Tuesdays with Morrie:
An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
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Discussion director Apple Joy Lawag- (Encoder) -
Tuesdays with Morrie is a masterful work of nonfiction on multiple fronts. It grants the listener not only an inspiring story of a brave man facing death, but also emphasizes core truths about how to live life and invest in others. Mitch and Morrie's final meeting is a living, breathing example of the kind of love that Morrie emphasizes throughout the book. The book unfolds slowly, building aphorisms and wise truths until you feel the change that took place in Mitch's life. Through Albom's deft and personable writing style, he paints a picture that endears us to Morrie as we become one of his beloved students as well.
Questions.. -Lorjane Walok-
When Morrie and Mitch discuss culture, Morrie asserts that human beings should be responsible for creating their own culture based on their personal values. Morrie maintains that no one should allow society to dictate their values.
In light of this, Morrie argues that one of the greatest values everyone should embrace is the idea that human beings are very much alike. If we can accept the idea that we are all alike, there may be more harmony among all the races. Morrie laments that the biggest problem in the modern world lies in the reluctance to accept this premise of being alike.
He tells Mitch that those who believe the premise often see themselves as part of the larger human family. Since all of us have the same beginning (birth) and the same ending (death), Morrie believes that we should be more compelled to be tolerant of others. He argues that people who look for common ground are happier and are better able to invest freely in others. Morrie asserts that the ability to foster a community based on love is made possible when all of us believe in the similarities we share as human beings.
2. When Mitch arrives at Morrie’s for the first time, what is he not proud of? Why does he struggle with this first meeting?
When Mitch arrives at Morrie's for the first time, he's not proud of the fact that he never kept his promise to keep in touch with his favorite professor. So, he sits in the car and feels guilty; he struggles to mentally prepare himself to meet his ailing professor.
Mitch realizes that he owes his professor more gratitude for his past kindnesses and patience towards him. Because he has failed in this area, he feels ashamed that he has let Morrie down. So, in a bid to mitigate his anxiety, Mitch decides to finish his conversation with the television producer before he approaches Morrie.
In the book, Morrie tells Mitch that aging isn't just about decay but about growth as well. He rationalizes his position from a philosophical standpoint: accepting this dual view of aging enables one to live a richer and more satisfying life.
Morrie believes that how he chooses to live determines how he will eventually die. He tells Mitch that young people are not without their own share of challenges in life. It's all a matter of perspective:
All these kids who came to me with their struggles, their strife, their feelings of inadequacy, their sense that life was miserable, so bad the wanted to kill themselves ... And, in addition to all the miseries, the young are not wise. They have very little understanding about life.
Morrie believes that money and power cannot buy true happiness. He tells Mitch that most people have been brainwashed into believing that they can obtain true satisfaction and contentment through material things. In reality, money and power are poor substitutes for love, gentleness, tenderness, or a sense of belonging.
Morrie especially maintains that money and power are of little comfort when one is dying. He says that when he found out he was dying, his desire to acquire material things evaporated. He believes that the only way to obtain true happiness in life is to give of himself to others. As long as he devotes himself to loving others, to serving his community, and to participating in worthwhile projects, his life will always be meaningful.
-Judy Ann Gabutin-
1.) "Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." (82) - Morrie
Morrie says this during the fourth Tuesday when he and Mitch discuss death. Morrie feels that people refuse to believe that they will one day die, and therefore, do not live there lives as fully as they would have liked and also have many regrets as they become older and their death becomes closer. He feels that once we learn and accept that we are one day going to die, we learn to live our lives fully and without any regrets. Morrie repeats this quote frequently throughout the chapter to emphasize how important and helpful it is to accept death, and what a benefit it would be to living the remainder of our lives. Morrie also wants Mitch to see how he is able to appreciate the smaller, more genuine things in life, knowing that his death is approaching.
2.) "You closed your eyes. That was the difference. Sometimes you cannot believe what you see, you have to believe what you feel. And if you are ever going to have other people trust you, you must feel that you can trust them too-even when you are in the dark. Even when you're falling." (61) - Morrie
During one of the flashbacks to when Mitch was a student of Morrie's, he recalls this specific class in which Morrie had the students participate in "trust falls". The students stood with their backs to their classmates and tried to fall backwards relaying on the others to catch them. Most of the students were unable to fall backwards and trust that the student would catch them. One girl closed her eyes and fell backward as her partner caught her. Morrie explains that she was able to trust her partner because she closed her eyes. Morrie stated that we cannot always believe what we see but we can believe what we feel. Many of the other students who were looking around the room were unable to trust their partners because of what they saw. Morrie feels that if we ever want others to trust us, we must show that we trust them in return. The trust that is shared between two people can sometimes be risky, but it is a risk we must take if we ever want to be trusted or we ever want to trust others; this risk is to be taken by an instinctive feeling and not by rational thinking as the other students had done who could not complete the fall.
