How does morrie react to people who are suffering

Explain the metaphor of the food and meal that Mitch receives when he first visits Morrie. The food serves as a metaphor for the nourishment that Mitch and Morrie will offer one another.

Food is a comfort, and Morrie has always been a comfort to Mitch. At the same time, Mitch returns to Morrie to be a comfort to him. The food illustrates how the two men will nourish one another. The Classroom Vocabulary envious — jealous efficient — effective gingerly — carefully pathetic — emotionally moving serene — peaceful 1. How does Morrie characterize himself as he believes he appears to other people? Morrie describes himself as a bridge between life and death.

Why is Mitch jealous of Morrie? He is also jealous because Morrie has developed real relationships with people. What does the reader learn about Mitch as he begins his fi nal course with his old professor? The reader learns that Mitch is recognizing that he is not the same person he used to be. What types of questions does Morrie ask Mitch as they are catching up with one another? How would you respond to the same questions? Morrie asks Mitch diffi cult questions about life choices.

What nicknames do Mitch and Morrie use for one another? What do the nicknames imply? The nicknames also demonstrate the roles that they play for one another. Morrie teaches Mitch about life and how to live life. Mitch is supposed to use those lessons to become a better person—the person he once was.

Morrie believes that culture does not let people feel good about themselves and that people live unhappily. Morrie tells Mitch that he is dying, and then he shows Mitch how he knows the extent of his disease.

Morrie explains to Mitch that when the disease reaches his lungs, he will be fast approaching death. Morrie demonstrates a breathing test that he uses to see how far the disease is spread. When Morrie is first diagnosed with ALS, he is able to hold his breath and exhale through the count of twenty-three. At this point, Morrie can only reach eighteen before he is out of breath.

Mitch is able to exhale and reach eighty. The titles in the reading list illustrate how Morrie likes to study human relations. The theory is that throughout life a person is pulled between two different things: Life is a series of pulls back and forth.

You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted. What does Morrie believe always wins the tension of opposites? Morrie believes that a person always lives in the middle of the tension of opposites and that love always wins. Taking Attendance Vocabulary lamented — mourned alienation — estrangement 1.

Describe the lesson that Mitch learns while he is in London on business and explain how he learns it. Do you think that Mitch would learn this same lesson if he had not been reunited with Morrie? When Mitch goes to London for business, he begins to engage in his usual activities, buying tabloids. As he sits and begins to read, Mitch recognizes that he spends time on things that mean absolutely nothing. Mitch thinks about Morrie, who is spending time with is loved ones and living a quality life.

Some students will recognize that Mitch is already a different person than when he first meets with Morrie after the Nightline interview. If Mitch did not have the opportunity to see how Morrie lives his life, in spite of his disease, Mitch might not have recognized that what he is reading is unimportant. Explain which culture is more similar to your own. It is a culture that does not make people feel good about themselves. How does Morrie believe a person gets meaning in his or her life?

What happens when Mitch returns from London? How does Mitch react? When Mitch returns from London, he finds that his newspaper is on strike. Mitch realizes that he is not as needed as he once thought he was and decides that he is going to visit Morrie. List three things that you learn from the memory on pages 46 and The reader learns that Morrie has always served as a personal teacher for Mitch.

The reader also learns that Mitch once has a dream of becoming a musician and that Morrie supported Mitch in that dream. How does Morrie view his dependency on other people? Morrie tries to look at his dependency on other people as his chance to be a baby again. Why does Morrie try to stay caught up on the news? To whom does Morrie feel the closest? Morrie tries to stay caught up because he wants to stay connected to the world.

Morrie feels the closest to people who are also suffering. Morrie believes that he feels close to them because he is also suffering. Morrie is in tune with the suffering of people around the world. When Mitch covers the news, he does not weep for those who are suffering. In fact, he barely notices the emotions in the lives of other people.

Explain the connection between the title of the book and the story. Mitch and Morrie meet on Tuesdays, and Mitch remembers that they have always met on Tuesdays. When Mitch and Morrie meet for this fi nal course, they will also meet on Tuesdays. Morrie shares an aphorism with Mitch about love. What is the aphorism? Love is usually thought of as being completely irrational.

