The Spirit Catches You And You Fall Down Language Analysis

Immigrants Need to Know English
If you turn over a permission slip or handout from a public school in Southern California on the backside you will find the same English words translated into Spanish. The act of translating the paper for the “child’s” wellbeing only provides a false illusion to the parent’s that the need to learn English is trivial. In reality it actually hinders the immigrants’ chances of success by denying the full language immersion in English that is needed to thrive in America, not just survive. And once one group of immigrants is catered for, it unjustly secludes others of equal treatment. The responsibility of speaking English falls on the shoulders of every immigrant. The lack of a shared proficiency in the English language
Anne Fadiman is an author who wrote, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, which highlights the hardships a group of refugees, the Hmong, face when seeking safety in the asylum of America. Throughout the novel, the language barrier is a focal point for their medical troubles. Lack of effective communication between the doctors and patients play an integral role in the demise of Lia. Fadiman uses the character Neil to exemplify the American medical system without the shared language of English. Neil fruitlessly tries to communicate with the Hmong, but he feels “as if there was this layer of Saran Wrap or something between us” (Fadiman 47) which stops him from being able to do his job of protecting Lia’s health. By the parents not being able to speak English they put their child’s safety in
In 1983, a violent civil war broke out in Sudan that displaced thousands of young children as they fled for safety. Many died in the process of traversing over the arid desert until finally reaching the Kakuma refugee camp where they would be known as the “Lost Boys of Sudan.” The Good Lie, written by Maragret Nagle, is a poignant story of a group of three Lost Boys, as they must adjust to the different lifestyle and culture found in America. Parallels can be drawn from both stories of the Hmong immigrating and the Lost Boys immigrating. Both groups are refugees of war seeking safety in America. Both groups are thrown into an urban culture with no prior understanding of. Both groups are haunted by their dark traumatic pasts. Except there is a striking contrast between the two groups, the Lost Boys know how to speak English before arrival. Although the American culture is vastly different than the Sudanese, the Lost Boys are blessed with an easier time assimilating into mainstream society because of their prior knowledge of English. Speaking English helps provide the men with opportunities to find work right away, so they can be one step closer to being financially independent. Even if the jobs are marginal now, they are on the pathway for a brighter future later; unlike the Hmong who are forced to receive federal assistance from the government because of their