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. Naidorf is board-certified in emergency medicine and has practiced at community and military hospitals for over 25 years in. Two cultural assumptions rise to the surface of this section: the first is that the Hmong eat dogs and cats; the second assumption is that Americans only care about money and thus would be unperturbed by the sight of a severed cow’s head on a doorstep as long as the cow had been fairly purchased. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures 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. 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. Analysis. May Ying is a twenty year old clerk-typist at the Merced County Office of Refugee Services when Fadiman first meets her. Lia Lee suffered from seizures and eventually becomes vegetative for the rest of her life. 15-16 Ch. “ […. Summary of Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. In The Spirit Catches You, we witness a bona fide communication breakdown after Nao Kao and Foua Lee—two Hmong refugees who can't speak English—bring their daughter Lia to a hospital to treat her epilepsy. 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. The Hmong New Year fell during Lia’s stay at MCMC, but Foua said that it was the only time. 15-16 Ch. Summary Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Fadiman 1860 Words | 8 Pages The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, explores cultural competence, ethics in medicine, and the provision of culturally competent health care in the United States by following a family of Hmong culture in their struggles with mainstream. Chapter 10 describes a defining moment in Hmong history, working together with the defining crisis in Lia 's life. 3-4 Ch. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman tells the heart-wrenching story of Lia Lee, a young Hmong child suffering from severe epilepsy, and her family. At this point in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the idea of right and wrong begins to blur. They also established themselves as masterful opium farmers, though very few of them became addicts. A doctor living in Merced who invites Fadiman to meet his Hmong patients. They also knew, in the midst of their grief for their infant daughter, that people. Previous. Lia’s parents cared for her deeply, yet this arguable preventable tragedy still occurred. She's rushed to the hospital, where the doctors learn that the Lees are finally giving Lia the right amount of medication. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes,. CHAPTER ONE. The Lees knew immediately what had happened. “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. 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. 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. This blog will be a long-term project lasting the duration of the novel, with students needing to make entries about each reading section. 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. The second student was a Hmong, who proceeded to speak about a recipe for fish soup. Jonas attended the most elite secondary school in Laos before eventually earning a master’s degree from a French university. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is based on a true story that involves the collision of American and Hmong cultures. Illness had come when the wife of a wicked god named Nyong laid an egg full of dabs. After spending eleven days at Valley Children's Hospital, Lia returned to MCMC on. Description. Nao Kao and Foua are devastated. “I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where edges meet. 5-6 Ch. 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. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. . The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Produced in April 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, this copy of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman affords 368 pages of first-rate lessons. Chapter 1. Lia, on the other hand, is born in sunny Merced, California on July 19, 1982 (yes, we've flash. A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes,. 1). In her case, only Western medicine could've saved her father from colon cancer. 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. We might not know much about the Lee children as individuals, but much like the von Trapps or the. Jeanine Hilt just might be our favorite person in The Spirit Catches You. CPS sends Lia to foster parents Dee and Tom Korda. The fact that it has a divine nature to them and the fact that the doctors see it only as a disease to be either cured or controlled foreshadows problems yet to come between the 2 cultures. Although the assignment called for a five-minute speech, he spoke for forty-five minutes by starting from the very. This was regarded by American doctors as neglect, and Lia was taken. 368 pp. In this union, an American was celebrating an event in a Hmong way, truly a collision of. The Lee's, a family that endured hardships, frustration, anger, confusion, and hope while living in the United State's of America. Lia should also be treated at home with our Hmong medicines and by sacrificing pigs and chickens. ” In one of the notes sections she even saw that one. Medical, Racist, and Colonial Constructions of Power: Creating the Asian American Patient and the Cultural Citizen in Anne Fadiman’s . At this point in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the idea of right and wrong begins to blur. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia,. Jonas Vangay Character Analysis. Foua and Nao Kao knew when a seizure was coming on, because Lia knew. 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. 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 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 1. 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. Personal and communal crises mirror one another in the plot. Her older sister, Yer, slammed the front door of the Lees’ apartment. Anyway, to everyone's surprise, it's one of the most effective campaigns the camp has. 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. The first chapters introduce the Hmong: both the family who suffers the book's tragedy, and the people as a whole. 1-2 Ch. Even though she had a dirt floor, she would have been very careful to never allow her to. Get all the key plot points of Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on one page. Chapter 10 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis Next Chapter 12 Themes and Colors Key Summary Analysis On the night before. Home The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Q & A 1. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. Foua's husband Nao Kao attended each birth. 