I. Synopsis: Mitch Albom is Morrie Schwartz's former (and now current) student. After Mitch hears about Morries diagnosis of ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) on the television show Nightline with Ted Koppel, they reunite and begin to meet every Tuesday. During these meetings Morrie teaches Mitch lessons about facing one's death and living one's life.
Once together again teacher and student decide to extend the visit over the remaining months of Morrie's life. Their Tuesday sessions cover valuable issues of everyday life: the world, regrets, death, family, emotions, aging, money, love, marriage, culture, forgiveness and the perfect day.
With each visit Mitch notices how quickly Morrie is deteriorating and he can see how the illness has taken over his body almost from head to toe. Morrie eventually succumbs to the disease and passes away in the serene and peaceful way he hoped for.
II. Character Sketch:
Mitch Albom- Mitch is a man with a good heart who has surrendered his dreams of becoming a musician to dreams of material wealth and professional success. He has grown disillusioned and values money over love. Mitch works himself nearly to death, leaving little time for himself or his wife Janine. It is only with Morries encouragement that Mitch is able to realize the time he has wasted in all of the years he has immersed himself in work. With each week he travels to visit Morrie and listen to his lessons, his view of what he has missed and what he must change in his life becomes more clear. As he watches Morrie die, he realizes that like his professor, he wants to die knowing that he has lived his life to its fullest extent, certain that he has loved and forgiven himself and others as often and as sincerely as he could. Morrie Schwartz- Spent most of his life as a professor of sociology at Brandeis University, a position he has fallen into only "by default." He is an excellent teacher, and retires only after he begins to lose control of his body to ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
By the end of the movie, Mitch has found his smile, his self concept has improved, and his “one thing.” He finishes the Relationship Repair that he sought out when he began this journey. He learns to use productive conflict management strategies and enjoy life. He reaches The Adjustment stage when he brings home the happiness, morals, ethics, -- and Norman that he found on his adventure.
Wisdom has been proven to be a part of this story because morrie is very wise and aware of the world around him. He is respectful and understands common perception. Empowerment has also been proven to be a big part of this story because morrie has been a very big hero and a very big role model to not only mitch but to the class that morrie had taught. He is a very smart man and his legend and great life lessons that he has reflected will live on
There was a student in Morrie's social phsychology class that year, his name is Mitch Albom. These two characters grew a bond to one another where they spent their lunches together, talking for hours. unfornatuely when Mitch graduated, he did not keep his promise to keep in touch with is loving professor. Based on the reading, Mitch gets lost in the work field and becomes a work alcholic. When his uncle dies of pancerous cancer, Mitch decided to make something of himself, he felt "as if time
The concept questions if a set of values and beliefs influences the way live or how a collective meaning shapes our social behavior (123, T.S.P 2.0). For example, Morrie tells us it does by explaining his situation of not being able walk, not being able to wipe his behind, and some nights not being able to fall asleep without crying; these things are supposed to seem embarrassing, but his value to accept he is dying and value the life he has now leads him to not be embarrassed. Morrie really made me realize that we don’t have to follow everything society tells us to and that we are our own people and we should do what makes us happy. Additionally, culture as a form of communication was another important concept to Morrie because all he had to give was his insight and his love to teach and communicate with his students. That was the main reason Mitch recorder their conversations because Morrie was willing to give us the experience of death while also showing us how to live. Even though Morrie was dieing on the inside, he was living more then the rest of us. We go day-by-day lost in society following the norms and rules that we see as set for us, while Morrie is living to the end making sure nothing holds him back. Morrie was a gift to us, to truly and honestly give us life’s greatest
Most of Tuesdays with Morrie consists of replays of conversations between Mitch and his former teacher, Morrie. This may seem like a pretty boring topic, yet Mitch Albom felt the need to write this book. Mitch could have easily just gone to visit his old professor, chatted with him, and left it at that. Why do you think that Mitch Albom felt the need to share his story? What do you spend money on and how can you save for things? What does society teach us about money, wealth, and greed?
