Analysis Of Mitch Albom 's Book ' I Didn 't Expect Much From It '

We all have our own picture of what we imagine Heaven will look like. In this book, three-year-old, Colton Burpo tells the reader about his experience to Heaven and back. Through this family’s rough year, narrator Todd Burpo shares his family’s experience in hopes to encourage others to stay strong during tough times in their lives.

The book, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is a book full of reflection, life lessons, and experiences of the joys and sorrows that accompany life. The Five People You Meet in Heaven is about an old man named Eddie who meets his death after an accident at a theme park. On his path to heaven, Eddie meets five people from his life who he had an impact on, or who impacted him. These people teach Eddie important lessons before he is ready to move on. In the portion of the book about Eddie’s 2nd person, his captain, Eddie learns more about his life at war. The movie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is very similar to the book at this part. In the section about war, in both the book and the movie, Eddie relives his experiences

The author Mitch Albom incorporates sacrifice which is a big part of being a brothers keeper in The Five People you Meet in Heaven. Eddie was in war for a short period of time, during this time The Captain becomes his keeper because he shot himself in the leg to protect Eddie, as a captain he should have done this. He teaches him that grieving is the only way out of a tough situation, similar to the one he is in. Eddie does not recognize the reasoning behind why he did what he did. The Captain explains to Eddie, "Sacrifice, you made one. I made one. We all make them. But you are angry over yours. You kept thinking about what you lost… You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life." (Albom 93). By doing this it shows his bravery, loyalty and companionship towards Eddie. He shot Eddie in the leg so Eddie would not die in the burning tent. Even though he sacrificed his life for Eddies he was

Eddie the matenience man of Ruby Pier carnival seems like just typical old man, who struggles with the idea that he never lived up to his potential. However, after he dies, he is able to see his life through a different perspective, one of eternity, and realizes how unique and important his life has been. This closely echoes the truth found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which says that only in heaven with Christ will we find our true identity and meaning of life. 1 Death is only the beginning for Eddie and his journey through the five “heavens” of people that his life has impacted demonstrates how intricately woven together every humanity is. As pilgrims, our view of suffering and day to day actions constricts our ability to see how God truly weaves human messiness together to create a beautiful tale of redemption. So, we must live for the destination, not for the journey, leaning on hope instead of complete understanding.

Turning against the world of drugs and violence, Eddie vows to take the straight and narrow path, even if it means struggling at temporary manual labor jobs. So when he takes a landscaping job for a white man across town thinking that god had finally heard him, the man's truck is stolen from the front of Eddie's apartment causing yet another problem to add on. He hid for hours and days drinking because he really liked his job with the white man and was afraid of what might happen to him. Although getting the truck stolen from him kinda seems like a big deal, it is not because that sort of thing happens daily in the streets of fresno that he lived by, it was almost like that was something normal to him. So when his aunt gets home she reminds him yet another time that his cousin died only this time a gun came with the tortillas she would try and persuade him with the avenge the death of her son.

His second stop is where he meets his commanding officer of his world war II platoon. Eddie remembers being held captive along with his captain and four others. He also was the one responsible for coming up with a plan for them to escape. After they did that the captain told them to burn the place they were held captive but eddie ran back because he thought he saw a young girl, but a bullet was shot and hit him right in the knee. He learned the importance of sacrifice from the captain who then says that that it was him who shot eddie. He says that he had to sacrifice his knee in order to save his life. The captain then reveals that he died because he stepped on a landmine getting Eddie to safety, meaning he also made sacrifice.One his way out he advises Eddie to let go of his anger. The third stop is where he sees a vision of his father. He had flashbacks of the abuse he suffered from the hands of his father when he was drunk.then he meets Ruby who’s husband is the founder of Ruby Pier which was named after her. She offers him a new way to look at his father’s death. Eddie believed that his father died because he made a decision while drunk to jump into the freezing water and caught pneumonia, but really he was trying to save his friend mickey’s life. Mickey tried to kill himself after Eddie’s father caught him assaulting

Lesson number one: “No life is a waste,” (Albom 50). Eddie’s first encounter was in heaven with The Blue Man. He explains to Eddie that when he was a young boy he killed him. This happened when Eddie ran in front of his car resulting in a heart attack. Eddie responds by saying “I never killed you, ok?” (Albom 60). Eddie meets many people throughout his life. Each relationship taught him a special lesson on how life goes by quick and make the best of it. “The only time we waste is the time we spend thinking we are alone”(Albom 67). This represents when you grow up you should spend your time with friends and family.

Eddie was born into a broken home without a strong father figure in Harlem on one of the worst streets in the town. There were already so many people judging him because of his race and where he was brought up. For a short time, Eddie chose to fulfill a more meaningful future instead of dwelling on his race, but ultimately, he decided to let the stereotypes of his race define him. As time went on at Exeter, Eddie learned firsthand what others thought of him and his race he quickly learned that “[w]hen you’re black, and you’re in a white prep school, control is the paramount thing in your life. You have to be in control - you can’t give anything away, especially how you are really feeling” (Anson 205).

