tuesdays with morrie death essay

Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom Essay

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Introduction

Plot summary, personal opinion, works cited.

The generation gap is a persistent problem that prevents the younger generation from learning and finding their way in life. Tuesdays with Morrie by Albom is an explicit example of how accepting the authority of an older person can help the younger generation to deal with their emotional issues and set their priorities. Before spending fourteen weeks with his professor, Mitch was unable to engage in his life and relationships due to the inability to deal with his emotions. At the same, communication between generations is also vital for the elderly, since it brings peace and a sense of purpose to their lives. The analysis of the plot, characters, and themes of Tuesdays with Morrie leads to the understanding that today’s society prevents younger adults from learning from the elderly.

Tuesdays with Morrie is a novel written in the form of memoirs about the meetings of Mitch Albom and his college professor, Morrie Schwartz, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The action takes place in the nineties, during the O. J. Simpson trial, when Mitch accidentally finds out that his college professor, who was once very dear to him, is terminally ill. Mitch recalls that he once promised to keep in touch with his professor, but failed to do so. Albom decides to visit Morrie and finds him slowly losing control of his body due to the illness. After the first meeting, during which the professor and his student discuss the importance of love, Mitch decides to visit Morrie every Tuesday and talk about life.

During the following fourteen weeks, the narrator witnesses the gradual decline of Morrie’s life while taking essential lessons from him. Every week the two characters focus on a specific topic, and Mitch records the conversation. The novel describes how Morrie teaches to deal with regrets, self-pity, and the fear of aging. The professor preaches the importance of love and family while criticizing American culture and greed. Throughout the meetings, Morrie tries to accept his fate and find a piece with his illness slowly moving to identify himself with his spirit rather than the body. Shortly after the fourteenth meeting, Morrie passes away, and Albom writes the memoir to help pay for his professor’s extensive medical bills and passing the wisdom to further generations.

The has two main characters, Mitch Albom, the narrator, and Morrie Schwartz, the interviewee. Mitch is a middle-aged man who has given up his dream of becoming a pianist to afford a living. He is a successful journalist who is financially prosperous but unhappy. According to Michau and Louw, Albom seeks assistance in personal life to become a successful person, since he was already successful professionally (140). He struggles from being emotionally handicapped since he does not know how to express his feelings in front of others. Even though in his articles, Albom writes about the misfortunes and hardships of others, he does not feel sympathetic and remains emotionally detached from the problems of others. The fourteen weeks spent with his mentor help Mitch learn life’s true values, one of which is learning to love and deal with emotions. In short, the narrator accepts the authority of the older generation, which helps him to learn vital life lessons and become a more successful man.

Morrie Schwartz is a sociology professor in his seventies battling ALS with his friends and family. He enjoys the company of his student and admits that it brings the meaning to his final days since he can share his knowledge. He is grateful to his fate for having the time to reflect upon what is important to him. Morrie believes that “the most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in” (Albom 16). He points out that most people are confused about their priorities since they seek money and material comfort. According to Verhaeghen and Hertzog, Morrie is a wise man since he knows how to deal with uncertainty and has a clear set of values (257). In brief, Morrie finds his purpose in being able to spread the knowledge and communicate with people dear to him.

The central theme of the novel is death and how it affects the individual and the environment. Morrie is given time to prepare for his death, which is crucial for the majority of people, according to Meier et al. (262). Morrie’s death is juxtaposed with the death of O. J. Simpson’s family, an abrupt, violent end of life with no possibility to make peace with dying. The novel shows the irony of death, since “everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody believes it” (Albom 23). At the same time, Morrie treats death as a part of life and claims that when people learn how to die, they also learn how to live. The thought of death is shown as a purifier to a person’s mind since it helps people to focus on the true values and discard all the unnecessary things in life.

