TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
Reading Group Guide
Questions for discussion
Let's talk about Mitch and Morrie
1. Did your opinion about Mitch change as the book went on? In what
way?
2. Who do you think got more out of their Tuesday meetings, Mitch
or Morrie? In what ways? How do you think each would answer this
question?
3. Do you think Mitch would have come back to Morrie's house the
second time if he hadn't been semi-idled by the newspaper strike?
4. Discuss Morrie's criticisms of Mitch throughout the book. Do you
think Morrie should have been tougher on him? Easier?
5. Do you think Mitch would have listened if Morrie hadn't been
dying? Does impending death automatically make one's voice able to
penetrate where it couldn't before?
Let's talk about death
6. Does this book make Morrie's death a public event? If so, how is it
similar to other public deaths we've experienced as a society? How is
it different?
7. Morrie referred to himself as a bridge, a person who is in between
life and death, which makes him useful to others as a tool to
understand both. Talk about other literary, historical, political or
religious figures who have also served this purpose.
8. Most of us have read of people discussing the way they'd like to
die, or, perhaps, have talked about it ourselves. One common thought
is that it would be best to live a long, healthy life and then die
suddenly in one's sleep. After reading this book, what do you think
about that? Given a choice, would Morrie have taken that route
instead of the path he traveled?
9. On "Nightline," Morrie spoke to Ted Koppel of the pain he still felt
seventy years after his mother's death. Is your experience with loss
similar or different? Does what you've read in this book help ease any
of the pain?
10. Morrie was seventy-six years old when diagnosed with ALS. How
might he have reacted if he'd contracted the disease when he was
Mitch's age? Would Morrie have come to the same conclusions? Felt
the same peace and acceptance? Or was his experience also a function
of his age?
Let's talk about meaning
11. Try the "effect of silence"exercise that Mitch described. What do
you learn from it?
12. Talk about the role of meaningful coincidence, synchronicity, in
the book and in Mitch and Morrie's friendship.
13. Morrie told Mitch about the "tension of opposites."Talk about this
as a metaphor for the book and for society.
14. Mitch made a list of topics about which he wanted Morrie's
insight and clarity. In what ways would your list be the same or
different?
15. Discuss the book in terms of structure, voice, and tone, paying
attention to Mitch's use of flashbacks and other literary devices. How
do his choices add to the meaning?
16. Are college students today missing out because they don't have
the meaningful experiences that students faced in the 1960s had? Do
you think Morrie thought they were?
17. Morrie said: "If you've found meaning in your life, you don't want
to go back. You want to go forward."Is this true in your experience?
Let's talk about religion, culture, and ritual
18. Morrie belived, "You have to be strong enough to say if the
culture doesn't work, don't buy it. Create your own."How can people
do this? How can this book help?
19. As his visits with Morrie continued, Mitch explored some other
cultures and religions and how each views death. Discuss these and
others that you've studied.
20. To the very end, Mitch arrived at Morrie's house with food.
Discuss the importance of this ritual.
Let's talk about relationships
21. Was Morrie judging people who choose not to have kids with his
statement: "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." Whether or
not he was, do you agree?
22. Mitch wrote, "Perhaps this is one reason I was drawn to Morrie.
He let me be where my brother would not."Discuss Mitch's
relationship with Peter.
23. Discuss the practical side of Morrie's advice: "Only an open heart
will allow you to float equally between everyone."How could this
advice be useful the next time you're in a social or other situation
where you feel out of place or uncomfortable?
24. Morrie said that in marriage, "Your values must be alike."In what
ways to you agree or disagree?
25. Would Morrie's lessons have carried less weight if Mitch and
Peter hadn't resumed contact by the book's end?
Recommended reading
Robert Fulghum: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in
Kindergarten
Tuesdays With Morrie
by Mitch Albom
List Price: $21.00
Pages: 192
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 0385484518
Publisher: Doubleday
To paraphrase the poet Robert Burns, "The best-laid plans of
mice and men often go astray." But maybe some of us have to
go astray to land eventually on target.
Take Mitch Albom. As a young man graduating from Brandeis
University, he made promises easily. Keeping them was
another story. "You'll stay in touch?", his sociology professor
Morrie Schwartz asked him on graduation day in 1979. Mitch
answered his favorite professor, his mentor, his friend, without
hesitation, "Of course."
Fast-forward sixteen years to Mitch's life as a successful
newspaper sports columnist and broadcast journalist. Adept at
juggling phone calls, faxes, interviews, problems, often it
seems while driving too fast to another appointment on an
overloaded docket, Mitch has a wonderful wife but no time to
spend with her, a beautiful house on a hill, a stock portfolio,
and a brother he hasn't talked to in years. He lives on a
deadline--too fast is the only speed he knows.
Then, one night, tired from another day into which he crammed
too much work, he sits in front of the TV, channel-surfing, and
catches the crest of "Nightline." And there's his old teacher and
friend Morrie Schwartz telling Ted Koppel he has amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's disease, and that he's
learning how to die. Mitch hadn't seen Morrie since graduation
day at Brandeis.