Lessons can come in many forms, some more straight forward than others. In the story “The Lesson,” by Toni Cade Bambara a girl with hate in her heart learns that good things can happen to anyone and in the essay “Commencement Speech, Kenyon College,” by David Foster Wallace he guides us to not live with hate in your heart. Both authors bring up the fact that people tend to be very selfish and annoyed with other people around them. They also suggest that a person can transcend a negative environment through effort. They explain this in different ways which leads to a lesson in both stories.

Scraping By, by Seth Rockman offers an insight to the rarely recorded history of ‘the chronically impoverished, often unfree, and generally unequal Americans whose work made the United States arguably the most wealthy, free, and egalitarian society in the Western world”(3). In the book, Rockman showcases to his audience the flourishing booming port of Baltimore, Maryland and the complications of the men and woman, white and black, which worked on the early capitalist development. An absence of economic safety and impoverished state republic capitalist prospered on is what this diverse group of people had in common. He explains early republic capitalism as “a political economy that dictated who worked where, on that terms, and to whose benefit” not a “synonym for market exchange” (5). Rockman not only shed light to the view that capitalist economy utilized human labor as a tool for economic development nationally and of private wealth’s service, but he also justifies the argument that the opportunity to harness an assorted group of workers who were denied the liberty to rightfully claim their freedom without holds, was what capitalism was built on. He also touches on the people of unskilled labor who never gain prosperity or success economically and ultimately remained in manual labor. Rockman’s purpose is to shed light on the various kinds of exploited individuals and conditioning them in Capitalism’s systemic dependence in the history line of the United State’s political

     Upon hearing this Eddie feels awful and asks why the blue man died instead of Eddie. The blue man assures him that it was okay and that everything happens for a reason. “There are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind” (Albom, 48). This was the first lesson for Eddie. That everything happens for a reason and that no life is a waste. “No life is a waste, the only time we waste is the time we spend thinking that we are alone.” (50)

7am. That was the time I arrived at the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church in Woodbridge, New Jersey. The destination was Montreat, North Carolina and I was about to embark on a journey with twelve other kids to attend my first Montreat Youth Conference, a retreat focused on strengthening and shaping youth’s faith. The number of stories I’ve heard of what a week in the black mountain area of North Carolina entailed led me to crave the formation of my own stories. This trip was reputable for being “life changing,” and Montreat was supposedly a “thin place between heaven and earth,” but before going on the trip I was perplexed as to what those words meant and if they were ever going to hold meaning for me. However, after a twelve-hour

That start with Danger. Many people enjoy making fun of him which needs to him getting angry and fired up. When Eddie witnesses this, he tries to defend Danger. Either by holding him back or by fighting for him. For example, when a boxer at the gym made it several remarks about dangers tights, like “nice tights” and “tihjt ass”. Eddie trade to get danger out of trouble. Yet, when the same guy said: “I need to fight a retard and an old man.”Eddie saved danger out of the fight and begin fighting for him. The most considerate gesture I believe Eddie did for danger is helping him out with his training. It's so sweet how Eddie knows it's wrong to treat danger with discrimination just because of his mental disorder. In my opinion, he doesn't treat them like the others do because he believe that everyone deserves a chance. Let us proceed with Maggie. When Frankie didn't want to train her because she was a girl, and he decided to encourage her. Unlike Frankie, Eddie helped her out instead of putting her down. It was obvious that Maggie was very thankful because she said: “I appreciate any help I can get.” not only did he help her with her training, he made her food special by getting her a cupcake for her birthday how thoughtful of

IV. What is the main problem Breyer describes in Breaking the Vicious Circle concerning United States policy making? What causes it and how does the problem develop? How does it affect business? What solution does Breyer propose? Describe another plausible solution. Which of the two solutions, Breyer’s of that you just described do you consider morally preferable and why? What ethical theory discussed in class best supports your position? Critically assess this theory by contrast with other ethical theories discussed in class.

Then comes Marguerite, the love of Eddies life. She gave him a purpose. He found meaning to life within her. One day she tragically, but quite dully, passes away. Eddie is crushed, not only for his loss of his wife, but the loss of life’s meaning itself. He feels he amounted to nothing in his time on Earth, and is determined to make a name for himself. Unfortunately, it is too late in his life to start over, so he spends the rest of his days alone and miserable at Ruby Pier Park. This section touched upon love, loss, and life’s meaning. Eddie spent his whole life dedicated to loving his wife, and for what? So, she can just up and die. It almost feels as if there really wasn’t meaning to his life, that is until he met Tala.