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. Explanation and Analysis: Unlock with LitCharts A +. S. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. Lia can sense when her seizures are coming. She went to Merced after hearing reports of misunderstandings between medical staff and Hmong patients at the county hospital—the Merced Community Medical Center (MCMC). The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. From the creators of SparkNotes. Contrary to the belief that the qualities of one side do not merge with those of the other, however, it. Dee notices Lia's homesickness and nurtures her. 13-14 Ch. 5). 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. Summary. 17-18 Ch. Lia Lee was three months old when she suffered her first epileptic seizure. Reviews Book Excerpts Media About the Author Reading Guide. We might not know much about the Lee children as individuals, but much like the von Trapps or the Brady Bunch, they work best in a pack. Chapter 7 - Government Property. They now treat illnesses in their family at home. Chapter Summaries Chart. As a metaphor for this, she tells a story about a young Hmong man who, in a presentation during his French class, spent forty. We watch Lia, the little Hmong girl diagnosed with epilepsy, slowly fade from. Chapter 3: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international borders. At age three months Lia had had her first epileptic seizure—as the Lees put it, ``the spirit catches you and you fall down. Upset because he "perceived the doctors' comments [. S. There are interesting frictions and incongruities in these places, and often, if you stand at. Seventeen years later Foua and Nao Kao have continued to resist. On December 18, 1980, Foua and Nao Kao Lee arrive in the United States with their six surviving children. Explanation and Analysis: Unlock with LitCharts A +. Summary Of A Spirit Catches. Welcome back to The DO Book Club! For December, Joan Naidorf, DO, read The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman. The teacher's suggestion appears in the narrative as a contrast to the tragic events in May's life. Although this book has been incorporated into standard curriculum in the university and medical school training settings, consideration of how The Spirit. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. Chapter Summaries Chart. Fadiman presents Shee Yee as a symbol 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. Writing both a literary profile and an in. The narrative, told. 540 Words3 Pages. Lannamann, Taylor. Analysis. The Lee Children. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. Just be glad you speak the same language. 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. 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. She was able to make house calls and this kept the lines of communication open, and she used May, the Lees’ most Americanized daughter, as. Anyway, this sparks a rebellion that goes on for centuries, until the Hmong finally retreat into the mountains. No matter how hard he tries, Neil just can't get on Nao Kao and Foua's level. In the Fall of 1986, Lia had a terrible seizure and needed to be. Lia Lee. Dan Murphy Character Analysis. 17). He is interested in Hmong culture, though his attempts to connect with the. 5). 19 - Afterword Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Metaphors and Similes Irony Imagery Cultural. 31). When Fadiman ’s boyfriend visited her in Merced, Foua decided that she would help get her married. Fadiman came to Merced in 1988 after hearing that the hospital was experiencing a swath of cultural misunderstandings and miscommunications with the Hmong community. CHAPTER THREE - The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Summary Lia began having epileptic seizures when she was about three months old. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down lesson plan is designed to help teachers and educators plan classroom activities and instruction. Lia becomes a minor celebrity at MCMC. A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. 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. Chapter 19: The Sacrifice. Lia ’s father and Foua ’s husband. Anne Fadiman’s The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures is a non-fiction exploration of culture and medicine that tells the tragic story of the Lee family and their daughter Lia, an epileptic Hmong girl. 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. On November 25, 1986, the day before Thanksgiving, Lia was eating as normal when she began to seize. For many American doctors and patients, Western biomedicine is accepted as the default setting. The mood declined, however, when the Lees realized how Lia's mental capacity had declined. " The word dab refers to a soul-stealing spirit. Dee is a gentle, kind person who devotes herself to caring for children. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Sukey’s business card read, in Hmong and Lao, “Fixer of Hearts. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Nuland, The New Republic “ The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down changed how doctors see themselves and how they see their patients. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Lia's older sister, Mai, is born in Thailand during this exodus. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. Luckily, Lia ends up in the home of Dee Korda, a woman who fosters several children with special needs. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. These stragglers form several rebel groups, one of which is led by Vang Pao. Fadiman is skeptical at first: the txiv neeb (shaman) is kinda goofy, and the whole solemnity of the thing is. GradeSaver provides access to 2313 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 10989 literature essays, 2751 sample college. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. At first she meets with Hmong families at the hospital using a nurse's aide as her interpreter. Their advice was daunting and they felt her journey lacked promise. ” OCLC. The timeline below shows where the character Arthur Kleinman appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Chapter 7: Government Property. 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. 7-8 Ch. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. Analysis. They first tried to flee in 1976, but were captured by Vietnamese soldiers and marched back to their village at gunpoint. Peggy Philp. Web. ‘The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down’ is the literal translation of the Hmong terminology for an epileptic seizure. “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. He knew that Lia needed the medical support of the EMTs during transport. The little girl’s name is Lia Lee and she suffers from severe epilepsy at the very young age of 3 months. Last updated by jill d #170087 a year ago 10/10/2022 11:47 AM. What listeners say about The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down Average customer ratings. Chapters 1-4: The book begins with background on Lia Lee and the Lee Family. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down was her first novel, published in 1997. Due to the diligent research and interviewing by the author, the reader is privy to all. When Lia Lee was about three months old, her older sister Yer slammed the front door. However, the Lees become discouraged when they notice Lia's verbal skills have regressed. When Lia returns home the family is overjoyed to have her in their beds once again. 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. Last updated by jill d #170087 6 years ago 5/31/2017 11:19 AM. Her first book, "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," is an account of the unbridgeable gulf between a family of Hmong refugees and their American doctors. After much debate, a lot of planning, and a ton of help from Jeanine Holt, the doctors finally agree. At the age of three months, Lia had her first seizure caused by the sound of a door. Hmong medicine consists of herbs and shamanism, a practice that interacts with the spiritual world. 7-8 Ch. 1. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. Topic: Literature Words: 1378 Pages: 5 Jul 4th, 2022. 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. Culture, or the learned beliefs, values, and behaviors of social groups, leads to major misunderstandings in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Dressing Fadiman up in traditional Hmong clothing, Foua presented her to her boyfriend, who thought she looked ridiculous. 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 followingChapter 2 - Fish Soup. From the creators of SparkNotes. Yikes. In one story, he offers his home to two sisters, one good and one snotty. At this point, Fadiman focuses on the concept of immigration and assimilation. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. Lia’s parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of. Nao Kao and Foua had always carried Lia to the hospital before, but Nao Kao. GradeSaver provides access to 2299 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 10987 literature essays, 2750 sample college. The Hmong religion permeates the Lees' life. In 2700 B. These questions are used to convey a patient. 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. Answers: 1. 11-12 Ch. Like Shee Yee, they are courageous and tenacious, and will fight or flee rather than surrender. The blogs will allow students to react to and reflect on each section's reading, keep track of Hmong. 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. Nao Kao gained weight and had high blood pressure, while Foua. A feast of traditional beef dishes followed the ceremony. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between. Chapter 12 shows violence, starvation, and death became normalized for Hmong refugees in a way few Americans can understand. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Nonetheless, he asked her to marry him. The book has been heavily criticized for various biases, sympathies, and. When Peggy first saw Lia after the girl’s return from Fresno, she was heartbroken: Lia was hardly alive. Need help with Chapter 1: Birth in Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down? Check out our revolutionary side-by-side summary and analysis. Cultural Competence 101 The medical biographic novel” The spirit catches you and you fall down,” by Anne Fadiman is a magnificent time capsule of the experiences faced by the Hmong peoples during their migration to America. 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. Now we know where the overbearing-and-oppressive idea comes from. 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 Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down provides a link to and a stimulus for consideration of cultural competence and the context for students to understand why and how talking about cultural customs and traditions in the health care setting should be valued. One of Lia ’s primary doctors, and Neil Ernst ’s wife. The Lees endured the trauma of migrating on foot from Laos to Thailand, but Lia 's mother Foua says Lia's illness is more painful. 17). 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. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. 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. 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. 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 Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. The Lees’ story is the focal point of Fadiman’s. 13-14 Ch. On December 18, 1980, Foua and Nao Kao Lee arrive in the United States with their six surviving children. Her recently-deceased father was a well-respected txiv neeb —or shamanistic healer—who used to seize so. CPS workers arrived at the Lee house with Sue Xiong , a Hmong interpreter whom. 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. Every other chapter shares some aspect of Hmong history or culture: food, clothing, language, family structure, birthing rituals, and so on. Share to Reddit. She said she had made a million errors and always followed one rule. In Hmong culture, epilepsy is known as "quag dab peg," which means "the spirit catches you and you fall down" (3. Neil is at home when Lia arrives at the hospital. Dee falls in love with Lia and cares for her like her own. Summary. The narrator—Anne—reflects on her time with the Lees, a Hmong American family living in Merced, California. At first they stay with relatives in Portland, Oregon. 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. Chapter 5: Take as Directed. The family lived in a refugee camp in California, and Lia’s parents treated her with traditional Hmong remedies. Makenzie Griffith EDSE 460 Denise Hitchcock 1 March 2018 Midterm: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down It is a story about a family who shows so much loyalty to their traditions and cultures, but it clashes with the strict American “norm” and creates conflict. Fadiman begins by calling attention to a carton of cassette tapes she keeps beneath her desk. 14). 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. ''. This section contains 495 words. "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. Many Hmong people don't trust American doctors. