Life Lessons (Book Review) Essay

Death is one of the most avoided topics because of the finality that comes with it and the fear of the unknown after death. However, there are quite a number of authors such as AtulGawande, Elisabeth Kubler-ross and Ira Byock who have attempted to go ahead and deal with death as a topic and other connected topics.Each of these authors have delved into one of the most revered topics that is death including related topics that come with it such as the dying process itself. Ira Byock’s Dying well: Peace and possibilities at the end of life is a book that looks at the moment prior to death when an individual is terminally sick and is at the point of death. A

In a society where hardships occur daily, it is vital to have something to hold on to as an anchor. This reliance or commitment is in the form of friends, family, or even tangible possessions; however, humans sometimes have to fulfill deeds for others instead of continually thinking of themselves. Given these obligations, there results both a need and a desire to complete certain tasks for other individuals, for a community, or even for a higher power. In his novel, A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest Gaines quite successfully portrays the theme of the importance of obligation and commitment through presenting an effective setting and community, constructing strong relationships between characters, and providing

However, there are some points in which we differ on. For example, Fink writes, “If that sounds vague, Gawande has plenty of engaging and nuanced stories to leave the reader with a good sense of what he means”. In reference to Gawande’s comments on the job of doctors as enabling well-being, Fink argues that the included stories help to explain his argument. I agree with Fink’s statement, but I also think that it goes beyond that. Gawande includes anecdotes on nearly all of his topics, from the dilemma of doctor and patient conversation regarding treatment to the ordeals of the elderly in adjusting to nursing homes. These anecdotes are essential to each topic he discusses, providing a visual image to the reader and giving Gawande credibility at the same time by using real life examples. Gawande’s arguments would not be as effective without the stories he provides as support.

Walter’s appeals were denied and despite many desperate arguments by Bryan in his defense, the court was not changing their mind. He soon hired Michael, an assisting attorney and former heroin addict. With their investigations, they discovered that Bill Hooks was paid by the sheriff to provide false testimony and plenty more incriminating evidence that only proved that Walter was innocent. Out of nowhere, Ralph Meyers contacted Bryan and wanted to talk to him. When Bryan got to the prison, Ralph admitted his whole testimony was a lie, and that he was threatened the death penalty by the police if he did not testify against Walter. He also admitted that he did not actually know anything about the murder of the woman, and only decided to come

Imagine an elderly man, dying from a grueling disease known as ALS that makes it painful to breathe, unable to walk or stand, and eventually, unable to swallow food. With little money and time left to live he still seems like the happiest man around as he had his family and friends near him at the end with some of life's greatest lessons to teach. Well what if that man was real, and that man’s name was Morrie Schwartz? Morrie Schwartz was a college professor who had retired and then was diagnosed with ALS. An old student of his, Mitch Albom, saw him on TV and decided to visit his old professor on a Tuesday. Pretty soon one Tuesday turned into another, and eventually that turned into 14 Tuesdays until Morrie’s death. During those visits,

It is scary when you don’t know anybody and have to try to make new friends. Many of your young childhood friends will stay with you for a lifetime. Today, I am still friends with many of my oldest friends. They have become like family. I want to say that this novel is a great way for people to see how somebody from a diverse population lives. It is a great book from the view of somebody living a completely different life than I have lived. I think it was very well written and is easy to read. This makes it a great teaching tool for children of younger age groups or college students as well. I read this entire book at one sitting because it kept my interest the entire time. I couldn’t wait to see what

In the novel A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines demonstrates that in our society not all individuals are treated equally due to race or social standing. Society typically judges people by the color of their skin, which can lead to untrue beliefs or misperceptions about others.

Lesson Before Dying By reading the title of the novel Lesson Before Dying it tells the reader that there are many unknown lessons to learn before dying. The three characters from this novel that represent the most important lessons before dying were Jefferson's godmother, Grant, and Reverend Ambrose. The first most important lesson to learn before dying is to be proud of what a person has become and where they have reached now in this position where they should not be.

I have just finished chapter 5 of A Lesson Before Dying. The first thing that I have observed was that I was surprised to hear that Grant was actually an adult. Something about the first chapter and the second chapter, returning to his home and avoiding conversation with the women coming from the courtroom made me think that he was a younger child. With that said, he actually has a lot of maturity, but I wish that the author had talked a bit more about Grant himself in the beginning of the novel. I understand that the novel takes place in the first person, but usually a novel such as these give a bit of introduction from the main character about themselves, their physical appearance at the least. I also think that this first part of the novel

Looking back, there have been times in my life when I found myself just where Leming (2011) found himself, standing at the crossroad of frustration. This is a terrible place to be caught in, especially when you are in search of answers for your own life and others are looking to you for answers to aid them with addressing life’s issues. Perhaps, if and when I come to this place in my life again, I can approach it differently than before. In addition to the abundance of information that was provided in this book that will help me if and when I am faced with this situation or similar situations, I will do more in-depth studying on these sensitive topics. I am motivated to continue educating myself about death beyond the classroom setting to ensure that I am adequately prepared to counsel clients dealing with end-of-life issues. As I read through this book, I saw the importance of understanding the topic of dying as they are critical components in my career and field of study. Although Leming and Dickerson (2011) shared some information that was not new to me as I have seen or heard it before, they still gave me a wealth of new information that I can refer back to as I progress forward in my career as well as in my personal life.

On Death and Dying By Elisabeth Kubler-Ross For my book review, I read On Death and Dying, by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Dr. Kubler-Ross was the first person in her field to discuss the topic of death. Before 1969, death was considered a taboo. On Death and Dying is one of the most important psychological studies of the late twentieth century. The work grew out of her famous interdisciplinary seminar on death, life, and transition. In this paper, I give a comprehensive book review as well as integrate topics learned in class with Dr. Kubler-Ross' work. Like Piaget's look at developmental stages in children, there are also stages a person experiences on the journey toward death. These five stages are denial/isolation, anger, bargaining,

All through life, we experience various occasions when decision-making become necessary. A number of them present themselves in difficult forms and at crucial points. Most of the verdict we take will eventually figure and describe our track of lives. These are what we refer to as lessons of life. Choices never present themselves in an easy way. In some instance we are always forced to pay a price to achieve something. This implies that we are trading for an outcome we are seeking.

Learn it the hard way. That is the way I learned the old adage “no pain, no gain”. It was my first dirt bike race. My heart had been pounding like a drum in a high school band for three days before the race. The race was in the middle of nowhere in Tucson, Az. I arrived on a Friday, my race was on Saturday.

One's dream and aspirations to supersede in life must be stronger and greater than limitations set forth by others. The experience that were bestowed to me during my short life has elevated me to the woman I am today. Please walk with me as I give you the opportunity to see the world from my eyes:

This explains the beginning of my life all the way to the end of my life. My life from the beginning was very fun as I grew up living with my mom’s friend and my friend. But there were a lot of fights and I was very hyper back then. I have ADHD so back then when I was little; I was very hyper and wouldn't stop moving around the place. I always was annoying back then and never seemed to get my homework done at school.