Essay about Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom

Tuesdays with Morrie as a memoir simply shines light on how Morrie Schwartz impacted a former student’s life beneficially. Mitch is a young man whose life had blossomed to be fairly average. He is a married man and a journalist. Though he had not hit rock-bottom, he also

In the novel tuesdays with Morrie, a man by the name of Mitch Albom goes to visit his old sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz, after hearing word that Morrie was dying from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or most commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. During their last few Tuesday meetings Morrie gave Mitch serious advice on life death and everything in between. This paper will address various concepts in sociology that are portrayed in the novel with the help of the symbolic interactionism perspective.

"Well the truth is, if you really listen to that bird on your shoulder, if you accept that you can die at any time, then you might not be as ambitious as you are" (Albom, 83) is a quote stated by the protagonist who’s body is decaying due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and has come to terms with his disease and upcoming death. In the story “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom, the protagonist impacts people’s outlook on their lives. Morrie Schwartz, a sociology professor who developed ALS, feels the need to share his words of wisdom on the meaning of life through taking pride in the way he has lived, making use of his experiences, and being optimistic about his upcoming death.

Before we can understand the varying fates of these two men we must examine the prior years of life that scripted them. Morrie Schwartz lived for people and the opportunity to welcome them into his heart. He took the time to pursue a relationship with the student that would one day write his dying testimony, he took the time to cultivate a fruitful marriage and he took the time to give his fullest attention to everyone he encountered. Morrie cast off the deceptions of status and wealth, instead devoting himself to his family, his students, and the bouncing rhythms of the dance floor. Above all else, Morrie Schwartz clung to his guiding principle, "love each other or perish" (Mor, 91).

Even in Morrie’s dying state, the slightest brush of skin to skin contact with Mitch is enough to make Morrie happy. Morrie relays that without his wife, without his nurses, and most importantly without Mitch, he would not have been able to last as long as he did with his ALS. Another theme throughout the book is that Morrie teaches Mitch to live life his own way. Morrie is disgusted by america’s lust for greed, fakeness, and violence, and teaches to establish your own way of thinking. While the O.J. Simpson case was going on, Morrie completely shut himself off from the case, and instead focused on his family and friends. Morrie built his life on the foundation of love and forgiving, two things that are shunned in America, in Morrie’s eyes. Morrie teaches Mitch that creating his own values and beliefs leads to a much more enjoyable life than accepting mainstream America. One more theme evident in “Tuesdays with Morrie” is the theme that life is full of choices. Morrie says early on in the book that he had two choices when he got sick, feel sorry for himself or do something to try and help the world. Morrie choose the second

Throughout the book, “Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom, the main character, mitch seems to undergo many changes. After college, he began to pursue a career in the music industry, but has reassessed his choice to have a more stable career as a news reporter. However, as work gets too overwhelming and strike outbreaks begin at his workplace, Detroit Free Press, he decides to take a break. One late night when he was skimming through television programs, he stumbled upon an interview of his old college professor, Morrie. Planning to catch up and fulfill an empty promise of how Mitch promised that he would visit Morrie after college, they start to meet on Tuesdays in order to rekindle the class about the meaning of life. Through those Tuesdays, Mitch realizes that he is not creating a fulfilling life and changes his perspective on what to value in life.

Tuesdays with Morrie, was based on a true story about friendship and lessons learned. It’s about a sports writer, Mitch and former sociology professor, Morrie, who is in his last days of life after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and their rekindled relationship after many years. They first met on the campus grounds at Brandeis University. This never forgotten relationship was simply picked back up at a crucial time in both Mitch’s and Morrie’s life. After seeing his professor in an interview on the show “Nightline”, Mitch is reminded of a promise he made sixteen years earlier to keep in touch. Since the airing of that

“It is through literature that we learn about life. Through literature we profit from the experiences of others, comparing them with our own.” - Bob Cameron

Mitch Albom’s novel Tuesdays with Morrie delves into the complexities of the human condition from the stand point of an elderly man that is slowly dying from the disease ALS, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The man, Morrie, decides to spend the last of his time on earth spreading his wisdom to as many people as possible, teaching them a lot about the importance of life, as well as what is necessary to live life to the fullest and be truly happy. What Morrie teaches these people is something great poets have been doing for a very long time. In the novel Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom expresses themes and ideas in everyday life that relate back to poetry and can be applied to one’s perspective of the human condition.