In the movie, “Tuesdays With Morrie”, Mitch’s old professor, Morrie, is diagnosed with ALS. Mitch finds out that he is dying, and wants to fulfill the promise to visit him after graduation. Mitch starts visiting him. He talks to him and goes places with him, but when his condition worsens it is hard to go anywhere.
A majority of people in the 21st century take somethings for granted. In the novel “Tuesdays with Morrie.” One of the main Characters Named Morrie Schwartz, is an extremely lovable college professor, who in his late sixties, finds out that he is diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The story of his last few weeks on earth is told by Mitch Albom, one of Morrie’s former students, who happends to reunite with him during his final days.
Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz, surely, demonstrate a mutualistic relationship in Tuesdays with Morrie because both characters benefit from affection, and their visits gives them a sense of purpose. One way Mitch and Morrie share a mutualistic relationship is with love and affection. Morrie is very affectionate and outgoing, so he surrounds himself with the people he loves instead of shutting everyone out when he discovered he had ALS. Mitch describes Morrie’s need for affection when he says, “I suddenly knew why he so enjoyed my leaning over… or wiping his eyes. Human Touch. At seventy-eight, he was giving as an adult and taking as a child” (Albom 116). Mitch sees that Morrie likes affection, and at first he feels uncomfortable at first, but by his last visit, he had changed, ”I leaned in and kissed him closely…he had finally made me cry” (Albom 185-186). Mitch also benefits greatly in this relationship. After his uncle passed away, Mitch decides t...
2. What causes Mitch and Blanche to take a "certain interest" in one another? That is, what is the source of their immediate attraction? What seems to draw them together? What signs are already present to suggest that their relationship is doomed/problematic?
Morrie Schwartz the lead character in Tuesdays with Morrie, receives terrible news early on that his death is near, as he is suffering from Lou G...
With the threatening reality of Morrie’s illness looming overhead, Mitch must learn from him just how necessary it is to live life to the fullest. Mitch was living an empty life, a life lacking fulfillment and love. Morrie explained this in a quote “So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they are busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things.” He also explained, “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.” Morrie helps Mitch lead a life consisting of love and happiness rather then material possessions. Morrie taught Mitch to live with the key ingredients of happiness and gave him understanding about what those ingredients are, and how to make them apart of his life.
Morrie was given the opportunity to discuss his fears regarding his impending death. He was granted love and company in his final days. He was able to reach to Mitch to show him the importance of living. Mitch is shown life in a new perspective, without having to suffer the consequences of being terminally ill. He is given the knowledge of what it means to live a successful life. I believe both parties think they benefited themselves more than the other.
Which is why he falls under Erikson’s theory of identity achievement. Identity achievement is when a person understands who he or she is as a unique individual, in accord with past experiences(Berger pg 356). Morrie understands who he is completely so he decides to give advice on life issues that most people go through while Mitch records him. During one session Mitch asked Morrie what his perfect last day would be and he gave it in complete detail from start to finish, it started off having a lovely breakfast, then going for a swim, have some lunch with friends, sit around and tell each other how much they meant to one another, go to dinner and have pasta and duck, then dance until he was exhausted, then go home and fall asleep. He had lived his life too the fullest and he knew exactly how he would want to spend his last day.
To conclude Mitch is not dramatically presented as a two dimensional character in the play because his role is too significant and contributes too much to the tragic impact of the play for this to be the case. the end of the play is tragic because we are aware that there is no hope for Blanche and we are able to acknowledge that Mitch was her lost hope of surviving and it failed.
One lesson Morrie teaches Mitch is about the view his culture has and how we, not only Mitch but also the rest of the world, should not believe what they say. Morrie tells Mitch: “Take my condition. The things I am supposed to be embarrassed about now — not being able to walk, not being able to wipe my ass, waking up some mornings wanting to cry — there is nothing innately embarrassing about them. It's the same for women not being thin enough, or men not being rich enough. It's just what our culture would have you believe. Don't believe it.”