The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

Author of nonfiction book “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall”, Anne Fadiman relays the questions to her readers in her preface: “What makes a good parent?” and “What makes a good doctor?” As far as anyone is concerned for the latter question, specifically what makes outstanding health care, Carolyn M. Clancy, MD, of the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality would describe quality health care as simply “getting the right care to the right patient at the right time – every time” ().…

[You’re Name] [Course Name] [Professor Name] [Date] Anthropology Assignment: “Gran Torino” The film is basically a drama film that revolves around the racism concept with the emphasis on two major groups that are Hmong group that are Asian Americans and around the white Americans. The role of white American in the film is of the character Walt who is actually a big follower of the racism and is very firm on his race and always develops mockery nature for the people who belong to other culture.…

The spirit catches you and you fall down story reveals devastating consequences of a lack of cross-cultural communication and how cultural beliefs sometimes influence the effectiveness of western medicine on patients embedded in strong cultural beliefs. Patients’ mental state plays a major role in their response to treatment and care. Health care providers’ ability to connect with the diverse cultural beliefs of the patients they serve through effective communication therefore, can help patients…

Opening Statement Summary and Main Points: (Brooke Edwards) The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down - Lia, a young Hmong girl suffered and grew sicker from epilepsy. Her parents saw this disease not as epilepsy but as a spirit leaving her body. Because of the conflicts in cultures between Lia’s Parents and the doctors, Lia was not properly treated and medicated. If she had been it is possible that she wouldn’t have gotten worse. General Info. - Lack of Cultural Competency can lead to: language…

the day before. The trees are still dripping water down from their leaves. Pip steps outside into the beautiful morning. She inhales the scent of the forest. It is a nice mix of after rain and morning dew. It brightens her spirits considerably. She is still full of the determination to make a difference she had felt the night before, so she heaves her backpack onto her shoulders and goes for a hike. Today, she heads up the mountain instead of down. She doesn’t quite know why, but she just wants…

class prepared me for accommodating individuals dietary needs and understanding body language. I am also glad to say I have never had conflict with another person over culture. I am always interested to learn more about new cultures. Jessica, like you, I have also had a difficult time understanding others from another culture. I think that this is the biggest barrier when it comes to understanding other cultures. Being patient and respectful…

Within Hmong culture, the seizures that Lia was having were actually a spirit, a daab, that entered her body. This is known as quag dab peg, the spirit catches you and you fall down. The Hmong see this as a gift and people who experiences quag dab peg are seen as important people in the community. This outlook led to Lia’s parents not medicating their child initially. This…

Animism is the belief in the spirit world and all living things are interconnected, The same reason why they blame a soul stealing creature for all of their illnessses and misfortunes. They don't have any educated explanations to why things happened. Compared to American doctors that…

Percy rides into the ocean. A woman comes before him explaining that she is Nereid, a spirit from the sea. She alerts Percy that few have made it back alive from the Land of the Dead. She hands him two pearls to use…

In Fadiman’s book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, this issue is an impacting one. If most Americans were to give an opinion regarding what is happening between the Hmong and the doctors would be that the Hmong are just being stubborn and noncompliant. This is when the context in which the term noncompliance is being used is very important. In fact, one could say both parties where being non-compliant if you think about it. It depends on whose point of view one…