Another theme developed in the novel is mentorship and the importance of passing the knowledge between generations. According to Michau and Louw, the book is a vivid example of how a relationship between a mentor and a mentee should develop (134). Indeed, both Morrie and Mitch find comfort in the conversations, and the student is helped to find his way in life. Even though the book touches upon various motives, the two themes mentioned above are the basis for the development of characters.

In my opinion, Tuesdays with Morrie is a reflection of how modern society treats the elderly. In the majority of mass media, the older generation is shown negatively. Most young people, similar to Mitch, believe that they know better about how to deal with their lives. However, after several trials and failures, they turn to the wisdom of the older generation to help them find life’s meaning. Albom was lucky enough to get the knowledge from the older generation before it was too late. However, the majority of people realize that they need help when their parents and loved ones are already dead, and the relationships with them are broken. Therefore, the novel describes the need to change the priorities and start respecting the older generation to become valuable members of society.

The book reveals the problems of younger and older adults and how communication between generations can help to address these issues. For the younger generation, it is crucial to get the knowledge to become more successful in their lives. The older generation may find comfort and purpose of being in being able to share their wisdom and receive gratitude. However, the values of modern society abstract such communication, and most of the time, it is possible only accompanied by extraordinary events, such as a terminal disease.

Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson. Doubleday, 1997.

Michau, Abrie, and Willa Louw. “Tuesdays with an Open and Distance Learning Mentor.” Africa Education Review , vol. 11, no. 2, 2014, pp. 133-145.

Meier, Emily A., et al. “Defining a Good Death (Successful Dying): Literature Review and a Call for Research and Public Dialogue.” The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry , vol. 24, no. 4, 2016, pp. 261-271.

Verhaeghen, Paul, and Christopher K. Hertzog. The Oxford Handbook of Emotion, Social Cognition, and Problem Solving in Adulthood. Oxford University Press, 2014.

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IvyPanda. (2019, December 3). Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. https://ivypanda.com/essays/tuesdays-with-morrie-by-mitch-albom/

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Bibliography

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Tuesdays With Morrie

By mitch albom, tuesdays with morrie essay questions.

Did you have a special relationship with a teacher or adult? Explain their impact.

Here students can write about a special teacher, parent or adult in their lives. This can be someone who has made an impact on their lives so far. What lessons have they learned from this person? This can even expand into the relationship they hope to have with this person in the future.

Have you struggled with finding your purpose in life? Explain. Mitch had trouble finding a purpose in his life. Here, students can explain if they have found their purpose or if they know what they want to accomplish in life. Who are some examples of people who have found their purpose and have been successful in life that they wish to emulate?

Morrie says everyone knows death will happen, but no one really believes it will happen to them. What are your thoughts on death? Do you feel invincible? Youth tends to have an air of invincibility about them. Here, the student can discuss their feelings on the subject. Do they feel fear? Pressure to accomplish much in the time they have remaining?

Morrie says he appreciates the small things in life, such as looking out the window at nature. What things do you appreciate and what do you think people take for granted? One of Morrie's big points to Mitch is to appreciate the small things, such as looking at nature out your window. Here, students can discuss the small things in life that have meaning to them. Also, they can ponder ways to appreciate smaller parts of their lives.

What is your perfect day and who would you spend it with? Mitch asks this question to Morrie and his answer is a pretty plain day, with no extravagant plans. Here students will explain their perfect day and the person they'd like to spend it with.

Morrie says there's no such thing as too late to do something in life. What would you like to accomplish? Is there anything that seems out of reach? Morrie tells Mitch that no matter the age or the state of your life, as long as you're living, you can still accomplish something. In his dying days, Morrie was able to teach Mitch many lessons. Students may take the book and try to apply it to their own lives.

Mitch wanted a connection with his brother. Why was this so important to him? After Morrie pressed on about their relationship, Mitch was determined to get into contact with his brother. His brother was fighting cancer and Mitch realized he needed to check in. He realized the importance of this while he watched his professor waste away and wondered if his brother was suffering a similar fate, alone.

