. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need. (2003). There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. When Peggy first saw Lia after the girl’s return from Fresno, she was heartbroken: Lia was hardly alive. Qaug means to fall over, and peg means to catch. Get all the key plot points of Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on one page. 5-6 Ch. It's a bad scene. Chapter 15 Quotes. 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. By now, Lia has been seizing for almost two hours. The blogs will allow students to react to and reflect on each section's reading, keep track of Hmong. A feast of traditional beef dishes followed the ceremony. 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. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. The book contains many Hmong phrases and many medical phrases, both unfamiliar to most readers. At the last minute, the wife changed her mind and cut the family down. "The spirit catches you and you fall down" is the literal translation of the Hmong name for epilepsy, qaug dab peg. health care and the Hmong in California. 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. Nonetheless, he asked her to marry him. Neil Ernst. When he received the call, he "drove to MCMC as fast as he could" (11. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. Beginning in infancy,. Dan Murphy Character Analysis. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. Lia. In 1993 social worker Jeanine Hilt dies unexpectedly. In the Fall of 1986, Lia had a terrible seizure and needed to be. Lannamann, Taylor. • Chapter 4 - Do Doctors Eat Brains? • Chapter 5 - Take As Directed. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international borders. “ […. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Theme Wheel is a beautiful super helpful visualization of where the themes occur throughout the text. By now, Lia has been seizing for almost two hours. The Lees' story takes on a more reflective mood in Chapters 15 and 17–18. Lia's doctors ascribed her seizures to the misfiring of her cerebral neurons; her parents called her illness qaug dab peg. She considers what she's learned while researching, writing, and hearing reader reactions. Fadiman A. Blame and Power Theme Analysis. Jonas attended the most elite secondary school in Laos before eventually earning a master’s degree from a French university. Fish Soup. • Chapter 1 - Birth. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. They're disoriented and confused by new appliances like refrigerators, toilets, and electrical devices. The Lees placed her on the mat on the floor where they always placed her at these times. 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. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. Learn how to create in-text citations and a full citation/reference/note for The s pirit catches you and you fall down by Anne Fadiman using the examples below. Hmong’s believe dab’s steal souls and cause sick illnesses. Summary. At the age of three months, Lia had her first seizure caused by the sound of a door. 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. Neil apologizes to Nao Kao and Foua with tears in his eyes—Foua thanks and hugs him, while Nao Kao remains cold. As a philosopher, Renan contributes to the social work profession and this perspective by helping make sense of the world regarding race and ethnicity and how dominance negatively impacts disadvantaged populations This theory focuses on the. The. As Lia is being prepared for release, the doctors tell Nao Kao that she will probably die within weeks. Answering a question posed to her by a bigoted gas station clerk, she determines (in retrospect) that the reason the Hmong chose to settle in Merced has to do with Dang Moua, a local Hmong entrepreneur and businessman who. 1. Neil is at home when Lia arrives at the hospital. 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. sacrificed a pig and chickens, sometimes they want to do it in the hospital. ― Sherwin B. Although Dee follows "the anticonvulsant prescriptions to the letter," Lia continues to have seizures—more frequently than she did at home, in fact. The narrative, told by Anne Fadiman, follows the trials and tribulations of the Lee family as the U. There was obviously a great difference between American doctors and Hmong shamans. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. They grew opium using a technique called. Summary. Even things we take for granted like electricity and refrigeration are new to them. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1997. 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. After much debate, a lot of planning, and a ton of help from Jeanine Holt, the doctors finally agree. 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. The journalist Anne Fadiman takes you through the maddeningly frustrating journey of a loving Hmong family and their dedicated western doctors. 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. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. Like many shamanic cultures, the Hmong believe that the condition serves as the gateway between our world and the. Fadiman notes that family obligations sometimes put enormous demands on people, such as Jonas Vangay, a community leader who lived with his wife, his three children, his two brothers and their wives, and his brothers' ten children. Analysis. 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 Hmong community in Merced grows even more distrustful of. . One day, while at a school for children with special needs, Lia falls off a swing and has a major seizure. Anyway, to everyone's surprise, it's one of the most effective campaigns the camp has. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. Nao Kao and Foua had always carried Lia to the hospital before, but Nao Kao. When Lia was around three months old, her older sister Yer slammed a door and Lia had her first seizure. She explains how, days after Lia came home. Yes, including the pigs (after the sacrifice, that is). They spoiled her and treated her like a princess, believing that her epilepsy marked her as special and that she might someday. Anyway, this sparks a rebellion that goes on for centuries, until the Hmong finally retreat into the mountains. com. Villages are destroyed wholesale. Neil is there when they bring Lia in for her first checkup. Compared to the polite and nonintrusive methods of the txiv neeb s, American doctors' methods are frightening. Though Anne often wants to take the Hmongs' side in all of this, even she must admit that Western medicine can be truly life-changing. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Quiz 3. C. When Lia first returned home from her time in foster care, everyone was elated. