Spirit catches you and you fall down

SPIRIT CATCHES YOU AND YOU FALL DOWN Name: Institution: Date: 1. Discuss the central conflict of the book, i.e., the clash between the culture of the Hmong and the culture of ‘western biomedicine.' Why did the Lees act as they did regarding Lia Lee's condition? Why did her doctors act as they did? How did their (both the Lees' and the doctors') attitudes and actions reflect their underlying cultural beliefs regarding the body, wellness, illness, and healing? The cultural beliefs of the Hmong people differ with the way the doctors in California perceive the disease that Lee suffers. The people of Hmong belief that the health status is linked to the spirit. When Lee is in a comma, the physicians conclude that it is an "electromagnetic storm inside her head", but the family of the child believes that some of the twelve souls she possesses left her body (Harding, 2013). At the age of three, Lia Lee suffers seizure which the family attributes it to the slamming of the front door. The belief was seen as substandard to the physicians because they did not comprehend the traditional remedies the family used. When Lia Lee was three years old, the doctors moved the child to a foster-care for special treatment. The action caused conflict with the parents of the Lia Lee. The parents of Lee saw the relocation as an excuse of the doctors to have a vacation. Some form of American medical practices clashes with the Hmong belief of reincarnation (Harding, 2013). Hmong do not allow surgical treatment which involves cutting because it is a gateway of an evil spirit into the body. On the other hand, western culture does not believe in spirits, but their treatment is based on scientific knowledge. The relationship between the physician and lee's family is dismal due to a misunderstanding on the cause of the ailment. According to the people of Hmong, people should not undergo surgery. Surgery involves opening wounds and body tissues. Evil spirits can enter the human body through the open places. They believe that the soul can exist inside or outside the human body (Chiu, 2010). When Lia Lee is in a comma, they link the condition to a soul being taken away from her body. Another interesting thing about the belief of Hmong people is that when Lia Lee suffers the first seizure, the parents attributes it the noise caused by the slamming of a door by Yer- Lia's older sister. The noise frightens one of the Lee's souls and leaves her (Harding, 2013). It is paradoxical that while the family was concerned with the health status of their child, they also believed that seizures were one way of being chosen to become shamans (traditional Hmong medicine men). 2. Discuss at least three (3) aspects of Hmong culture that struck you as particularly interesting or unusual. Non-Hmong Americans have often viewed Hmong culture as ‘backward'; the attitude is typical, ‘they (the Hmong) need to learn our (mainstream U.S) ways.' ...