Similarities Between The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down By Anne Fadiman

Everyone comes from a cultural background carrying a different set of beliefs. Much of your identity is influenced by the environment in which you grew up in and by how you were brought up and raised. Since birth, you were taught by your parents and community a standard in which ways to behave, in which ways to interact with others respectively, in which is right from wrong, the list goes on. These are just a few that are ingrained in someone unknowingly. If one were to immerse himself fully into another country, chances are that he will stick to his own ideals greatly outweighs his willingness to abandon them. In the novel, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down written by Anne Fadiman, the author brings awareness to the readers of the …show more content…
In the Hmong culture, this phrase literally translates to, quag, meaning to fall over with one’s roots still in ground, dab, which refers to a soul-stealing spirit, and peg, to catch or hit. Apparently, since Lia’s older sister Yer slammed the front door of their apartment shut, the noise of this incident frightened her soul much to the point that it had fled. Lia’s first seizure as the parents have interpreted it as quag dab peg, is not thought of as anything being potentially dangerous or life threatening, but instead to be a type of illness. If the family were to hire a shaman, also known as twix neeb, to diagnose Lia’s seizure, the symptoms Lia display, attributes to her being chosen to be the host of a healing spirit, a neeb, in the near future. In addition, the fact that Lia is experiencing this illness grants her an emotional credibility as a healer. The Lee family recognizes this with a mixture of concern, pride, and honor for Lia. Ever since, the Lees have treated LIa as if she were a princess royalty. The extent to which remedies the Lees are most willing to use in treating Lia are limited to the traditional practices back home in Southeastern Asia. One commonly used practice known to effectively treat illnesses is animal sacrifice. This is the idea that the human and animal soul is somewhat connected and that by sacrificing …show more content…
We should empathize with them and acknowledge their weaknesses and help those in need instead of putting them down and excluding them. After Lia’s unfortunate incident, the Mercy Medical Center Merced now offers an interpreter service for families in need of translators in several different ways including in person for patients at the hospital, over the line on the blue phone service that is available in every room, as well as sign language over live video. These offering services enable those with disadvantages to have their thoughts heard and while in the meantime, also helping them feel more connected and accepted. The sense of belonging is a goal that every country should strive towards, for this is one of the crucial steps in bringing both peace and