Tuesday’s With Morrie
Mitch Albom
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Introduction:
S Mitch Albom was voted the number 1 sports columnist ten
times by the Associated Press Sports Editors. He writes for
the Detroit Free Press.
S TWM reached best-seller status. It is a memoir of a person’s
experience with a spiritual mentor.
S It is a non-fiction story and is thought-provoking.
S Unit seeks to point the beauty of Morrie’s life, and the
humility and honesty of the author.
No Books, No Grades, One
Student
S Non-fiction can range from paragraphs to novels. It is
rooted in fact. Concerns itself with people who actually
lived and events that happened.
S Mitch was a student of Morries’s. They lost touch after
Mitch graduated and met again in the last few months of
Morrie’s life. Albom learned valuable life lessons from his
teacher and terms them “life’s greatest lesson”. These are
included in the book.
Non-fiction Characteristics
S Types of Nonfiction:
S A: Essay
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1) Authors ideas or attitudes.
2) Humorous or serious.
S B. History
S Events
S Persons
S C. Biography
S Living subject
S Deceased subject
S D. Autobiography (biography written by oneself)
S E. Critical Review.
S Books
S Plays
S Film
S Television
Lou Gehrig’s Disease Webquest
S What is the technical term for ALS?
S What causes the disease?
S What are the early symptoms?
S How does the disease progress?
S What are the treatments?
S Why is ALS called Lou Gehrig’s disease?
The Last Thesis
S In the opening four pages of TWM. Explain what the
following quotations mean to you.
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“Mostly, my thanks to Morrie, for wanting to do this last thesis
together.”
“A funeral was held in lieu of graduation.”
“…. When he smiles it’s as if you’d just told him the first joke on
earth.”
“I didn’t want to forget him. Maybe I didn’t want him to forget
me.”
“When he steps back, I see that he is crying”.
Student, Teacher, Lesson
S Define Conflict?
S Internal vs. External
S 1) Person against Person – one person tries to block another from
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reaching a goal.
2) Person against Nature – a character’s goals are challenged by
an animal, place, weather conditions, or other natural force.
3) Person against Self- a person works against something within
his or her own nature.
4) Person against Society – a character is held back from a goal by
an attitude in society.
5) Person against fate – a person seems doomed by predetermined
situations.
6) Person against machine – a character is challenged by progress.
PROVIDE REAL LIFE EXAMPLES OF EACH!
Tension of Opposites:
S Explain how Morrie’s tension of opposites is another
description of conflict?
S Where in the book to this point have you observed that “pull
back and forth”?
S What does Morrie mean by his response, “Love always
wins”?
The Lessons Begin
S Comment on the following conversations with Morrie.
What does each tell the reader about his character?
S His interest in the newspaper strike.
S His comment regarding his dependency
S His connection to the suffering of others (Bosnia, ect.)
S “The most important thing in life is to give out love, and let it
come in.”
S “Love is the only rational act.”
First Tuesday: Silence in the
Classroom
S Quote Discussion WS
S Blog
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Tuesday Discussion
S Throughout the book, Mitch Albom uses educational
terminology to emphasize the relationship that began in
college. Indicate the “appropriateness” in each situation
listed below.
S Mitch suggests tape recording sessions because he knows
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Morrie wants to share his experience.
Morrie reminds Mitch that we all need probing from time to
time in order to achieve our destinies.
After Mitch agrees to be the student in a class of one, he begins
to make plans for what needs to be done.
In referring to Morrie’s old friend Maurie Stein, who is losing
his hearing. Morrie’s comment is a lesson on friendship.
Albom titles Morrie’s reminiscences of childhood “The
professor”
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Tuesday
S Course Curriculum WS
S 2nd Tuesday Blog
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Tuesday
S “As I See It”/ “Mitch and His Brother” WS
S 4th Tuesday Blog
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Tuesday Discuss
S Find in the book life situations which could be
responsible for the attributes listed below (use your “As
I See It” WS)
S Spirituality
S Physical Contact
S Immersion in career/work
S Death
S Marriage/Family
4th & 5th Tuesday: Lou
Gehrig/Luckiest Man?
S In the italicized section after “The Forth Tuesday”, Mitch &
Morrie talk about Lou Gehrig’s famous farewell speech. Find the
speech on the internet and read it. Answer the following:
S 1) Where and when did the speech take place? In what ways are
Gehrig’s comments ironic?
S 2) Lou Gehrig had a fatal, horrible disease. Why did he consider
himself a lucky man?
S 3) What do Gehrigs comments reflect about his philosophy of
life?
S 4) Do Morrie’s beliefs resemble Gehrigs?
S 5) List some reasons why you might consider yourself one of the
luckiest people on earth.
6th & 7th Tuesday:
Everything is Transitory
S Discuss:
S 1) In Mitch’s conversation with Charlotte at the beginning of
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“The Sixth Tuesday”, what sets the tone?
2) What is the tone in “The Professor, Part Two”? How is this
tone created?
3) Does the setting of the story, in a sickroom, in any way
affect the tone? If yes, in what ways?
4) How do Morrie’s attitudes about his condition affect Mitch?
Do their discussions bring enlightenment to Mitch? How do
these chapters affect you?
What is usually the tone of a book about a dying character?
Does this hold true in this book?
