The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
The spirit catches you and you fall down by Anne Fadiman is a remarkable book, explaining the difficulties faced by Hmong refugees in the United States. Most importantly, Fadiman explains the complications of a system where two cultures try stepping on each other. Although the book describes some very depressing and extraordinary situations, the characters in the book seem very realistic, and are shown in their true form of goodness. The Hmong, like most other Asians, have a very old medical heritage which runs parallel to their religious beliefs; this cultural aspect was one of the many complexities which were involved in their blending into the American style of living. In this book, Fadiman enlightens us on this and many other troublesome situations the Hmong people faced through the story of Lia Lee, a young Hmong girl who is diagnosed with epilepsy. Lia's Hmong family is among a group of new refugees in California. Her treatment was looked over by American doctors who failed to communicate adequately with her parents. The doctors were in many cases unaware of the Hmong's cultural understanding of epilepsy. Their completely scientific view of this situation was revolted by the Hmong family who believed that this was a sp
The Hmong thought that the difficulties they faced with the American agencies were far more painful than their war memories and separation from family because helplessness can be one of the most wounding feelings, and the Hmong people were helpless in America. They felt unheard and misunderstood. The American agencies were impatient with them. In many situations, one likes to think that somebody who does not speak their language does not know anything. This feeling rises due to simple ignorance and a lack of understanding. Fadiman's writing has definitely thrown more light on the difficulties faced by the Hmong refugees, but it also helps in understanding the difficulties faced by the many immigrants who have come to the United States for various reasons. The primary reason being freedom; however, it is interesting to note how the immigrants or refugees struggle in the new society and fight battles within themselves to be freed from their cultural differences. While discussing this book in class, I began to realize the similarities in the above situation and a similar situation in India. The villagers in India who have had no access to any kind of modern medicine in the earlier years are now beginning to gain access to the latest scientific remedies in the big cities of the country. It is interesting to see how the two situations differ slightly. In India, the language does serve as a difficult barrier, as many dialects exist in the country and not everyone speaks English like the doctors. However, the mere cultural understanding between the doctors and the villagers, make the situation far less complicated than the situation described in this book. The situation could have been different. However, the Americans and the Hmong would have to work together to change these circumstances. The Hmong people should be able to accept the situation they are in and adjust accordingly. This does not mean they have to forgo their be
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Approximate Word count = 1321
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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