3.) "As you grow old, you learn more. If you stayed at twenty-two, you'd always be as ignorant as you were at twenty-two. Aging is not just decay, you know. It's growth. It's more than the negative that you're going to die, its also the positive that you understand you're going to die, and that you live a better life because of it." (118) - Morrie
Morrie says this during the seventh Tuesday where he and Mitch talk about the fear of aging. Morrie does not accept today’s culture and emphasis on youth. He is aware that being young can be quite a misery. Especially being a teacher, he saw many young people and their struggles, their feelings of inadequacy and the lack of purpose they felt in life. He feels that the young are also not very wise because they have little understanding about life. This is why he enjoys aging. Morrie embraces aging because he sees it as an opportunity to learn more. He explained that contrary to many peoples' fear, he does not want to remain young because he would always be as ignorant as he once was at a young age. He feels that once people have found meaning in their lives, they never want to go back and be young again. He feels that if your life has meaning you will want to progress forward with age by doing more things, seeing more and learning more.
4.) "So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." (43) --Morrie
Mitch recalls this quote, that Morrie had once told him, at the beginning of the novel when he was describing his job and his lifestyle. Mitch was a very busy, career and success oriented sports reporter. He chased money, success, and materialistic things. He recalled that Morrie had once told him how so many people get caught leading a meaningless life; they become too involved in their job, money, and fall under the popular culture dictatorship. Morrie feels that so many people are mislead thinking all of these things are important and they are too busy chasing these things that their life passes right by them. Morrie says that to create meaning in our life, we must love and show compassion for others. This way we create our own meaning of life and do not waste our life chasing false and superficial dreams. Ironically, Mitch lives this exact life of "chasing the wrong things" (43).
| 5.) "If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don't have much at all. Love is so supremely important." (91) - Morrie |
As one of the major themes in the novel, Morrie discusses that if we do not have love, we do not have anything at all. He then quotes Auden in saying, "Love each other or perish" (91). Morrie feels that if he did not have his family around him, during his sickness, it would be much harder for him. He feels safe knowing his family will never leave and always be watching out for him. He feels that the love between family members goes hand and hand with letting someone know that there will always be someone there for them, someone always watching over them. This is also one of the things Morrie missed after his mother died. He refers to this as "spiritual security" (92)- knowing that your family will constantly be watching over you.
Summaries.. -Gladys Quinquito-
Chapter 1- "The Curriculum"
Chapter one, “The Curriculum,” introduces the narrative structure of the opening chapters, the characters, and the themes Mitch Albom discusses in Tuesdays With Morrie. Albom starts the book talking about the last class of his professors life. As the only student, he explains, “[t]he subject was the Meaning of Life”. He flashes back to graduation day, and gives some background information on younger Morrie Schwartz. Morrie was one of Albom’s favorite professors at Brandeis University. Albom introduces Morrie to his parents and gives him a briefcase for a gift. They hug; and when he steps back, he can see that Morrie is crying.
Chapter 2- "The Syllabus"
In chapter 2, “The Syllabus” Mitch Albom presents more insight to Morrie’s character. Morrie knew his health was failing when he could no longer dance. Morrie loved to dance to any music with or without a partner. When he got to his seventies, breathing became harder, walking more challenging, and sleep troubling; h began to see doctors and was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. The doctor told him he would eventually die. When Morrie comes out of the doctors office with the horrible news, he asks himself, “do I wither up and disappear, or do I make the best of my time left?” . He decides to continue living his life to the fullest and keep swimming, with the help of a homecare worker, and even insists on spending his last year teaching at the University.
Chapter 3- "The Student"
In chapter 3, “The Student”, Albom explains what has happened to him since he last saw Morrie on his college graduation day. Years after he promised to keep in touch, he admits, “I did not keep in touch”. He forgot about all his college friends, and only occasionally thinks about Morrie. He moved to New York City with high hopes of becoming a musician. However, after the death of his uncle he soon realized his life was too short to waste time on unappreciated music. He decides to continue his education at Columbia University, obtaining his Masters Degree in Journalism. He finds the first job available, a sports writer, and writes about famous athletes. He moved from New York to Florida and eventually moved to Detroit. In a few years, he is writing sports books, hosting radio shows, and even appearing on TV. He meets his current wife, Janine, and continues to work. It seems that Mitch was trying to make the most of his life by accepting job after job, accomplishment after accomplishment.
