BIBLIOTECA TECLA SALA October 19, 2017 Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom

Introduction

Maybe it was a grandparent, or a teacher, or a colleague. Someone older, patient and wise, who understood you when you were young and searching, helped you see the world as a more profound place, gave you sound advice to help you make your way through it.

For Mitch Albom, that person was Morrie Schwartz, his college professor from nearly twenty years ago. Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Wouldn’t you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you, receive wisdom for your busy life today the way you once did when you were younger? Contents: Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man’s life. Introduction 1 Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in Context 2 college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final “class”: lessons in how to live. Themes, Motifs 3-4 Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time and Symbols together, through which Mitch shares Morrie’s lasting gift with the world. Now the best-selling memoir of all Morrie Schwartz’s 5 time, Tuesdays with Morrie began as a modest labor of reflections love to help pay some of Schwartz’s medical bills. Today, the book has sold 16 million copies in more Notes 6 than 50 editions around the world.

[http://www.mitchalbom.com/books/tuesdays-with- morrie/]

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Context

Mitch Albom was born in New sociology at Brandeis, a affected his and Morrie's years at Jersey in 1958, though he spent nonsectarian Jewish-sponsored Brandeis University. Following the greater part of his youth in university, established in 1948. It the nation's withdrawal from the Philadelphia. In 1979, he earned was not until 1995, when he was Vietnam War in 1973, and his Bachelor of Arts degree from dying from ALS, Amyotrophic former President Nixon's Brandeis University in Waltham, Lateral Sclerosis, that Morrie resignation from office in 1974, Massachusetts, where met and ended his career as a professor. the Brandeis campus, like many studied under his beloved A fatal neuromuscular disease, college campuses nation-wide, professor, Morrie Schwartz, the ALS is characterized by was a hot bed for political debate title character of Tuesdays With progressive muscle debilitation and protest. Continuing the Morrie. In 1982, Albom was that ultimately results in paralysis. thread of racial tension awarded a Masters degree from ALS is commonly known as Lou in Tuesdays With Morrie, is a story Columbia University in New Gherig's disease, after the famous Morrie tells about an incident in York. After failed stints as an baseball player who died of the which he had acted as the amateur boxer and nightclub disease in 1941 at the age of negotiator between the musician, Albom began his career forty. university president and a group as a sports journalist, writing of black students who felt that articles for newspapers such as Albom begins his visits to Morrie they were being oppressed by the The Philadelphia Inquirer and in mid-1995, during the climax of the school administration. The The Detroit Free Press where he the O.J. Simpson murder trial. students had established their was employed from 1985 until his Simpson, an acclaimed star protesting grounds in one of the reunion with Morrie in 1995. football player, had been on trial university's science buildings, and Albom also has his own nationally for the June 1994, murders of his hung a banner from a window syndicated radio show, “Monday ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, that read: "Malcolm X Sports Albom”. In 1995, Albom and her acquaintance, Ronald University." The banner paid began gathering notes for his Goldman. Simpson had pleaded homage to Malcolm X, a premier book, Tuesdays With Morrie, which "absolutely not guilty" to the black leader and militant documents his and Morrie's double murder, although he had advocate of black nationalism discussions on the meaning of life been known for violence against who was assassinated in 1965. which they hold each Tuesday of his ex-wife and had led the police every week in Morrie's home. in a car chase. Major controversy [http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/ Albom claims to have written the surrounded jury members, who morrie/context.html] book to offset Morrie's severe were said to have been racially medical expenses, and has said in biased in Simpson's favor. When interviews that the profits from in October of 1995, the jury the two-year bestseller are acquitted Simpson of the murder divided between himself and the charges, the nation suffered a Schwartz family. severe racial division, white against black, evidenced Morrie Schwartz was born in in Tuesdays With Morrie by 1916. He graduated from New Connie's horror at the York's City College, and went on announcement of the "not guilty" to win a fellowship to the verdict. University of Chicago where he was awarded a Ph.D. in sociology. In Tuesdays With Morrie, Mitch In 1959, he began teaching recalls how the political controversies of the 1970's