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Tuesday
S “Feeling & Aging” WS
S Complete ALL BLOGS
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Tuesday
S Watch rest of Ted Koppel Interviews:
S Blog about interviews
S The Professor Blog
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Tuesday
S Discuss:
S 1) What is the theme of “Tuesdays With Morrie?
S 2) How do you come to the above conclusion?
S 3)Name two situations where in Morrie’s
conversation causes Mitch to evaluate his own life.
S 4) Name two situations which show that Mitch has
already changed.
S 5) Several times Morrie tells Mitch, “You’re just like
a younger version of me.” Is this true?
Graphing Albom
S Create a plot diagram map on “Read Write Think” that
shows the progression of “Tuesdays With Morrie”.
10th &11th Tuesday
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What is Sub-Culture?
S A ) The cultural values and behavioral patterns
distinctive of a particular group in a society.
S B) A group having social, economic, ethnic, or other
traits distinctive enough to distinguish it from others
within the same culture or society.
What does this mean in your own words?
Subculture & Morrie
S “People are only mean they’re threatened, and that’s what our
culture does…. And when you get threatened, you start looking
out only for yourself. You start making money a god. It is all part
of this culture” (pg. 154).
S “But the big things- how we think, what we value- those you must
choose yourself. You can’t let anyone-or any society-determine
those for you.” (pg. 155).
S “It’s the same for women not being thin enough, or men not rich
enough. It’s just what our culture would have you believe. Don’t’
believe it.” (pg. 155)
How do these quotes relate to the definition of subculture? What do they tell us about how Morrie
thinks about sub-culture?
High School Sub-Culture?
S “A high school subculture is comprised of a group of high
school students with identifiable and distinctive traits. (Such
a group can also be known as a 'clique' or 'clic’.
(indopedia.com).
S DO YOU THINK high-school subcultures exist? How do
you know?
How are sub-cultures created?
S Regional differences and even radical differences in extant
subcultures between nearby high schools exist. The name
for a substantially similar subculture in two different places
is also often different. Some subcultures (e.g. jocks and
nerds) are quite old; others (e.g. goths) are relatively new.
Breakfast Club & Sub-Culture
S The first scene gives us the characterization of each. Which
subculture would you identify each character with? What
about these seen tells you that they fall into that sub-culture?
Study the movements, expressions, and the conversations to
examine this?
S Like Morrie, that narrator of this last scene has a definite
opinion about subcultures as a whole? What do you think
the narrator feels about these subcultures? Why do you
think this?
Types of High-School
Subcultures:
S Breakfast Club gives you the most “general subcultures” but
many more exist. As society changes, new subcultures are
created.
S http://www.indopedia.org/High_school_subcultures.html
Other Films that Highlight
Subculture?
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Classroom Blog:
Tuesday: Subculture
Please respond to at least 3 other classmates Blogs.
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Morrie on Marriage & Culture
S Discuss:
S 1) Charlotte, Morrie’s wife is quietly and lovingly in the
background throughout the memoir. What do you deduce about
her? How do Morrie’s comments about marriage in general reflect
their relationship?
S 2) Morrie emphasized the importance of respect, compromise,
openness, and shared values in a committed love relationship. He
also believed in the importance of marriage. What have you
observed about these beliefs in the marriages you have
encountered?
S 3) Morrie mentions that his generation had a lot of problems with
marriage, whether form reluctance to getting engaged in the first
place or from ending it with divorce. What are your generations
attitudes toward marriage?
S 4) Morrie said that society and culture everywhere surround
people with unhealthy, threatening messages. Give some
examples from our own culture.
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Tuesday
S Read the following list of words and document how Morrie
understood them differently before and after his illness.
S 1) Emotions
S 2) Aging
S 3) American Culture
S 4) Forgiveness
S 5) Money
S 6) Marriage
S 7) Love
S 8) Life
S 9) Death
S 10) Graduation
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Tuesday
Tuesday Blog: Graffiti Wall
The Final Tuesday
S Commencement- Discuss:
S 1) List the numerous clues which finally brought Mitch to
the realization that Morrie’s time was near
S A) from his body
S B) from Charlotte
S C) from the unused tape recorder
S 2)During Mitch’s final visit, what did Morrie insist he be
called?
S 3) Where was Morrie during this visit? What does this recall
to Mitch’s mind?
S 4) When Mitch and Morrie verbalized their mutual love,
what did Morrie mean by, “You always have….”?
A Fond Farewell?
S Indicate the aspects of “nostalgia” in the following
situations:
S 1) Mitch checked his tape recorder on his final visit,
knowing he wouldn’t need them.
S 2) In the kitchen Mitch noticed that morphine had been
added to Morrie’s huge supply of medicine.
S 3) Even though Morrie could not longer swallow, Mitch still
brought his favorite foods when he visited.
S 4) Morrie was dying, but his beard continued to grow.
S 5) When Morrie tried to laugh and could not, Mitch
describes it as a sad sound.
Final Tuesday
S Complete “Graduation” WS
Mitch’s Story
S Complete “Focus on Mitch” WS & answer the following:
S 1) Several publishers came forward to see the book
published. Interpret and explain this as an A+ grade on
Morrie’s final class?
S 2) What practical results came from the book?
S 3) Aside from a reunion with a cherished teacher and one
final class from him, what other benefit came to the author?
S 4) Describe how the book’s title came about?
TWM FILM
S Complete “The Movie Versio” & “Writing A Movie
Review “ WS to be turned in at end of film.