Explain the experiment that Morrie conducts with his class at Brandeis. What does the reader learn about Mitch and Morrie through the experience? Morrie enters the classroom and does not say anything. The students in the class are uncomfortable at first, but eventually they sit and listen. Some students even become angry. Throughout the experiment Mitch is very quiet. Morrie realizes that Mitch is much like Morrie was in his younger days. Neither Mitch nor Morrie is comfortable sharing his feelings.

However, Morrie has grown out of feeling uncomfortable sharing with others, and Mitch is just beginning to learn how. What is the reader supposed to learn from this chapter? The lesson the reader is supposed to learn is that as humans we should remember that love is more important that money or fame.

We cannot let society create a culture in which we do not value ourselves. Describe how Mitch is changing through these Tuesday meetings. The reader should recognize even in this short time that Mitch is more comfortable with himself. He is giving up time and money to travel to see Morrie, and Mitch used to give up relationships in order to make money.

Mitch leaves his phone at home, determined to let people wait. How does food serve as a motif in the story? Food serves as a pleasant memory for Mitch and Morrie. When they met together in college, it would often be for lunch.

The fi rst time Mitch comes to visit Morrie, Morrie feeds him. Now, Mitch feels compelled to bring food when he comes to visit Morrie. How has the disease progressed? Morrie is unable to lift his arms higher than his chest. He is forced to sit in a chair rather than spend his time in the living room or kitchen. Morrie needs assistance when he uses the toilet. Describe how Morrie perceives self-pity and mourning.

Morrie allows himself time to mourn each morning. He takes time to explore his body and see how the disease has progressed. When he is finished, he stops mourning. Sometimes he will cry, but he will not cry for long. Would you consider Morrie a pessimist or an optimist? Explain your choice. Morrie is an optimist. While he is sad for his disease, he is happy that he is given so much time to say good-bye to his loved ones. He views being able to say good-bye as a lucky thing because there are some people who are not given that opportunity.

What does it illustrate in light of the conversations that Mitch and Morrie are having? The strike is getting worse. People are confronting one another; people are being beaten; people are getting arrested.

The confrontations at the paper illustrate two points. First, people are acting in way totally contradictory to what Morrie encourages: love. Describe the event that prompts Mitch to realize that time is running out with Morrie. Mitch realizes that time is running out when he offers to help Morrie into his bed.

When Mitch says that he needs to do something, what do you think he is going to do? Students may write that they think Mitch wants to spend more time with Morrie.

Some students may believe that Mitch wants to record his last moments with Morrie. People are unable to successfully trust the other people until they close their eyes. The experiment teaches people that they need to believe what they feel instead of what they see. He believes that money and fame are the most important, even if at times he is unhappy as a result of chasing those dreams.

When he meets Morrie at this point in his life, Morrie teaches him again that believing and acting upon what he feels will help him more than only believing what he sees.

The Third Tuesday: We Talk About Regrets Vocabulary clamoring — insisting nostalgia — sentiment imminent — threatening ambivalence — uncertainty egotistical — fi lled with self-importance grapple — to struggle opiate — painkilling drug 1. What does Mitch decide to do in order to preserve his memories with Morrie?

Mitch asks Morrie if he can tape record their sessions so he can have them later. Mitch is afraid that he is asking for too much from Morrie when so many other people want and need his time. How does Morrie feel about the tape recorded? Morrie is happy to have it because he wants to tell about his life. He wants to be able to tell Mitch about his life before he is unable to even do that.

A healthier place. A more sensible place. And he was about to die. When Mitch fi rst sees Morrie on Nightline, what does Mitch wonder? Mitch wonders if Morrie has regrets about life. Does Mitch have any regrets about his life? Mitch is ashamed of things in his past. He obviously does have secrets and regrets, and he is learning to recognize that he has lived his life in a way that has not been positive.

However, Mitch is at least thinking about where his life was heading. Morrie responds by telling Mitch that all people worry about their last day on earth.

Morrie also believes that there should always be someone who is asking us to think about that question all the time.

Mitch concludes that because people do not look at their lives and realize that they have something missing, everyone needs a teacher in life. What does Mitch hope to gain from his conversations with Morrie? Cite the imagery that he uses on page Mitch wants to gain clarity about life. What list of topics does Mitch want to discuss with Morrie? Mitch wants to discuss the following: death, fear, aging, greed, marriage, family, society, forgiveness, and a meaningful life.