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Themes, Motifs and Symbols

Morrie divulges that love is the experience which renders him Themes essence of every person, and fearful and tense. He does not every relationship, and that to The rejection of popular cultural want to die feeling upset, and in live without it, as Auden says, is moves in favor of self-created these frightening moments, to live with nothing. The detaches so that he may accept values importance of love in his life is the impermanence of his life and Each of Morrie's lessons especially clear to Morrie as he embrace his death, which he contributes to a larger, all- nears his final days, for without knows may come at any encompassing message that each the meticulous care of those he moment. individual, Mitch especially, loves, and who love him, he should reject popular cultural would perish. Morrie clings to Motifs life not because he is afraid of values, and instead develop his The media own. As Morrie sees it, popular dying or because he fears what culture is a dictator under which will become of him in the The media is continually the human community must afterlife, but because his portrayed in Tuesdays With suffer. In his own life, Morrie has greatest dying wish is to share Morrie as being inherently evil, fled this cultural dictatorship in his story with Mitch so that he sucking Mitch dry of his passion favor of creating his own culture may share it with the world. and ambition, and feeding the founded on love, acceptance, public stories of murder and Acceptance through detachment and open communication. He hatred that have ravaged the develops his own culture as a In his quest to accept his goodness of the world's general revolt against the media-driven impending death, Morrie community. Mitch, who is out of greed, violence and superficiality consciously "detaches himself work due to a unionized strike which has tarnished the mores from the experience" when he at the Detroit newspaper he promoted by popular culture. suffers his violent coughing writes for, continually notices Morrie encourages Mitch to free spells, all of which come loaded the horrific events reported by himself of this corrupt, with the possibility of his last the media he for a long time has dictatorial culture in favor of his breath. Morrie derives his been a part of. He reads about own, and it is only when he does method of detachment from the homicides, torture, theft, and a that he begins to reassess his life Buddhist philosophy that one dozen other gruesome crimes and rediscover fulfillment. should not cling to things, as that serve to juxtapose the evil everything that exists is of the popular culture with the “Love or Perish” impermanent. In detaching, goodness of the world Morrie Morrie recites a quote by his Morrie is able to step out of his has created for himself. The O.J. favorite poet, W. H. Auden, to tangible surroundings and into Simpson murder trial also makes multiple appearances throughout encompass one of his most his own state of consciousness, important lessons to Mitch: in namely for the sake of gaining the book, and provides Mitch the absence of love, there is a perspective and composure in a with evidence to support his claim that the the general void that can be filled only by stressful situation. Morrie does loving human relationships. not intend to stop feeling or populous has become dependent When love abounds, Morrie experiencing in his detachment, on, and somewhat addicted to, says, a person can experience no but instead, wants to experience media coverage of relatively meaningless stories, stories that higher sense of fulfillment. wholly, for it is only then that Throughout his fourteen he is able to let go, to detach contribute nothing to personal Tuesday lessons with Mitch, from a life-threatening development or goodness as a human being.