Chapter 4- "The Audiovisual"
In chapter 4, “The Audiovisual”, Morrie began writing “bite-sized philosophies about living with death's shadow”. One of his fellow professors at Brandeis University sends them to a Boston Globe reporter and a long article is written about Morrie and what he is facing. The article fascinated a producer of the “Nightline”, a well-known talk show, and he contacts Ted Koppel, the most famous interviewer in America, to see if he would like to talk to Morrie. One evening as Albom was flipping through the television channels, he heard the voice of Ted Koppel ask, “[w]ho is Morrie Schwartz?”. The chapter then flashes back to the first time Mitch met Morrie: it was their first class together in the spring of 1976. It was a small class and Morrie asked Mitch what he preferred to be called. After telling Morrie that his friends call him “Mitch”, Morrie told him that he hopes one day Albom will think of him as a friend.
Chapter 5- "The Orientation"
In chapter 5, “The Orientation”, Albom arrives at Morrie’s house still on the phone with a producer about one of his stories. He does not want to end the call so he pretends he is looking for something in his car. Later, Albom feels guilty for ignoring his old professor and pretending to search for his keys. When Morrie sees Albom, he hugs him with so much affection, after almost sixteen years of not seeing him. The two sit in the house and Morrie begins to speak about his upcoming death. Albom states, “[a]lthough I was unaware of it, our last class had just begun”. This chapter flashbacks to Albom’s college years; Mitch nicknamed Morrie “Coach” and recalls the lunches they ate together in the cafeteria.
Chapter 6- "The Classroom"
Albom and Morrie talk for over two hours that day, mostly about Morrie’s sickness. Albom begins to wonder what happened to him, why he is nothing like he was when he was in college. When Morrie talks about how popular he is because he is dying, Albom thinks, “[w]hat happened to me?”. Morrie shows Albom how weak he is by doing a easy breathing test. Mitch eventually leaves to catch his flight home and hugs Morrie good-bye. Albom goes back to when he was buying books on Morrie’s reading list. He began appreciating the study of human relations and caught Morrie’s contagious passion for books. They would often talk after class and he even talked to Morrie about how confusing his life is.
Chapter 7- "Taking Attendance"
A few weeks after his visit with Morrie, Mitch flies to London to cover Wimbledon. He notices the slough of printed tabloids and hungry reporters around him. He thinks of Morrie and their conversation. “I remembered what Morrie said during our visit: ‘The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn’t work, don’t buy it.’” When Mitch arrives back in Detroit, the unions at his newspaper had gone on strike. Mitch was currently out of his newspaper job. He called Morrie and the two agreed to meet again the following Tuesday. The chapter then flashes back to Mitch’s sophomore year in college when he began to meet Morrie outside of the classroom for discussions. Mitch talks to Morrie about his aspirations in life because Morrie listens, unlike Mitch’s father who wants him to be a lawyer.
Chapter 8- "The First Tuesday- We Talk About The World"
Albom visits Morrie for the second time. He notices a stack of newspapers that Morrie had obviously read. Albom is surprised that Morrie is keeping up-to-date with the news. They discuss a bit of news going on in the world and Morrie cries. Morrie tells him how he cries about things that are going on across the world because he feels close to the people who are suffering. The flashback in this chapter takes place in one of Albom’s college classes with Morrie. Morrie enters the room and is silent for about fifteen minutes. The students become uncomfortable which leads into a discussion regarding silence. Albom is not bothered by the silence and while he is walking out of Morrie's class, he stops Albom and tells him that Albom reminds him of himself.
Chapter 9- "The Second Tuesday- We Talk About Being Sorry for Yourself"
This second Tuesday Albom and Morrie discuss feeling sorry for yourself. Albom asks Morrie if he feels sorry for himself. His response is, “[s]ometimes, in the mornings,” he says, “thats when I mourn. I feel around my body, I move my fingers and my hands-whatever I can still move- and I mourn what I've lost”. Albom is amazed how Morrie thinks he is lucky to know he is dying because he has so much time to say goodbye. When Morrie comes back from the bathroom, Albom offers to lift him into the chair, and later realizes that their time together is running out. Albom thinks back to a specific class with Morrie during his junior year in college. Morrie had each student to fall backwards in trust that their assigned partners would catch them. Only one student completes the trust exercise correctly.
Chapter 10- "The Third Tuesday- We Talk About Regrets"
In chapter ten, Albom brings a tape recorder to Morrie’s in order to remember their discussions. They discuss regrets and how people don’t think about what they really want from life: “the culture doesn't encourage you to think about such things until you're about to die”. Morrie tells Albom, “ask me anything”, so on the plane ride home that day, he makes a list of all of the questions he had for Morrie. This chapter goes back to Albom’s senior year in college, when Morrie convinced him to write a sociology thesis on sports. He is very proud of his work and momentarily considers returning for graduate school.