Explain the purpose of the last line of the chapter. Mitch is concerned about what he is going to gain from Morrie before Morrie passes away, and the society that is reflected back at him is at the opposite end of the spectrum. When Morrie is teaching about love, metaphorically, society is ready to kill over the lack of air conditioning. To what time does the memory take the reader? What is the topic? Morrie encourages Mitch to apply to graduate school.

The Audiovisual, Part Two 1. Explain the meaning of this chapter title. The chapter is a connection to the original interview that Morrie had with Ted Koppel. How do things change? Morrie did not have any misgivings about telling Ted what he thought about him. In the fi rst visit, Ted is interviewing Morrie, and in this second visit, there is more of a give and take between the two men. When Ted visits Morrie the second time, Ted is warmer. Physically, Morrie is less animated than he is during the first interview.

Who is Morrie Stein? Morrie Stein is the man who had first sent the aphorisms to the newspaper, which then prompted the interview with Ted Koppel. Morrie Stein is going deaf and Morrie Schwartz will soon be unable to speak. Koppel wonders how the two will communicate when that time comes. Morrie explains to Ted that after so many years of friendship, Morrie and Morrie need to do nothing more than sit and hold hands.

What does the reader learn about Morrie as he relates a letter to Ted Koppel? The reader learns that Morrie is very hurt by the death of his mother.

The Professor Vocabulary synagogue — a Jewish place of worship murky — dark and heavy boccie — a game like bowling antidote — a remedy 1. Explain the connection between this chapter and the previous chapter.

How does the focus of this chapter change from the story so far? The connection between the two chapters is that the end of the previous chapter and the beginning of this chapter deal with Morrie and his mother.

The book is different at this point because the focus is no longer on Morrie Schwartz now, but the story is about Morrie Schwartz as a child. Both Morrie and Mitch ignore the death sentence of their loved ones. They both try to ignore the fact that someone they care about is going to die.

His father does not work often and does not show Morrie or his brother much affection. When Morrie is in high school, his father takes him to get work at a local factory. Morrie cannot stand the atmosphere and is relieved when they do not give him a job.

Morrie is not afraid to cry, hold hands, hug, and show people that he loves them. Because Morrie is not given this affection after his mother dies, he longs for the affection now.

Another influence is through education. Morrie is able to learn at a young age that knowledge is powerful, and, therefore, he pursues knowledge for the rest of his life. How do you know? Students should respond by stating that Mitch thinks that Morrie is the best teacher there is. The first way the student should support this is through the last line in the paragraph. The second way the student may choose to support this is through the quote that is included with this chapter.

The Fourth Tuesday: We Talk About Death Vocabulary indecipherable — incapable of being understood solidarity — unity agnostic — a person who is not convinced that God exists transcend — to overcome exuberance — extreme joy quivered — shook ambitious — motivated defi cient — lacking materialistic — characterized by a belief that importance comes from only money 1.

Mitch notes that Morrie is in a businesslike mood. As Mitch and Morrie sit to talk about death, what is going on in the world? The newspaper strikes are not improving. People with mental illnesses are killing one another, and Mitch describes the people in the O. Simpson trial as becoming celebrities.

Morrie believes that people do not believe they are going to die because if they did, they would not live the way they do. People have to learn how to die so they can learn how to live. According to the book, what question should a person ask himself or herself everyday in order to live life to the fullest?

People should ask If today is the day that they will die? Do you think his observation is correct? Explain why or why not. Morrie believes that even Mitch does not believe that he is going to die.

Morrie believes that if Mitch lived each day like he is going to die, Mitch would not be so ambitious. Mitch compares spiritual things with touchy-feely stuff; Mitch avoids all things that involve demonstrating emotion. In this section, the memory fits with the chronology of the disease. The line is significant because it illustrates how the disease is progressing. Answers may vary. When Lou Gehrig spoke the words, he had not been decimated by the disease.

When Mitch is repeating the quotation for Morrie, Morrie is consumed by the disease and does not feel lucky at all. For Morrie to express those feelings amplifies that this must be a bad day for Morrie, because on normal days he has a much more positive spirit.

How is this Tuesday different than the other Tuesdays? This Tuesday is different because it is the first Tuesday in thirty-five consecutive autumns that Morrie does not have a class waiting for him at Brandeis University. Morrie surrounds himself with pictures of his family, and it is rare if one or all of them are not there to support him. Cite the imperative that Morrie makes Mitch write. Why is it so important to Morrie?

