(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

The Spirit Catches You

Many Hmong parents felt that by their child assimilating to American culture they were insulting the family and the traditions. Teens no longer wanted to eat traditional Hmong food, many of the teens rejected learning about early Hmong culture. Family was the most important priority to the Hmong's, when children started adapting western ideas of independence the parents could not understand and viewed it as disrespect. "My sister's don't feel their Hmong at all. One of them has spiked hair. The youngest one speaks mostly English"(207). The parents were also putting an extreme amount of pressure on the children. Due to the language barrier children had to take on these extra responsibilities in order for the family to survive.
             The United States of America played a huge role in the war in Laos. "The Hmong had a four-thousand year reputation as scrappy fighters"(127). It is for this reason that the American CIA asked the Hmong to take part in the War. The CIA inherited a highly trained gang of Hmong guerrillas to help aid America in the War in Vietnam. The Hmong agreed to help for fear that after the War their opium trade would be taken over by the Vietnamese. Also the Hmong believed they were likely to gain status if they came out victorious over the Vietnamese. The American's didn't have access to Laos because it was neutral land, by configuring a secret Hmong army to fight for the U.S.A there didn't appear to be any treaties broken. Furthermore American's weren't dying because the Hmong were fighting for them. The C.I.A. was also saving money by hiring the Hmong to do the job for roughly three dollars a month. Ninety percent of the villages were affected by War. The Hmong men were dying in mass numbers and the women couldn't farm the land alone. Villages were destroyed; cattle had no food source, the Hmong women and elderly couldn't maintain what was left of the land. This war had a huge impact on the Hmong, with many of the population dead and the land-destroyed families were forced to move.


Essays Related to The Spirit Catches You

1. Spirit's in the Yahi Culture

This theory is well explained in the following quote: "May the roots of the manzanita catch your feet and throw you. May the thorns of the thorns of the chaparral tear your clothes and hold you. May the poison oak snap against your faces so you do not see where you step." ... When Ishi explains Timawis death to his Uncle he says, "his spirit is released. ... They believe that the spirit of a dead man will move on, unless there is something unsettled. ...

  • Word Count: 619
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Catch 22 Historical Context

Heller's past is very evident throughout Catch-22. ... Catch-22 is a social satire that utilizes dark humor. ... "What are you a wise guy? ... These themes became a crucial part of the zeitgeist, spirit of the age, in the 1960s. ... It is fairly obvious why Catch-22 became so meaningful to people in the 1960s. ...

  • Word Count: 896
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Catch22

A protest novel, Heller's story portrays the absurdity of bureaucracy, the stupidity of war, and the power they both have to crush the human spirit. ... "Don't mumble, and mumble "sir" when you do, and don't interrupt, and say "sir" when you do." ... Today you are an old man . You"re inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age? ...

  • Word Count: 860
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

4. If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda

Using beautiful imagery and metaphors throughout the poem, Neruda immediately catches the reader's attention in the first stanza by stating, "I want you to know one thing"." ... The "wrinkled body of the log, everything carries me to you"" (10-11). ... The speaker declares that, "Well, now, if little by little you stop loving me- I shall stop loving you little by little "(16-19). ... He matter-of-factly says that "If suddenly you forget me-do not look for me, for I shall already forgotten you" (20-23). ... Banners symbolize what he stands for, and wind can symbolize his spirit. ...

  • Word Count: 855
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Fire - Mysterious and Angelic

To see the angelic side of fire, first you have to know what fire is. ... When the fuel (wood, paper, matches, etc.) catches fire, the make-up of the fuel starts to decompose; hence, smoke is produced. ... With the fire shown in this sense, it shows the strength and omnipresence of the Holy Spirit. ... First of all, you will need to make a fire for heat and cooking. ... When forests catch fire, all of the brush that collected on the forest floor over many years is cleared up, allowing for new growth. ...

  • Word Count: 1123
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. How does Joseph Heller Deal with the Horrors of War?

Catch 22- impossible to escape unnatural situation Dictatorship of those in authority- General Dreedle, Colonel Cathcart Ability to change a person very much for the worse- loss of emotion Catch 22 is a protest novel underscored with dark humour that satirizes the horrors of war and the power of modern society, especially bureaucratic institutions, to destroy the human spirit. ... Dunbar sums up the fears of all the soldiers when he says, Your inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age?' ... There was only one catch and that...

  • Word Count: 1319
  • Approx Pages: 5

7. Bombarded

Do you ever wonder when you get a phone call or read through your mail how companies seem to know a lot about you or what your interests are? ... I found a advertisement for the brand cigarettes called "Natural American Spirit!" ... Now in the bottom right of the page there is a pack of Natural American Spirit. ... This catches the consumers eye and especially if they are really smokers. ... The cigarettes are full of life and spirit their good and won't hurt you. ...

  • Word Count: 1173
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

8. A Voice For Japanese Women

It was never forced upon anyone to fulfill Mieko's wishes, yet all of her ponds played out just as if the "Rokujo Lady- herself was using her spirit against them. ... She portrays the weak spirit of women, and how viciously they are used. ... Sadako, catches Ibuki then turns around and tells Mikame, who was unaware of their situation, of the affair. She uses her intuition, her female intuition, to catch her husband in the act. ... Her brilliance is also illustrated when she reasons why Yasuko is playing with both men "To start with, you [Mikame] spoil her with all the presents she cou...

  • Word Count: 1363
  • Approx Pages: 5

9. Comparison of Emerson and Thoreau

How can you really know yourself when you are being socially defined by the people and material objects that surround you? ... Thoreau didn't work hard because he could "catch as many fish as (he) should want for two days (Walden 193)" or farm beans, potatoes, corn, peas, and turnips. ... Thoreau is connecting with nature, God and his spirit. ... He uses this metaphor to illustrate the connection with the spirit. ... But the element of spirit is eternity (Emerson 77)." ...

  • Word Count: 1342
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question