“The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman Essay Example for Free

â€Å"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down† by Anne Fadiman Essay Anne Fadiman’s â€Å"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down† explores the depth and complexity of cultural understanding, particularly between the American culture and the Hmong culture of Laos. To do this, Fadiman made of an account of a case of a Hmong child who suffered from epileptic seizure. Here, she elaborately narrated how Lia Lee, a seven-year old Hmong girl, got caught between the conflict in beliefs among her American doctors and Hmong parents. While Lia’s parents totally believe in the Hmong traditional way of healing, her American doctors on the other hand strongly believe on the power of modern medicine. From this theme the book of Fadiman mainly revolved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the subtopics that were discussed in the book also dealt with intercultural communication. Among all the characters in the novel, the Lee parents, Foua and Nao Kao, were the ones who learned most about this. From the story, we found out that the Lee parents belonged to the some of the Hmong people who migrated from Laos to America due to Laos War. With this a background, we could claim that the Lees did the adjusting with their new environment. However, in Fadiman’s point-of-view, the other way around happened.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To prove this, Fadiman wrote that the Hmong people are one of the proudest cultural groups. She mentioned that â€Å"†¦the Hmong do no like to take orders; that they do not like to lose; that they would rather flee, fight, or die than surrender; that they are not intimidated by being outnumbered; that they are rarely persuaded that the customs of other culture, even those more powerful than their own, are superior, and that they are capable of getting very angry (Fadiman, 1997; p. 17).   She also wrote that Hmong people migrated to America not to hope for assimilation but to resist it, just like what they did when they left China (Fadiman, 1997; p.183). However, although the Lee parents seemed to be so proud and fixed with their beliefs regarding healing of their child, at the end, they finally agreed with Lia’s American doctors with her medication. However, the American doctors claimed that if Lia’s parents followed them earlier, then Lia would not end up having her brain dead.   From this, we could conclude that certainly, Foua and Nao Kao had learned that intercultural communication is important in dealing with problems. Moreover, the couple learned how to adjust and balance their own beliefs and practices with those of other culture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The conflict in cultural beliefs in healing was also the most significant topic explored in the text. The clashing of Lia’s parents and her American doctors was one of the reasons for Lia’s condition. The Hmong couple strongly believed that the condition of their child was qaug dab peg translated as â€Å"the spirit catches you and you fall down†. In the Hmong culture, this means that the soul has left the body, thus Lia would become spiritually-gifted. On the other hand, the doctors strongly believed that Lia’s condition is dangerous and must be taken with serious and modern medication. Because of this conflict in beliefs, Lia’s condition worsened.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, this could have been prevented if at the start, both parties valued the importance of intercultural communication. For example, instead of not complying in the giving of Phenobarbital to Lia (Fadiman, 1997; 220), the couples should have listened first to the views of Lia’s doctors regarding her condition. If this has happened, the separation of Lia from her parents due to an order court, which caused too much stress on Lia’s part, could have been prevented. The situation, as Fadiman described in her interview with Lia’s nurses, made Lia â€Å" crying four days straight. Smearing feces, intense crying again. Stripped herself . . . went on a wave of destruction. Had to sedate her† (Fadiman, 1997; p.87). On the other hand, if the American doctors had acknowledged the importance of Hmong beliefs and practices for the Lee couples, then they could have helped each other in dealing with Lia’s condition. In addition, the American doctors should have shown an open mind for the couple’s opposite views regarding health and healing. For example, they should not have pointed the blame to the Lee couples when Lia’s condition worsened. In fact, according to Fadiman, Lia’s condition did not worsen because of the non-compliance of her parents. In Fadiman’s interview with the pediatric neurologist who observed last Lia and who came from a different hospital, he said that Lia’s worse condition was due to her long stay in the hospital. Fadiman wrote that the doctor ordered her to â€Å"†¦ Go back to Merced, and tell all those people at the MCMC that the family didnt do this to the kid. We did.   (Fadiman, 1997; p.255). Through this, at least intercultural communication and understanding had been observed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In relation to this, the people from MCMC, the hospital where Lia was confined, were one the significant people in not only in Lia’s life, but in the Hmong community in California as well. Their actions in dealing with Lia’s case could be said as a reflection of their understanding of Hmong culture. If I were the hospital administrator of MCMC, I would suggest that the hospital hold a special division for Hmong patients. All people that would be assigned in here should have a vast knowledge on Hmong culture. In that way, the hospital could better serve the Hmong people. In addition, I would suggest that all hospital employees be sensitive and open with Hmong beliefs and practices. Finally and the most important one, I would suggest that all hospital employees practice communicating culturally with the Hmong people. This would prevent both parties from misinterpreting and misunderstanding each other.   In dealing with the conflict with their medical beliefs, it is important that the hospital employees could explain well to the Hmong people their views regarding modern practice of medicine. In that way, Hmong people and American doctors could meet halfway to help one another.