Chapter 11- "The Audiovisual- Part Two"
In “The Audiovisual- Part 2”, the “Nightline” show did a follow-up story and Ted Koppel once again interviewed Morrie. Morrie and Koppel have a great rapport because they are comfortable with each other. Koppel mainly asked him what he will do when he can no longer speak and move his hands. Morrie answers all his questions, about emotions, talking, and silence. For the first time, Morrie expresses his sadness about feeling lonely. Morrie later reads a letter from a lady who teaches a class of kids who have lost a parent. We find out that his mother died when he was a child over seventy years ago.
Chapter 12- "The Professor"
In chapter 12, Albom gives background on Morrie. Morrie’s mother died when he was eight years old, and he had to break the news to his father, who spoke minimal English. After her death, he learned that his brother was ill with polio. Thinking all of this was his fault, Morrie began going to the synagogue to pray for his mother and his sick brother. The next year his father married a woman named Eva. Eva greatly valued education, for this was during the Great Depression, and education seemed like the only path to a job. Eva also took classes to improve her English; she served as a great educational inspiration to Morrie. At the end of the chapter Eva asks Morrie what he wants to do for his career. He had few choices, and Albom states at the end of the chapter, “[i]t was only through default that the best professor I ever had became a teacher”.
Chapter 13- "The Fourth Tuesday- We Talk About Death"
In chapter 13, Morrie is now becoming dependant on an oxygen machine but still meets Albom on the fourth Tuesday. They discuss death and how most people do not believe that they are ever going to die. Morrie tells Albom “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live”. With this said, Morrie asks Albom that if he could accept the fact that he could die at any time, would he still work as much as he does. Morrie feels that if people, in general, were able to believe that they could die at any moment, that they would live their lives differently. One Sunday afternoon, Morrie’s sons come over to answer questions received in letters. He has them write for him because his writing is now illegible to everyone but him. The chapter flashes back to a later memory with Morrie when they are discussing Lou Gehrig and his baseball career.
Chapter 14- "The Fifth Tuesday- We Talk About Family"
In chapter 14, Morrie and Albom discuss family and children. Morrie emphasizes the importance of love, especially love from a family. He says, “[w]ithout love, we are birds with broken wings”.He feels that if he did not have the love and support from his family, that he would have nothing at all. Morrie then discusses the joy he had in raising a family and asks about Albom’s own family. Albom tells us that he has a younger brother who was always a family favorite. He moved to Europe after high school and caught pancreatic cancer just as their uncle had. His brother would not allow any of the family members to help him while he battled cancer, which made Albom angry. He then recalls a memory of him and his brother sledding when they were children. The sled went in front of a car and the boys jumped off to safety. The two were filled with pride at having just skipped death.
Chapter 15- "The Sixth Tuesday- We Talk About Emotions"
In chapter 15, Albom goes to Morrie’s house and is surprised to see his wife, Charlotte, answer the door. He shows her the food he brought for Morrie, but she turns it down, saying “[i]t’s too hard for him to swallow. He has to eat soft things and liquid drinks now”. When Albom gets to see Morrie, he is coughing more than usual. They discuss how it is important to fully accept something and then let it go. He says you need to know the emotion you are feeling and realize that it can’t hurt you, it can only help you. Morrie tells Albom, “by throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely”. Then, Morrie has a coughing fit and takes a minute to recover. Albom is horrified by what just happened to his professor. Then Morrie tells him that he wants to die in a peaceful way, no matter what the circumstances are, and he will achieve this by detaching himself from the fear of dying. Albom then thinks back to a conversation he had with Morrie about reincarnation. Morrie says he would like to come back as a gazelle, because they are fast, strong, and graceful.
Chapter 16- "The Professor- Part Two"
In chapter 16, Albom gives more background information on Morrie. After Morrie received his PhD, he spent time working at a mental hospital near Washington, DC. Morrie ended up working at the hospital for five years and even befriended some of the patients.Since many of the patients came from wealthy backgrounds Morrie learned that this wealth did not buy them happiness; Morrie never forgot this lesson or the importance of compassion. Following his work at the hospital he went to Brandeis to teach. He taught classes on social psychology, mental illness and health, but he still focused more on personal development than career skills.