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down was her first novel, published in 1997. Looking back, I feel regret all of the choices, acts and words didn’t get along from the start to minimized the brain damaged of Lia. A little girl who is part of Merced, California’s population of Hmong immigrants. Nao Kao is preparing "spirit money"—pieces of paper. 10). Analysis. When Peggy first saw Lia after the girl’s return from Fresno, she was heartbroken: Lia was hardly alive. Acclaimed by reviewers, “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” won a National Book Critics Circle Award. They both work exceptionally hard and continually go the extra mile for the Lee family. The epileptic child whose tragic story illustrates the cultural divide between the Hmong and the American medical systems. Lia has another, even worse seizure three days before Thanksgiving, 1986. A Summary of National Trends, Department of Health, Durham University, Department for Education. Shee Yee eventually transferred his powers to human tvix neebs, or shamans, who summon his spirit as they do his work. The Big One. Chapter 7 - Government Property. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. The TV was off, a candle had. Lia Lee was born in central California’s Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC) in July 1982. . Basically, the main difference between Hmong and Western views of medicine is simple—Hmong treat the soul, Americans treat the body. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. As a metaphor for this, she tells a story about a young Hmong man who, in a presentation. At first they stay with relatives in Portland, Oregon. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Nao Kao can tell that this one is serious, so he calls an ambulance for the first time. ‘The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down’ is the literal translation of the Hmong terminology for an epileptic seizure. While commonplace in Hmong culture, Americans are uncomfortable with the idea of ritual sacrifice, especially when it is in the public domain. Sofia Mejia Chapter 11 Analysis In this chapter of “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall. 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 blog will be a long-term project lasting the duration of the novel, with students needing to make entries about each reading section. 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. 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. OCLC. Foua carried her in a large, embroidered nyias, or baby carrier, preferring it to the wheelchair provided by the Merced County Health Department. This Hyperink Quicklet includes an overall summary, chapter commentary, key characters, literary themes, fun trivia, and recommended related readings. The TV was off, a candle had. According to Chapter 6, medical school rarely equips doctors to deal with populations who believe physical illnesses have spiritual causes. The Orphan. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. Chapter 17: The Eight Questions. The first paragraph focuses on why Lia’s birth is so different than her siblings. Her recently-deceased father was a well-respected txiv neeb —or shamanistic healer—who used to seize so. “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 Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down frequently evokes Hmong history to illuminate the circumstances of Lia Lee ’s medical crisis. Nao Kao and Foua are devastated. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. The London Observer called "Ex Libris" "witty. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different Groups. Section One: Chapters 1-4; Section Two: Chapters 5-8; Section Three: Chapters 9-14; Section Four: Chapters 15-19; My Review and Takeaways;. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. Upset because he "perceived the doctors' comments [. . Fadiman’s interpreter, or—in Sukey Waller ’s words—“cultural broker. Her father is furious, while her mother is devastated. Lia neither died nor recovered. 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. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. For example, the Hmong maintain that each person contains a finite amount of blood, so any blood extraction is viewed as dangerous. The Sacrifice. 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 non-fiction book offers a skillfully written depiction of the plight of the Lee family, one of many Hmong refugees absorbed into the United States followingIn Hmong culture, however, epilepsy is known as qaug dab peg, which is translated as "the spirit catches you and you fall down" (that's right, the title). 5 out of 5. Chapter 15 Quotes. ''. The Orphan is one of the recurring characters in Hmong folktales. They recognized the resulting symptoms as quag dab peg, which means "the spirit catches you and you fall down. There is a moment of final suspense when Nao Kao tries to take Lia from the hospital before she is discharged. " LitCharts. The. In the Lees' view, Lia's soul had fled her body and become lost. At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches you and you fall down. Lia can sense when her seizures are coming. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked. 9). Summary. “Lia was almost seven. 4. is our MonkeyNotes downloadable and printable book summary / study guide / booknotes / synopsis / analysis for "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" by Anne Fadiman in PDF format. Who now lives in America, but still manages to head a rebel group. They live in Portland for two years before moving to their current home in Merced, California. 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. As in the previous chapter, Chapter 18 examines the idea of Western biomedicine as a culture or a system of learned beliefs and habits. Lia Lee began suffering seizures at a young age and was diagnosed with epilepsy by American doctors. Menu About The Book; About The Author; Book Summary. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. After much debate, a lot of planning, and a ton of help from Jeanine Holt, the doctors finally agree. Read More. S medical system battles with their traditional Hmong healing methods. Read the Review. 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. “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” began by setting the tone of the baffling multifaceted clashes that occurred in Merced, in Central California. The narrative, told by Anne Fadiman, follows the trials and tribulations of the Lee family as the U. Lia neither died nor recovered. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. 14). The family has two pigs to sacrifice—one for them and one for Lia—as well as a host of tasty Hmong food. The doctors prescribed anticonvulsants; her parents preferred animal sacrifices. For many American doctors and patients, Western biomedicine is accepted as the default setting. Description. Share to Facebook. Summary. Next.