Small Town with One Road, by Gary Soto :: Small Town with One Road

A. Title: The title of this poem suggests that it is about a small country town with one road, most likely in the middle of nowhere. Very few people and very few things around for a person to do with their free time. B. Paraphrase: We could be here. This is the valley and its highway which rabbits can't get across but kids can. They jump to the store with sweetness on their tongues. They watch for fun. Dimes fall from their palms to pay for the candies they eat on the way home. There are lots of dogs and cats and chickens at the house. A pot bangs and water runs in the kitchen, beans are getting cooked for dinner. Brown soup for the the men who work the fields. No matter what race, its hard for anyone who does work in the fields. The cotton gin is a major factor in the money dream and the mill makes money for a wife-and maybe my wife, who boxed peaches and plums and hoed her dad's fields as a girl. We could go back. I could lose this easy job I have. Just talking and using a shovel, a hoe, a broom that takes everything away. All my daughter does is worry. She touches my hand and we eat snow cones from a roadside vendor in the shade while we look around. Behind sunglasses I see where I once was. A brow kid getting across the road. â€Å"he's like me,† I tell my daughter and she stops eating her snow cone. He looks both was then leaps across the road where riches happen on red tongues. C. Connotations:The poem is written in free verse with no rhyme or rhythm to be found. The speaker is seeing himself in someone else's actions like a flash back to the time when he was at that age. The poet uses a metaphor to describe the kids as â€Å"Spectators of fun.† Gary Soto also uses personification when he states that the, â€Å"pot bangs and water runs...† D. Attitude:The speaker is a father, a worker of the fields. His attitude is one of childishness and relaxation. He is eating snow cones with his daughter and talking about when he was a kid and now as an adult. The attitude of the poet is that this is just the way of life in the small towns and the farming towns are pretty much all boring and monotonous. Small Town with One Road, by Gary Soto :: Small Town with One Road A. Title: The title of this poem suggests that it is about a small country town with one road, most likely in the middle of nowhere. Very few people and very few things around for a person to do with their free time. B. Paraphrase: We could be here. This is the valley and its highway which rabbits can't get across but kids can. They jump to the store with sweetness on their tongues. They watch for fun. Dimes fall from their palms to pay for the candies they eat on the way home. There are lots of dogs and cats and chickens at the house. A pot bangs and water runs in the kitchen, beans are getting cooked for dinner. Brown soup for the the men who work the fields. No matter what race, its hard for anyone who does work in the fields. The cotton gin is a major factor in the money dream and the mill makes money for a wife-and maybe my wife, who boxed peaches and plums and hoed her dad's fields as a girl. We could go back. I could lose this easy job I have. Just talking and using a shovel, a hoe, a broom that takes everything away. All my daughter does is worry. She touches my hand and we eat snow cones from a roadside vendor in the shade while we look around. Behind sunglasses I see where I once was. A brow kid getting across the road. â€Å"he's like me,† I tell my daughter and she stops eating her snow cone. He looks both was then leaps across the road where riches happen on red tongues. C. Connotations:The poem is written in free verse with no rhyme or rhythm to be found. The speaker is seeing himself in someone else's actions like a flash back to the time when he was at that age. The poet uses a metaphor to describe the kids as â€Å"Spectators of fun.† Gary Soto also uses personification when he states that the, â€Å"pot bangs and water runs...† D. Attitude:The speaker is a father, a worker of the fields. His attitude is one of childishness and relaxation. He is eating snow cones with his daughter and talking about when he was a kid and now as an adult. The attitude of the poet is that this is just the way of life in the small towns and the farming towns are pretty much all boring and monotonous.