Chapter 17- "The Seventh Tuesday- We Talk About the Fear of Aging"
In chapter 17, Morrie and Albom discuss the fear of aging. Morrie has finally surrendered to his illness: he can no longer go to the bathroom by himself. Instead of being frustrated he is enjoying all the people around him who are helping him and taking care of him. Morrie describes why he thinks it is beneficial to age: to learn more, gain a better understanding of your life and to experience growth. Throughout the book thus far, Morrie joked that one day he would need someone to wipe him after he was finished in the bathroom. Currently, he can no longer go to the bathroom alone, wash himself, or blow his nose. Morrie says he is enjoying being taken care of so much, just as a baby does, then states, “[m]ost of us didn’t get enough. I know I didn’t” .
Chapter 18- "The Eighth Tuesday- We Talk About Money"
In chapter 18, Morrie and Albom are influenced by a quote from the newspaper and discuss money and power. Morrie lived his life enjoying simple pleasures such as dancing, singing and laughing. He explains in this chapter how he sees society being brainwashed into thinking that the more you have, the better you are. He says, “[a]nd that is what we do in this country.Owning things is good. More money is good. More property is good. More commercialism is good. More is good. More is good.” Morrie explains to Albom that people use these things as a substitute for love because they do not get enough. Morrie tells Mitch that in order to feel satisfied, people should offer to others, what they have, whether it be a skill or simply just listening.
Chapter 19- "The Ninth Tuesday- We Talk About How Love Goes On"
In the 19th chapter, Morrie and Albom talk about love. The previous day, someone had asked Morrie if he was afraid of being forgotten after he was dead. His response is, “I don’t think I will be. I’ve got so many people who have been involved with me in close, intimate ways. And love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone”. Albom describes how he loves the way Morrie greets him upon his entrance. Albom admires how Morrie has such a talent as to make each person feel special when they are around him. Morrie tells him how important it is to stay focused and to only be present with the people who are around you. He thinks that so many people are in a hurry and do not find the time to even engage in a real conversation without thinking of something else.
Chapter 20- "The Tenth Tuesday- We Talk About Marriage"
On this tenth Tuesday, Albom brings his wife to meet Morrie. Albom had called Morrie earlier in the week to see how he was feeling and he asked to talk to Albom’s wife, Janine. When she got off the phone with Morrie, she told him she was coming on the next trip. They talk and Morrie asks about her career as a professional singer and he asks her to sing something for him. She sang a 1930’s song written by Ray Noble. When she finished singing, Albom noticed tears running down Morrie’s face. He and Morrie then discuss marriage and Morrie shares with him what he has learned through his many years of marriage. Morrie says, “[i]f you don’t respect the other person, you’re gonna have a lot of trouble”. He tells Albom that you must have the same belief in the importance of marriage if the relationship is going to work.
Chapter 21- "The Eleventh Tuesday- We Talk About Our Culture"
In chapter 21, Morrie tells Albom about how our culture has wrong ideas, and it is smart not to buy into it. They discuss how our culture has us believe that we must be ideal people, men must be rich, women must be thin. Morrie says, “[t]he little things, I can obey. But the big things- how we think, what we value- those you must choose yourself. You can’t let anyone- or any society- determine those for you”. He says that these are things our culture would have us believe, and that we should not buy into it. Morrie also explains that people do not see what they could be, how much potential they have. The chapter then flashes back to a basketball game at Brandeis University. The students are chanting to the team, “We’re number one!”, and finally, Morrie is so tired of this he stand up and says, “[w]hat’s wrong with being number two?”.
Chapter 22- "The Audiovisual- Part Three"
In this chapter, Koppel goes back to interview Morrie one last time. Koppel asks him how bad it is, and Morrie lifted up his hand as far as he could, halfway up his belly, and Koppel understood that this was as much as he could move. Morrie explains to Koppel that once he can no longer be responsive to other people, he is no longer living. He says, “[w]hen that is gone, Morrie is gone”. He also tells Koppel he wants to die serenely. Morrie shares his latest aphorism with everybody, “don’t let go too soon, but don’t hang on too long”.After the interview, the film keeps rolling and it catches Morrie saying that he was with Him up there. He wants to be an angel. This is the first time Morrie admits to talking to God.
Chapter 23- "The Twelfth Tuesday- We Talk About Forgiveness"
It is the Twelfth Tuesday, and Albom and Morrie discuss forgiveness. He says, “[f]orgive yourself before you die. Then forgive others”. The whole time, Albom rubs lotion on Morrie’s feet to relieve them of some pain. Morrie tells Albom a story in which he never forgave one of his friends for an incident which happened years ago. He then continued to say that we also must forgive ourselves for the things we feel we should have done. At the end of the chapter Morrie tells him that if he could have had another son, he would have liked it to be Albom. The chapter flashes back to a conversation between Albom and Morrie when Morrie found the place in which he would like to be buried. It is on a hill beneath a tree and overlooking a pond. He hopes that Albom will come visit him and tell him all his problems.