Morrie was not a fan of the media and the images it portrayed to society. Why do you think he was so willing to let Ted Koppel and the ABC crew into his home? Morrie wanted to show a real look at aging, not the glorified, plastic surgery look we tend to see. He says people are afraid to get old. He shows that while it's not a field day, it's nothing to fear.

The reader gets a brief look into Morrie's childhood. How did his relationships with his mother, father, stepmother and brother shape him into the man he became? Morrie learned a lot from these people: death from his mother, how not to love from his father, how to love from his stepmother, and compassion and care from his Polio-stricken brother.

Morrie had a hibiscus flower in the study where he spent most of his time. How does that flower relate or compare to Morrie's life? This plant represents a circle of life. It started out young and vibrant, like Morrie, but as it aged, petals would wrinkle up and fall off. As Morrie aged, parts of his body would fail to work. They both live and they both die.

Tuesdays With Morrie Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Tuesdays With Morrie is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How does mitch struggle as an adult after college graduation

Mitch loses contact with the people he knows from school. He moves to New York City with aspirations of becoming a musician. After his first encounter with death, he becomes disillusioned with his dreams and goes back to school.

Explain the irony in the following passage: “But it was also becoming clear to me—through his courage, his humor, his patience, and his openness—that Morrie was looking at life from some very different place than anyone else I knew. A healthier place.

Maurie is physically dying but sees life in a much healthier way than most people.

How has Morries childhood affected his behavior as an adult?

Morrie's childhood was filled with difficult life lessons. His family was poor, his brother was afflicted with polio, and his mother died when he was only eight years old. The family received the news of his mother's death in a telegram sent by...

Study Guide for Tuesdays With Morrie

Tuesdays With Morrie study guide contains a biography of Mitch Albom, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Tuesdays With Morrie
• Tuesdays With Morrie Summary
• Character List

Essays for Tuesdays With Morrie

Tuesdays With Morrie essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom.

• Learning Perspective: The Memoir Genre in "Tuesdays with Morrie"
• Tuesdays With Morrie Life Lesson

Lesson Plan for Tuesdays With Morrie

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Introduction to Tuesdays With Morrie
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Tuesdays With Morrie Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Tuesdays With Morrie

• Introduction

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Tuesdays With Morrie — Tuesdays with Morrie: The Transformative Power of Human Connection

Tuesdays with Morrie: The Transformative Power of Human Connection

• Categories: Tuesdays With Morrie

About this sample

Words: 562 |

Published: Jan 30, 2024

Words: 562 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, the importance of human connection, the wisdom of morrie schwartz, the journey of self-discovery, references:.

• Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie. Broadway Books, 1997.
• Froh, Jeffrey, et al. "Gratitude and Reduced Depressive Symptoms: Evidence from a Randomized Clinical Trial." Journal of Positive Psychology, vol. 6, no. 5, 2011, pp. 377-388. doi:10.1080/17439760.2011.601753.
• Kawachi, Ichiro, and Lisa F. Berkman. "Social ties and mental health." Journal of Urban Health, vol. 78, no. 3, 2001, pp. 458-467. doi:10.1093/jurban/78.3.458.
• Seligman, Martin E. P. Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. Simon & Schuster, 2002.

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Tuesdays with Morrie

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Tuesday’s with Morrie: An Old Man, A Young Man, and Life’s Greatest Lesson

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

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Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Mitch comments early on that Morrie is a messy eater. Why does food keep popping up in this story?

• Why is food important in this book? ( topic sentence )
• How does Morrie’s ability to eat change? What might be said about food as a symbol of nourishment? Offer three examples in which food is mentioned to support your answer.
• Finally, in your concluding sentence or sentences, connect this discussion of food back to either the theme of Death as a Lesson or the theme Giving is Living.

2. Mitch and Morrie’s relationship is portrayed both in the present and in flashbacks returning to Mitch’s days at Brandeis University. How is their relationship different and how does it continue to change throughout the book?

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