My Dream Career Essay

I have a dream seems at first second that is difficult to achieve but with the will and hard work could turn the dream into reality, I want to become the Executive Director of one of the famous companies such as Microsoft. For this job it will be a long and difficult journey. Education: I must be studying in one of the best universities, so I intend to study IT at Bahrain Training Institute. First I will get the Diploma I well study for 2 years then I will get the Higher National Diploma also I will study for 2 years. When I graduate from BTI I will try to get a job to save money to complete my studies. I will study at Al-Ahlia University to get the Bachelor‘s Degree just in one year and Master’s Degree to pass it I have to take a 11 modules (42 credits). There a lot of modules I will take during my studies such as: 1. Programming Techniques 2. Computer Systems 3. Internet Applications and Services 4. Visual Programming 5. Models of Computations and Systems 6. Software Engineering Methods 7. Database Systems: Design and Applications 8. Interactive Systems 9. Networking 10. Software Analysis and Verification 11. Mobile Information and Device programming 12. Information Security 13. Software Project Management 14. Operating Systems 15. Mobile Enterprise Systems 16. Logic Programming and Knowledge Representation 17. Distributed Systems Experience: The experience I will get it when I work in a company during my studies. I will be always hardworking in my job and I will build a relationships with the employees and the company’s directors and owners, and this will help me in the future. I will try to work in more than one company to get a senior positions to be able to reach my dream. Money: There is no doubt that I would need a large sum of money to study, in my studies at BTI I need nearly 600 BD my husband will pay it for me. To study the Bachelor and masters I need nearly 8000 BD. If I could not save enough money to study, I will apply for an educational loan to pay it for my studies and I will repay it from what I get it in my work. Attitude: I don’t have a good communication skills and dealing with others, and I was very shy and not confident in myself a lot, but in my work I improve my communication skills and l learned how to deal with others and my confidence has increased a lot .. After this long and difficult journey in realizing my dream, I hope to see myself as the Executive Director of one of the famous company in the world. Resources: Ahlia University http://www.ahlia.edu.bh/ahliaweb/ BTI – Bahrain Training Institute http://www.bti.com.bh/

The Harmful Effects Of E Cigarettes - 1080 Words

An electronic cigarette (E-cigarette) is an electronic device which can provide the same feeling of smoking to users. E-cigarettes are designed to help smokers to quit smoking, therefore, some people think that an e-cigarette is a nice substitute for cigarettes, and it can help the smoker to cease smoking. Rahman, Hann, Wilson and Carter discover that, for those people who do not want to stop smoking or cannot quit smoking entirely, e-cigarettes would be an aid for them (8). However, some people think that the disadvantage of e-cigarettes overwhelms its advantages. In Parrot’s article, he claims e-cigarettes may bring negative effects to the user’s body and consciousness; e-cigarettes cannot efficiently perform their original function—help smokers quit smoking (1). In Offermann’s study, he found that e-cigarettes release some chemicals which would harm the human body, and it should be limited the same as cigarettes (44). Moreover, Cataldo, Petersen, Hunter , Wang and Sheon claim that e-cigarettes cannot fulfill their original effect, reduce the number of smokers, but these devices are bringing a huge profit to tobacco companies. Also, E-cigarettes may lead to an worse scenario to society—renormalization of smoking. (362) E-cigarettes should be controlled in order to avoid more people misusing them, and let the people know the disadvantages of e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes are successfully aiding smokers to cease smoking and reducing the consumption of cigarettes. Rahman et al.Show MoreRelatedE Cigarettes, The Next Big Thing1612 Words   |  7 PagesE-Cigarettes, the Next Big Thing The Los Angeles Times states: â€Å"Electronic Cigarettes are either a potent weapon in war against tobacco, or they are insidious menace that threatens to get kids hooked on nicotine and make smoking socially acceptable again† (Morin). E-cigarettes are now becoming more widespread, especially among young people. 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