Chapter 24- "The Thirteenth Tuesday- We Talk About The Perfect Day"
Morrie has decided to be cremated upon his death. He tells Albom how people act as if death is contagious and how they are afraid to see it. Morrie has been having very bad nights involving terrible coughing spells. He had recently had one so terrible that he almost felt as if he was going to die. He told Albom that he suddenly felt at peace with dying. Albom asks Morrie what he would do if he was perfectly healthy for one day. Morrie describes a simple day of being with friends and dancing. They then discuss Albom’s sick brother who he has been trying to reach for weeks. Albom cannot understand how his brother wants to be left alone during this time. Morrie tells him that he will eventually find a way back to h
Chapter 25- "The Fourteenth Tuesday- We Say Goodbye"
In chapter 25, Charlotte had called Albom to tell him that Morrie was not doing well but he still wanted to see him. When Albom arrived, Morrie was still asleep and now bed ridden. Albom thought of one of Morrie's aphorism, “when you're in bed, you're dead”, and tried to push the thought away. Morrie could barely talk, he was having tons of trouble breathing and Albom knows Morrie's last days are here. He was very weak; he told Albom that he was not doing well, and that he loved him. Albom kissed Morrie, longer than usual, and finally began to cry.
Chapter 26- "Graduation"
Morrie died on Saturday morning. Only his immediate family was at home when he died, but nobody witnessed it. The funeral was held on a damp, gray morning. Charlotte kept the ceremony small for only friends and family, although hundreds wanted to attend. Albom thought about what Morrie said, “[y]ou'll talk, I'll listen”, and talks with Morrie in his head and noted how familiar the conversation felt. He then realized that it was Tuesday.
Chapter 27- "Conclusion"
One of the main things that Morrie taught Mitch was that, "there is no such thing as 'too late' in life". Mitch seemed to take this thought to heart, as he was inspired to contact his sick brother in Spain. Mitch told him that he respected his decision to distance himself, but that he wanted to stay in contact because Mitch loved him. Mitch stated that he had never said such a thing to his brother; it seems as though by Mitch telling his brother that he loves him, also allowed his brother to see that it is never too late to regain contact and include his family in his life.
A Reflection on Tuesdays with Morrie.. -Apple Joy Lawag-
There is a well-known saying, “Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass,” and I say “Living without inspiration is like living without feelings.” Inspiration is a lamp directing our way. It can be a theory or life experiences like Morrie’s. Tuesdays with Morrie is a book about a professor sharing his life experiences and attitudes with his beloved student before death took him away. To my astonishment, it’s not a dull book trying to preach us readers lessons but a fable-like one revealing friendship, wisdom, and wonderful writing skills.
The first inspiration which Tuesdays with Morrie brings to me is friendship. In Tuesdays with Morrie, we went through with Mitch Albom a life-challenging incident, a strike, happening to him, which led to his reunion with his college professor, Morrie, who suffered from an illness depriving his life. This small act unfolded a series of conversation between an old man and a young man. On each Tuesday, the professor shared his personal understanding of life. In the end, Mitch got more than he had expected, that is, a pure friendship without status, age, and profitability because he knew about Professor Morrie from a different perspective. At last, the friendship with Professor Morrie transformed into intangible strength and inspiration to Mitch. That is, to me, a true and profound friendship.
What’s more impressive is the wisdom that Professor Morrie brought us younger generation—a new perspective of death. Normally, death is terrifying issue and we tend to avoid talking about it, not to mention facing it with an undisturbed state of mind. However, Professor Morrie taught us to embrace death after he realized death was about to come. He told Mitch that although he would feel upset because of discomfort and pain caused by the disease, he would recover and hold an optimistic attitude for every day was too precious to waste on crying. Therefore, only if we admit the existence of difficulties, such as frustration, depression, death, and so on could we uplift ourselves to perfection.
However, all of the above inspiration wouldn’t be aroused because of the author vivid description. Perfect writing skill makes readers picture. When reading this book, the conversations going on between the two characters make it easy for readers to perceive. It was as if I were on the scene. When Professor Morrie’s circumstance got worse as time passed by, I couldn’t help but worry about his health condition and that time wouldn’t be enough for him to finish sharing his life experiences. It seems that Morrie was in front of me, coughing and laughing so that it’s like we went through 14 lessons on Tuesdays with him.