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a book that highlights the struggles between two cultures in healthcare. She remarks that, even though these recordings have already been transcribed. Yer, Lia’s older sister, slammed a door which triggered Lia’s first seizure. Chapter 2 introduces key facts about the Hmong, which place the Lees' behavior in a broader context. " In Hmong folklore a dab is an evil spirit that steals souls. On the one hand, the Lees had every right to exercise their beliefs. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. , 2002). Share to Facebook. Fadiman is also the author of two essay collections. One night, Foua tells Anne about their life back in Laos. Chapter 1 - Birth. 4. Summary and Analysis of Chapter 13 of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Pediatricians Neil Ernst and Peggy Philp—the doctors in charge of Lia's case—keep detailed notes on her condition over the years. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down lesson plan is designed to help teachers and educators plan classroom activities and instruction. Clapsaddle, Diane. Asked by Darcia D #660405. Print Word PDF. A public health nurse who makes house calls to provide Lia with medical checkups after her final neurological crisis. 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. Lia's doctors ascribed her seizures to the misfiring of her cerebral neurons; her parents called her illness qaug dab peg. The. " LitCharts. Detailing copious Cultural subjects, the author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down 1st Edition (978-0374533403) strove to write an ultimate text on the field of Social. They're disoriented and confused by new appliances like refrigerators, toilets, and electrical devices. Yes, including the pigs (after the sacrifice, that is). Lia Lee. . 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. Analysis. Hmong medicine consists of herbs and shamanism, a practice that interacts with the spiritual world. They live in Portland for two years before moving to their current home in Merced, California. As in the previous chapter, Chapter 18 examines the idea of Western biomedicine as a culture or a system of learned beliefs and habits. Analysis. Lia ’s foster mom and Tom Korda ’s wife. by Monica Chiu, Ph. 15-16 Ch. Nao Kao can tell that this one is serious, so he calls an ambulance for the first time. On the one hand, the Lees had every right to exercise their beliefs. The aura, a sense of premonition common to all. 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 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. Overall. A social worker who works closely with Lia and the Lee family. 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,. 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. The Shared Qualities of Opposing Sides of a Border: How Cultural Relations can Merge Characteristics between Different. Analysis. As a writer, Fadiman herself moves in and out of her scenes; in some moments, she describes her conversations with Lia ’s. Foua carried her in a large, embroidered nyias, or baby carrier, preferring it to the wheelchair provided by the Merced County Health Department. The timeline below shows where the character Yer Lee appears in The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. 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 which I celebrate Nonfiction November by discussing my favorite nonfiction book of all time, Anne Fadiman's The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down--the. LitCharts LLC, 18 Sep 2017. As…. James Naas . 4855 votes. She explains how, days after Lia came home. read analysis of Fish Soup. Her record nearly always noted the communication difficulties brought about by language differences. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. The The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down lesson plan is designed to help teachers and educators plan classroom activities and instruction. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance. She grew only a few inches, gained only a little weight, and always looked younger than her age. Throughout The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Fadiman often references the Hmong’s maximalist worldview, which takes into account all aspects of life and seeks to acknowledge the interconnectedness of all things. Brilliantly reported and beautifully crafted, The Spirit Catches You and You. 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. Her siblings grew up around her, part of a close-knit family, some excelling in sports and others going to university. Analysis. When the Lees left Laos, Foua explains, at least they hoped for a better future. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down essays are academic essays for citation. The first paragraph focuses on why Lia’s birth is so different than her siblings. Jeanine takes thorough notes about Lia’s circumstances, notes that Fadiman draws upon extensively to illustrate the specifics of the young girl’s story. Summary. Fadiman relates a story told to her by a French professor who taught an intermediate class at Merced College. Previous Page. 11-12 Ch. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman. Her American doctors had a strict and rigorous. 3-4 Ch. This chapter jumps forward in time three years since the end of Chapter 13. Nonetheless, she manages to remain reasonably neutral, not blaming any of Lia’s doctors personally nor Lia’s parents, but rather the aforementioned idea that the cultural “gulf” is “unbridgeable. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them. Foua carried her in a large, embroidered nyias, or baby carrier, preferring it to the wheelchair provided by the Merced County Health Department. Download. Summary Of The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down written by Ann Fadiman is about a Hmong child, Lia Lee, that has epilepsy. The best study guide to The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. This chapter focuses on Lia’s birth and all the Hmong customs that went along with the birth of any child. Between the ages of 8 months and four and a half years, the Lees brought Lia to the hospital dozens of times. A family practice resident at Merced Community Medical Center who is interested in Hmong culture. The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Book Report. In The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, the professionals lacked cultural understanding and let their generalizations create biases. Share to Twitter. Throughout The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Fadiman often references the Hmong’s maximalist worldview, which takes into account all aspects of life and seeks to acknowledge the interconnectedness of all things. Lia's parents and her doctors both wanted what was best for Lia, but the lack of understanding between them led to tragedy. 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.