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Reincarnation and Renewal continues to bring food each become a small part of the larger week because he so fears ocean. This small wave is Reincarnation and renewal are Morrie's fast-approaching death. symbolic of Morrie, as he too is presented as facets of both life The food Mitch brings him acts on the brink of crashing into a and death; in life, Morrie teaches as a means by which to cling to theoretical shore, a symbolic that a person is ever-changing, Morrie and the fond memories embodiment of his death. Like and in death, looks forward to Mitch has of his favorite the wave, Morrie is comforted some form of new life with the professor. Mitch also feels that by the knowledge that he will natural progression of the life food is the only gift he can give soon return to something larger cycle. With Morrie as his mentor, to Morrie, and feels helpless as in the afterlife. Morrie's affinity Mitch is able to reincarnate to how to soothe him any other for the parable denotes his belief himself in life, transforming a man way. in a form of reincarnation, which who was once motivated by he understands as intrinsic part material wealth into a man who is Symbols of the natural life cycle. motivated by a passion to love, and to emulate the man who has Pink hibiscus plant Morrie’s bed so touched his life. Morrie reveals As Morrie's body deteriorates, that despite his old age, he is still Morrie's aphorism, "When so does the condition of the you're in bed, you're dead," changing, as every person does hibiscus plant. The plant's pink until their dying day. eventually comes true. petals wither and fall as Morrie Throughout Morrie's struggle Food grows increasingly dependent on with ALS, he refuses to stay in his aides and on oxygen. As his bed, as he sees it as a form of Each Tuesday, Mitch brings with death approaches, so does the surrender, and instead opts to him a bag of food from the death of the plant. It is rest in the chair in his study. grocery store for Morrie to continually used as a metaphor Morrie intends to live his last enjoy, as he knows that his for Morrie's life and for life itself. days as fully as he can, and professor's favorite hobby, Like the plant, humans, Morrie in knows that if he is to remain in second to dancing, is eating. particular, experience a natural bed, he will surrender himself to Morrie can no longer dance, and life cycle, which inevitably ends death by forfeiting the simple soon, he can no longer eat the in death. Morrie must accept this enjoyment he gets from lying in food that Mitch brings him, inevitable fate, as must Mitch. his study. In his study, either, as his health and strength photographs of loved ones, and Waves on the ocean have deteriorated so much, he the books he has collected in his can no longer ingest solids. The Morrie recounts a story he had lifetime surround Morrie. There, food that he brings for Morrie heard about a small wave seeing he can look outside of his serves as a reminder for Mitch of the waves ahead of him crash on window, and though he cannot the days he and his professor the shore, disappearing into go outside, he admires the would eat together in the nothingness. He suddenly brims beauty of the seasons and the cafeteria at Brandeis, when he with fear upon the realization plant and animal life outdoors. It had been young and passionate, that he too will soon 'crash on is not until Morrie's final days and Morrie energetic and in good the shore' and, die as the wave that he does stay in bed, when health. Now, Mitch has been fears he will. This little wave he has at last accepted and corrupted by commercial wealth, confides his fear in another wave readied himself for death. and Morrie by his illness. who comforts him with the news Although he knows that Morrie that he will not crash and die, [http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/ can no longer eat solids, Mitch but will instead return to morrie/themes.html]

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Morrie Schwartz’s reflections

Accept the uncertainties, Watch for and resist the If you can’t have large victories or contradictions and tension of creeping urge to withdraw from achievements, be grateful and opposites in your life. the world. celebrate small ones.

Find what is divine, holy, or Entertain the thought and feeling Let sadness, grief, despair, sacred for you. Attend to it, or that the distance between life and depression, bitterness, rage, worship it, in your own way. death may not be as great as you resentment — all the negative think. emotions that arise in you — penetrate you. Stay with them This is the time to do a life as long as you can or until they review, to make amends, to run their natural course. But do identify and let go of regrets, to Talk openly about your illness not brood about them. Become come to terms with unresolved with whoever wants to talk with reinvolved in life as soon as you relationships, to tie up you about it. can. loose ends.

Resist the temptation to think of Be grateful that you have been Learn how to live, and you’ll yourself as useless. It will only lead given the time to learn how to know how to die; learn how to to depression. Find your own die. die, and you’ll know how to live. ways of being and feeling useful. [http://www.mitchalbom.com/

books/tuesdays-inspiration/] Accept and indulge your After you have wept and grieved passivity and dependency when for your physical losses, cherish necessary. But be independent the functions and the life you have and assertive when you can and left. need to be.

BIBLIOTECA TECLA SALA

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Notes

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