A perfect novel leaves an indelible impression on its readers. Readers get sentimental and a little bit of bitterness while they also feel hope, strength, and new understanding refill them afterwards. I am sure readers will be inspired somehow after reading this book because the content of it conveys a close friendship, helps illuminate wisdom everyone should have when facing difficulties and death, and demonstrates a lively writing style to make readers feel the same way as characters. Therefore, Tuesdays with Morrie thus is a book worth reading.
Characterization.. -Ricson Pon-
Mitch Albom - Morrie's former student at Brandeis University, and the narrator of the book. After
having abandoned his dreams of becoming a famous musician, he is disgusted by his desire for financial
success and material wealth, though neither fill the void and unhappiness he feels. He has been working
himself nearly to death, and suddenly finds himself out of a job when the staff at the newspaper he
writes for decides to strike. Each Tuesday, he learns from Morrie, his that he needs to reassess his life,
and to value love over money, and happiness over success.
Morrie Schwartz - Mitch's favorite professor from Brandeis University, and the focus of the book,
Morrie now suffers from ALS, a debilitating, incurable disease which ravages his body, but, cruelly,
leaves him intellectually lucid.
Ted Koppel - One of the most famous living television interviewers, Koppel conducts three interviews with Morrie for the news show "Nightline." He is surprised when Morrie asks him personal questions just after they have met, though he immediately seems to like Morrie, and eventually grows to call him a friend. He is moved almost to tears during his last interview with Morrie, having deconstructed what Morrie had called his "narcissistic" television personality.
Charlotte - Morrie's caring wife, who, at his insistence, keeps her job as a professor at M.I.T. throughout Morrie's illness.
Janine - Mitch's patient wife who willingly takes a phone call from Morrie, whom she has never met, and insists upon joining Mitch on his next Tuesday visit. Although she usually does not sing upon request, she does for Morrie, and moves him to tears with her beautiful voice.
Peter - Mitch's younger brother who lives in Spain. Peter flies to various European cities seeking treatment for his pancreatic cancer, though he refuses any help from his family, who he has for the most part estranged himself from. He is reluctant when Mitch first tries to reestablish a relationship with him, but eventually warms.
Charlie - Morrie's dispassionate father who immigrated to America to escape the Russian Army. Charlie raises his children on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and works in the fur business, though he seldom finds jobs and earns barely enough money to feed his family. He shows Morrie and his brother David little attention, and no affection whatsoever, and insists that Morrie keep his mother's death a secret from David, as he wants his son to believe that his stepmother, Eva, is his biological mother. He dies after having run away from muggers, and Morrie must travel to New York to identify his body at the city morgue.
David - Morrie's younger brother who, after their mother's death, is sent with Morrie to a small hotel in the woods of Connecticut. There, he develops polio, seemingly just after he and Morrie have spent a night frolicking outside in the rain. Although his paralysis has nothing to do with their night in the rain, Morrie and blames himself for David's paralysis.
Eva - The kind, caring immigrant woman who Charlie marries after Morrie's mother dies. She gives Morrie and his brother David the love and affection they have so longed for, and instills in Morrie his love of books and desire for education.
Maurie Stein - A good friend of Morrie's who sends some of Morrie's aphorisms to a Boston Globe reporter who eventually publishes a feature story on Morrie. The reporter's article prompts Ted Koppel to ask Morrie for an interview.
Norman - An old friend of Morrie's who he has long been estranged from. He had been an artist, and had sculpted a bust of Morrie, a deft depiction of his features. He eventually moved away, and shortly thereafter, did not send his regards to Morrie or Charlotte although he knew that Charlotte would be undergoing a serious surgery. Because of his carelessness, Morrie forfeits his friendship with him and refuses to accept his apology, which he regrets, especially after his death a few years following their break up.
Connie - Morrie's home health aide who is always there to assist Morrie in going to the bathroom, getting into his chair, and eating his meals. She is in disbelief when O.J. Simpson is voted not guilty by the court jury.
Al Axelrad - A rabbi from Brandeis and a long-time friend of Morrie's. He performs Morrie's funeral service.
Most Powerful Lessons.. -Jonna Lauro-
1. Live every day as if it were your last
Morrie is happy that he has time to say goodbye to his loved ones thanks to his disease, which is slowly
moving him closer to death. Morrie calls himself lucky; I am not sure if, under the circumstances he was
in, I would call myself that. When I read his explanation to using this word, I understand what he
means. He suggests doing what Buddhists do, which is: "Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder
that asks, 'Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to
be?'"
These simple words have a pool of information for each one of us. We must be ready to say goodbye to
the world, any given day. How many of us can say that they are ready to die today? Of course, we may
never be ready for death, but we must try to show our loved ones how much we care about them. We
should not wait for a special occasion to express our love; we should make a habit of it. We should give
our best to the world. Starting today, we should have a little bird on our shoulders too.
