The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Analysis
1. In her critique of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Janelle Taylor argues that Anne Fadiman’s portrayal of Hmong culture is problematic. Please explain how Fadiman’s story is problematic. In your discussion, be sure to consider:
• How is the story set up as a tragedy? That is, if both the parents and the doctors are uncompromising in their quest for Lia’s well-being, how do they wind up colliding so tragically?
• How are Hmong culture and Western medicine used as explanations for the tragedy? Are they similarly responsible, or does each play a different role? Why?
• What do these differing explanations tell us about Fadiman’s views of Western medicine?
The story is set up as a tragedy because both sides are doing what they believe is best for Lia. There isn’t a bad side or a good side, which makes it that much more difficult to comprehend. As one reads the book, there is a need to look for the black and white, when in fact, it’s all grey. That’s what makes it tragic; there’s no one to blame. Taylor, when discussing the meaning of tragedy, writes that, “the same quality…that allows us to take right action can also blind us to our own error and lead us into disaster.”(Taylor, P. 163). This is what happened with the two sides. Each one had its own idea of …show more content…
She goes into great detail when explaining their history and their beliefs. In doing so she ends up essentializing Lia’s family; by using phrases such as, “the Hmong cannot be assimilated” (Fadiman, P.158), and “Hmong parents are likely to view assimilating as an insult and a threat” (Fadiman, P. 207), she was implying that the Hmong were incapable of changing. It was a fact of them being Hmong that made Lia’s parents incapable of following the instructions on her prescription medication, or not bother to learn English. They weren’t choosing to not change, it was in their nature, and their essence, their
• How is the story set up as a tragedy? That is, if both the parents and the doctors are uncompromising in their quest for Lia’s well-being, how do they wind up colliding so tragically?
• How are Hmong culture and Western medicine used as explanations for the tragedy? Are they similarly responsible, or does each play a different role? Why?
• What do these differing explanations tell us about Fadiman’s views of Western medicine?
The story is set up as a tragedy because both sides are doing what they believe is best for Lia. There isn’t a bad side or a good side, which makes it that much more difficult to comprehend. As one reads the book, there is a need to look for the black and white, when in fact, it’s all grey. That’s what makes it tragic; there’s no one to blame. Taylor, when discussing the meaning of tragedy, writes that, “the same quality…that allows us to take right action can also blind us to our own error and lead us into disaster.”(Taylor, P. 163). This is what happened with the two sides. Each one had its own idea of …show more content…
She goes into great detail when explaining their history and their beliefs. In doing so she ends up essentializing Lia’s family; by using phrases such as, “the Hmong cannot be assimilated” (Fadiman, P.158), and “Hmong parents are likely to view assimilating as an insult and a threat” (Fadiman, P. 207), she was implying that the Hmong were incapable of changing. It was a fact of them being Hmong that made Lia’s parents incapable of following the instructions on her prescription medication, or not bother to learn English. They weren’t choosing to not change, it was in their nature, and their essence, their