Morrie believes that it is important to have someone watching you all the time, not just during the times that you have visitors 4. What causes Morrie to become so emotional? Morrie is emotional because he cannot think about leaving his children so soon. You cannot do it with a friend. You cannot do it with a lover. If you want the experience of having complete responsibility for another human being, and to learn how to love and bond in the deepest way, then you should have children.

Morrie implies through his directive that having a family and raising children is one of the most, if not the most, important jobs a person can have. Students should base their conclusions on the aphorisms that he has already shared. Morrie would probably think that people should not have a child if they cannot learn how to live life fi rst.

A person who is only interested in money and fame would have a difficult time putting someone else fi rst. Describe the differences between Mitch and his brother. His brother is blond-haired and hazel-eyed. He is only 2 years younger than Mitch, and like Mitch, wanted to do something in the arts. While Mitch was the good student; his brother was a bad student.

How does Mitch feel about this? Mitch spends his life believing that he Mitch would get cancer, so he is very upset when his brother is afflicted. He says though that people are too busy to think about regrets, that they are focused on more egotistical things: career, money, the mortgage, a nice car. He says they need to be pushed in the direction of reflection, that everyone needs a teacher. Mitch realizes this is exactly what Morrie is doing for him.

He decides he is going to be the best student possible. He makes a list of everything he wants to discuss in his remaining time with Morrie. He was on a search for clarity for his soul.

Morrie said they could discuss anything. Mitch decides they will talk about death, fear, aging, greed, marriage, family, society, forgiveness, and what makes a meaningful life. This section acts as an exposition that demonstrates that the journey of their meetings is beginning. The first Tuesday is the start of many days of lessons. Originally, he starts by just brining food from a local grocery store.

By the third visit, he is bringing recording equipment as well. He is learning from Morrie's nurse the basics of caring for Morrie, such as moving him from his wheelchair. He will continue to learn more lessons about caring for Morrie as the weeks progress. Mitch is really facing a conflict. He is spending money and time to visit a dying man, but is fortunate that union issues are allowing him to do so.

He chooses to spend the money for travel and to spend his time visiting his professor because he knows it is the right thing to do and it is what he wants to do. He realizes that spending this time will allow him clarity. It will allow him to have a chance to revitalize a friendship and to shape his own future. After these early visits, Mitch points out that they are meeting on a Tuesday.

This is noteworthy, because it was the day they always had class together. In this context, it really is as if they are back in school. Morrie is continuing to teach, while Mitch is continuing to learn. Their relationship as teacher and professor has come full circle. One would think the mood of these meetings would be somber as someone is dying. However, that is not the case. The mood is upbeat and positive, due to Morrie's outlook on life and death.

He sees the dying process as a chance to be babied again. He will cry occasionally, but then get over it. Morrie replies that at times, he does, usually in the mornings. He mourns for his body and the control that he has lost, and cries if he needs to.

Afterwards, however, Morrie moves on and recognizes how lucky he is to have time to say goodbye to his loved ones before he dies. He consciously limits the amount of time he spends pitying himself, as he knows he must enjoy the little life he has left.

Mitch is astounded that Morrie has called himself lucky when he must endure such suffering. While Morrie is in the bathroom with his aide Connie, who must help him, Mitch looks through a Boston newspaper and reads disturbing news about murder and hatred. He puts the paper down when Morrie returns from the bathroom, and offers to help him back into his recliner, which he does. Holding Morrie in his arms, Mitch is moved in a way he cannot describe, only to say that he can feel the "seeds of death inside his shriveling frame.

In a flashback to his junior year of college, , Mitch recalls the unusual "Group Process" class he took with Morrie.

The class, which Mitch labels the "touchy-feely class," studies how the group of students interact with one another. On a typical day, one person will end up crying. In one exercise, the students test one another's trust and reliability by doing trust falls; one student will fall straight backwards and must rely on another student to catch them. Not one student can trust another until one girl falls without flinching.

Morrie notes that the girl had closed her eyes, and says that this exercise serves as a metaphor for the secret to trust in relationships; one must sometimes trust blindly, relying only on what they feel to guide them in their decision-making.