2. Remember to spend quality time with the family
Most of us have a tendency of taking our family for granted. If it is a Friday night, we start planning our
outing with the friends. Sometimes, we have to be forced to spend time with our parents on holidays.
Life is fun with friends and parties with them; however, the bond of love, which we share with our
parents, is the ultimate one. Instead of keeping them at the bottom of our priority list, we must cherish
and appreciate them whenever we get a chance.
3. Enjoy your emotions to the fullest
One should not hide from any emotion, rather one must experience each emotion entirely. If you love
someone, love them with all you have; if you are sad, cry until you cannot cry anymore; so that when
the same emotion hits you again, you know exactly what is going to happen. We hide ourselves from
emotions because we are afraid to get hurt.
4. Money can never buy real happiness
Being a lover of luxurious things, I am still trying to absorb this idea. However, I agree with the
explanation of Morrie. According to him: "If you’re trying to show off for people at the top, forget it.
They will look down at you anyhow. And if you’re trying to show off for people at the bottom, forget it.
They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally
between everyone." We are blindly running behind money; we forget our kids, parents, relationships, and friends.
We are busy. We are always busy. Busy has become a word that is being used as an excuse all over the
world. At the end of the day, money will only get us a good hospital bed to die in — and a good
headstone. Is that what we are aiming for? Of course, money is important, but it is not more important
than our family. One may argue that to take care of our family, we need money. That is true. However,
if we do not have time to spare for our loving family, then I believe there is a problem with our plan.
5. Pay attention to the person you talk to
I wonder how many of us really listen while we talk! According to Morrie, it is really important to pay
our utmost attention to the person you are conversing with. Imagine if this is the last conversation with
your loved one, would you wish to let it go unheard?
6. Marry the person with the same values as you — and treat them well
As per Morrie, people should get to know about other people’s values and beliefs; marry the person who
shares your values and beliefs. A life partner is a very important part of our life. In our time of need,
friends may come and go, but our life partner will be with us. During sickness, they are the ones who
take care of us. Therefore, they should be treated with love, care and respect. As Morrie quotes a
famous saying: "Love each other or perish."
7. Decide your own rules; do not let society steer your life
Morrie says that people are running behind things that do not — necessarily — matter to them. He says
that we must believe in each other and ourselves. According to him: "Invest in the human family. Invest
in people. Build a little community of those you love and who love you." He mentions we should rely on
our own instincts to decide our thought process and actions — and not society. In his own words: "I
don’t mean you disregard every rule of your community... The little things, I can obey. But the big
things — how we think, what we value — that you must choose yourself. You can’t let anyone — or any
society — determine those for you."
8. Forgive others, as well as yourself
We tend to hold grudges in life. Even if somebody apologizes, how many of us — truly — forgive the
person? We may smile and accept, but there is a huge possibility that we do not forgive them. Forgiving
another person not only releases a burden of one’s own heart, but also makes us a better person.
Unlocking Difficulties.. -Reymar Cedeno-
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someone who speaks by divine inspirationIn his graduation day robe, he looks like a cross between a biblical prophetand a Christmas elf.
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completely happy and contentedHe would close his eyes and with a blissful smile begin to move to his own sense of rhythm.
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conspicuous in position or importanceNo one there knew he was a prominent doctor of sociology, with years of experience as a college professor and several well-respected books. They just thought he was some old nut.
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incapable of being explained or accounted forAt a birthday party for a friend, he stumbled inexplicably.
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able or disposed to inflict pain or sufferingMorrie had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig’s disease, abrutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system.
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a matter or concernWhy suffer in front of so many people? Stay at home. Get your affairs in order.
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walk impeded by some physical limitation or injuryInstead, he hobbled into the classroom, his home for more than thirty years.
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showing intellectual penetration or emotional depthBut my old professor had made a profound decision, one he began to construct the day he came out of the doctor's office with a sword hanging over his head.
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the time when something endsSince everyone was going to die, he could be of great value, right? He could be research. A human textbook. Study me in my slow and patient demise.
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meaning the same or nearly the sameHe was intent on proving that the word “dying” was not synonymous with “useless.”
SUBMITTED BY:
LAWAG ,APPLE JOY B.
GABUTIN ,JUDY ANN S.
CEDENO,REYMAR
WALOK,LORJANE
QUINQUITO,GLADYS
LAURO,JONA
PON,RICSON
HS-T3 BSED-ENGLISH
GENSANTOS FOUNDATION COLLEGE,INC
Bulaong Extension,General Santos City
