Posted: April 3rd, 2015

Tribulations of living with the epilepsy

Outline

1. What did you like in the reading and why?
2. What did you not like?
3. What questions or points of confusion are you left with?
4. Did the reading make you reflect on any personal experiences?

What did you like in the reading and why?

The writing is centred on the tribulations of the Hmong child. It depicts clearly a flow of the sequence of events. As the introduction progresses, the theme clearly merges with the story line. The topic which has been labelled as ‘the spirit catches you and you fall down emanates from the meaning of the word epileptic which refers to the same thing according to the Hmong (Fadiman, 1998).

The remarkable use distinction is quite captivating. First, there is the use of distinction that is created with regards to the seriousness of the condition and whether its an honour. The disease is regarded as incurable yet at the same time, the author views it as an honour with the Greeks for instance calling it a sacred disease . In addition, the aspect of distinction is used repetitively to bring out the characteristics of the Hmong. This is used to captivate the reader. For instance, the Hmong in Thailand hills is highly regarded as being good parents and very particular about their children’s well being. On the other hand, the Hmong from the United States are considered to be inattentive parents. This use of distinction in similar objects to portray different characteristics is very captivating (Fadiman, 1998).

The use of family views Is also evident. For instance, it is quite clear that for medical attention Lee is not subject to the county hospital. This shows that there is mutual care for the sick in such setting. In addition, the flow of the story is quite clear. The story clearly depicts the tribulations of the Hmong underwent. From living in refugee camps to unreliable healthcare for instance. This flow thus enhances vivid mental pictures of how the Hmong thrived (Fadiman, 1998).

What did you not like

The denial of epilepsy being a scientific disease and choosing to consider it as magic. This fact attributed to the deaths of many in the past. This is because, instead of seeking medical help, many sought help from those who proclaimed have spiritual powers. However, the fact that the United Nations had done little to restore the believe of the Hmong’s in the American health care system (Fadiman, 1998).

Did the reading make you reflect on any personal experiences?

The condition used to define Lia of status epilepticus is rather common with young kids. For kids bearing this condition, lack of oxygen is detrimental as it sparks the disease. In the yester years while attending preparatory, there was a kid who lived the same life as Lia. The number of times this kid attended the school clinical outlet were uncountable. Reading the article generates clear memories of the seizures that usually distracted learning in the institution. The fact that seizures are very untimely. This implies that, just like Lia, the child would fall on any object that would first cause harm even before the seizure is attended. In addition, kids dislike swallowing the prescribed medication, this thus adds to the personal experiences acquired when dealing with a kid suffering from epileptic. The similarity on the general epileptic perception is also breathtaking. For many students and teachers alike, epilepsy has been a spirit more often than not considered evil. For the epileptic kid at the preparatory, this was initially the case. This causes parents to resort to spiritual powers other than the scientific medical help. Many kids lose their lives as a result of the misguided thought (Fadiman, 1998).

What questions or points of confusion are you left with?

Confusion with regard to the subject under discussion is greatly reduced by the fact over the years in school, epilepsy was a common phenomenon. It is however not clear why and how the Greeks viewed epilepsy as a sacred illness(Fadiman, 1998).