The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Term Paper Example

The book is actually a story which talks about the Hmong, a Southern Asian Mountainous tribe, who are refugees. This group began in China but later vacated to Laos following the mounting pressure to Simonize. The center of the story is about the struggle being faced by the Lees following the condition of their favored daughter. When Lia was still in her infant stage, she was found to have a certain severe condition of epilepsy. It is seen that most of the struggle surrounds the relationship that exists between the medical establishment and the Lees themselves (Fadiman, 1997). There belief is that such condition like epilepsy and spiritual oriented and specifically believe that a spirit called dab catches the soul thus causing a condition of epilepsy to the affected person. In addition, the claim that such a spirit is vengeful and catches one’s soul to make him or her fall down. As opposed in western medical prescriptions, the Lees believed that such conditions can be best cured through sacrifice of animals. According to western medicine, the condition of epilepsy is seen as one of the most complex conditions to handle. In most cases, trial and error methods are applied many of which involve anti-seizure medical prescriptions to the affected patients. In the case of the Lees, almost all of them could not bear these western medical prescriptions following the intensive and detailed instructions that must be adhered to. At that time, there were no translators who could be relied upon in addition to the cultural barriers which overwhelmed the society. Moreover, it seems like a translator somewhere led to the misunderstanding by the Hmong family that their daughter was sick because of the medicine. According to the author, the Lees are described as stubborn people and difficult to handle following the way they reacted to the doctors who were trying to advice them on how to take care of Lia. At the end of it all, it is Lia who suffers the disastrous consequences following the misunderstanding between the doctor’s instructions and the Lees (Fadiman, 1997).

Considering the experience I had on the reading the book, I did not agree with the way Drew conducted himself. Following the frustrations he experienced due to the incapability of the family to adhere to the prescriptions that would secure the life of their daughter, I did not like the way the medical staff at the medical center conducted themselves in offering medical services to the community. Provided that Drew had epilepsy, Lia was much affected than even her initial condition in addition to the fact that Drew had no good will to work in such a community health care center. Just like in a teacher-learner situation, doctor are supposed to be the source of enlightenment to the patients and make themselves to be heard by the patients rather that assuming that the patients listening and understanding. In other words, I am fully convinced that it is the duty of a doctor to make sure that patients understand all the medical prescriptions and at the same time make an effort to follow up the whole situation. In this case, the staff members at the community health care could have engaged some cultural brokers and reliable translators to save the community from the consequences of their cultural affiliations (Fadiman, 1997).

The books is actually a clash of ideas where by the author tell the story of the Lees with specific consideration of the Hmong where she presents its entire history as well as the community that surrounds it. She also presents the whole idea of cultural crash within the community and this is one of the core factors that make the book worth. This book is thoroughly researched and speaks of to those individuals who have ever experienced certain medical conditions like epilepsy. Some cultures will consider such conditions and spiritual sensitivity while others will opt for the western medication with trial and error options such as anti-seizure prescriptions. Therefore, it is quite clear that our fortunes entirely depend on the culture to which we belong and the dynamism of the culture itself (Fadiman, 1997).

The Issue of Children and Disability

The Hmong group is a cultural community well recognized for its gentleness in terms of how they handle issues dealing with children. According to this community, children are the most blessed and treasured possession an individual can have and thus must be treated with lots of care and passion. The author states that in Hmong culture, mothers never abandon their children. They treat them like angels carrying then everywhere they go on their backs at daytime and sleeps with them in their arms at night. To them, children are like flowers which are tender and needs a lot of care to keep them going. The community does not compromise anything that seems to interfere with the health and happiness of children. The author expresses these sentiments through a character known as Lia who was so loved by her parents. It is evident that her sister Yer was not equality treated since the parents belied that it was her who caused her sister the illness due to slammed door (Lansdown & Walker, 1999).

There is a great need for children to be empowered and allowed to participate in various community activities. The views on children participating in and having a great role in their lives may be different across cultures, but there is a general consensus that they are more vulnerable than adults and should be afforded all the resources required to ensure their protection and maturity are maximized. This will reduce the level of restrictions and control on the views of children as to how they feel about issues and events that directly affects them

The author also clearly brings out the issue of disability by demonstrating that is should no longer be the reason for denial of love, care and happiness. In the Hmong culture, Epilepsy is considered a disability which is associated with the spirits. But according to the story, despite having this condition, the parents of Lia went ahead to provide her with everything she needed including loves and taking her to hospital. This shows us that we should not discriminate again disability or any condition that is abnormal. For instance, the doctors, the parents and the rest of the family members wanted the bets for Lia and could do anything just to alleviate the consequences of her condition (Hill, 2006).

Considering the film/movie analysis concerning the king’s speech (stammering problem), disability, in virtually any form, is a social construction because the definition is inherently relative A great difficulty in exploring the dimensions of disability as a social construct lies in the inescapable fact the very relativity behind its definition roots it firmly to the culture, and in a way so ingrained as to be unrecognizable as a distinct element. The only way in which the social constructions surrounding impairment, particularly in cases like the story of The King’s Speech, may be changed is by a more universal awareness of the limitations of social construction itself.  Individuals must be willing to take the responsibility to go beyond accepted definitions or interpretations, and acknowledge the relativity of them (Hill, 2006).

Social Construction

According to the book, most ideas are created and by cultural factors, rather than natural factors. The society is predicting the factors/ behaviors which are accepted as ‘normal’. Therefore, disability is treated as a social issue and that people with disability conditions are given priority. Historically, physical or mental disabilities were hidden from society because they have been deemed least acceptable. In the past, a person considered to be disabled could elicit negative responses from society he or she removed from society’s view. Based on the preceding information, a person with disabilities was subject to scrutiny from society because social construction viewed the disabled as abnormal (Davis, 1995).

In the book, the author has found it necessary to reexamine disability in the context of social media so that social construction can be altered to include the disabled as part of the social norm. Individual with disability are being treated as normal people because they are no longer separated from society. They no longer repulse society because they are not a separate entity of a social institution.

My Beliefs of Child and Disability

To me, I believe that disability should not be treated as inability and any form of discrimination should not be tolerated against disabled individual in the society. When disabled individuals are given love, opportunities, care and all that they need, they are capable of becoming normal members of the community.

For children, I believe that they are just like any other members of the society and should be treated with equal consideration. They should be empowered and also allowed to participate in relevant duties and responsibilities. However, I believe that children should be guided on what is right and what is wrong.

References

Davis, L. J. (1995). Enforcing Normalcy: Disability, Deafness, and the Body [Paperback]. New York: Verso.

Fadiman, A. (1997). The spirit catches you and you fall down: a Hmong child, her American doctors, and the collision of two cultures. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Hill, M. (2006). Children Voices on ways of having a Voice : Children and Young Peoples Perspectives on Methods used in Research and Consultation Childhood, Vol. 13(1) Lansdown, R., & Walker, M.  (1999). Your Child’s Development: From Birth to Adolescence. London, UK: Frances Lincoln Ltd. pp.69-89.