The focus throughout Tuesdays with Morrie was on life. Many might see it as the story of death, but it is actually the story life. Morrie might talk a little on how he meets death, but what he is talking about is living at the end of his life. Mitch writes, “Now here we were . . . . . . Dying man talks to living man, tells him what he should know.”(Albom, 133) When a timer is placed on Morrie’s remaining days, he obtains a dying man’s perspective on what is truly important in life, and how to incorporate in life this importance. I looked for parts of the book that pertain directly to my life; I focused on this concept while reading this book. My thesis remained elusive. There wasn’t a Tuesday that jumped out at me, and then I came to the

People are all shaped by the way the many experiences that they endure in their lifetime. Both good any bad, can permanently alter one's outlook towards life in the present and future. In the novel “Tuesday's with Morrie" the reader gets an in dept understanding of how Mitch Albom's life was directly influenced by particular events that occurred before and after his reunion with Morrie Schwartz. Through Mitch, the reader truly grasps the extent to which experiences, personal or otherwise, play a huge role in the growth and development of a person. Mitch having had to witness one too many tragedies unfold in his life, prior to meeting Morrie again, had drastically reconstructed who he was, and gave up on his aspirations as a consequence of those events.

In his memoir Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom is portrayed as a mediocre American man who has acquired many accomplishments as a journalist yet finds himself simply existing instead of living his life to the fullest. With the help of his old, dying sociology professor Morrie Schwartz, Mitch sets out to discover the truth about various aspects of life. However, none of this would be possible without his wife, Janine, who just so happens to be the opposite of him.

Many people learn many things in many different ways. Most learn in school or church, some learn in asking questions, but I believe the best lessons are taught from a good friend. Tuesdays With Morrie is a true story of the remarkable lessons taught by a dying professor, Morrie Schwartz, to his pupil, Mitch Albom. Morrie teaches Mitch the lessons of life, lessons such as death, fear, aging, greed, marriage, family, society, forgiveness, and a meaningful life. This is a story of a special bond of friendship that was lost for many years, but never forgotten and simply picked up again at a crucial time of both Morrie's and Mitch's lives.

Tuesdays with Morrie tells the real story of Morrie Schwartz. Morrie was a university professor who was dying of ALS (Lou Gehrig 's disease). Instead of being afraid of death, he faced it head on and decided to make the most of his time left. After seeing a Nightline episode featuring his old professor, Morrie, the author, Mitch, decides to pay his old professor a visit. Mitch is intrigued by Morrie 's attitude towards death and his life lessons, so he decides to visit Morrie again next Tuesday and record what Morrie has to say. This turns into a weekly meeting between Mitch and Morrie and eventually these meetings were turned into the book, Tuesdays with Morrie. Mitch - the author of the book and Morrie 's old student. Mitch is distracted in his life and focusing on things that Morrie feels are unimportant (work, fame, and success). Though focused on the wrong things, Mitch has a good heart and Morrie helps him find himself again “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in.

Over a decade after graduation Mitch is unhappy with the life he lives. Mitch’s uncle dies of pancreatic cancer sixteen years after his graduation from Brandeis. Mitch is feeling frustrated with the life he has chosen to live. Mitch the main character’s life takes a turn after his uncle dies. He quits his job as a musician then becomes a journalist. Mitch then vows to his wife that he will have children then becomes immersed in his work. However, in a quirk of fate Mitch hears Morrie’s voice on “Nightline” giving an interview with Ted Koppel. Morrie’s friendly nature allows for a fast friendship with Koppel. Mitch is shocked to see Morrie on the television.