Best-laid plans indeed.
The Laws of Nature
For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This story of Mitch Albom and Morrie Schwartz illuminates
many universal truths, including this law of nature. And perhaps
that law has an emotional equivalent as well. Morrie's illness
and death gives Mitch a perspective that directly changes his
life. The very success that caused him to neglect the most
important things becomes the means to send Morrie's message
to all who need reminders of what those things are. Action and
reaction--just look at the evidence.
Action: A newspaper strike idles Mitch and makes him question
his ability to survive without something that he feels is his
"lifeline...when I saw my stories in print each morning, I knew
that, in at least one way, I was alive."
Reaction: After a week of sitting home and watching TV, Mitch
calls his old friend Morrie and begins a new "lifeline." This one
is stronger than the others he's clutched. It's based on what's
going on inside Mitch's heart and head instead of what's
happening at work or in the stock market.
Action: As the disease progresses, Morrie loses his privacy in
the most basic ways. He can't dress himself. He can't feed
himself. He can't go to the bathroom by himself.
Reaction: Morrie learns to accept help from others. He shows
us a few things about dignity and acceptance as he turns his
physical weakness into strengths of the heart, the mind, and
the spirit.
Action: Morrie is worried about leaving his family impoverished
by his substantial medical bills. This is practical and real
concern-the cost of caring for an ALS patient is staggering.
Reaction: The success and the pressure that kept Mitch too
busy and preoccupied to keep in touch with his mentor, enable
him to gain a substantial advance for Tuesdays with Morrie,
thus relieve this anxiety in Morrie and offer some financial
assurance to Morrie's wife.
Action: Mitch loses his friend Morrie.
Reaction: Mitch reconnects with his brother, Peter, whom he
hadn't seen or talked to in many years.
Action: Morrie Schwartz dies.
Reaction: Morrie Schwartz lives on in the hearts of his family
and friends and, now, in the people who read this book.
It's Really Very Simple
Morrie's are the most basic lessons, but in a world full of
cynicism, consumerism, and disenfranchised people, they need
to be given again and again: Take time to stare out the window
instead of at your computer screen. Laugh. It's natural to die.
Love is how you stay alive.
Morrie Schwartz is our messenger. We listen because he treats
us with respect, he makes us laugh, and he's learned "how to
give out love, and to let it come in."
top of the page
Let's Talk About Mitch and Morrie
1. Did your opinion about Mitch change as book went on? In
what way?
2. Who do you think got more out of their Tuesday meetings,
Mitch or Morrie? In what ways? How do you think each would
answer this question?
3. Do you think Mitch would have come back to Morrie's house
the second time if he hadn't been semi-idled by the newspaper
strike?
4. Discuss Morrie's criticisms of Mitch throughout the book. Do
you think Morrie should have been tougher on him? Easier?
5. Do you think Mitch would have listened if Morrie hadn't been
dying? Does impending death automatically make one's voice
able to penetrate where it couldn't before?
Let's Talk About Death
6. Does this book make Morrie's death a public event? If so,
how is it similar to other public deaths we've experienced as a
society? How is it different?
7. Morrie referred to himself as a bridge, a person who is in
between life and death, which makes him useful to others as a
tool to understand both. Talk about other literary, historical,
political, or religious figures who have also served this purpose.
8. Most of us have read of people discussing the way they'd
like to die, or, perhaps, have been a part of that conversation.
One common thought is that it would be best to live a long,
healthy life and then die suddenly in one's sleep. After reading
this book, what do you think about that? Given a choice, would
Morrie have taken that route instead of the path he traveled?
9. On "Nightline," Morrie spoke to Ted Koppel of the pain he
still felt about his mother's death seventy years prior to the
interview. Is your experience with loss similar or different?
Does what you've read in this book help ease any of that pain?
10. Morrie was seventy-eight years old when diagnosed with
ALS. How might he have reacted if he'd contracted the disease
when he was Mitch's age? Would Morrie have come to the
same conclusions? The same peace and acceptance? Or is his
experience also a function of his age?
Let's Talk About Meaning
11. Try the "effect of silence" exercise that Mitch described in
your class or in your group. What do you learn from it?
12. Talk about the role of meaningful coincidence,
synchronicity, in the book and in Mitch and Morrie's friendship.
13. Morrie told Mitch about the "tension of opposites" (p. 40).
Talk about this as a metaphor for the book and for society.
14. Mitch made a list of topics about which he wanted Morrie's
insight and clarity. In what ways would your list be the same or
different?
15. Discuss the book in terms of structure, voice, and tone,
paying attention to Mitch's use of flashbacks and other literary
devices. How do his choices add to the meaning?
16. Are college students today missing out because they don't
have the meaningful experiences that students in the 1960s
had? Do you think Morrie thought they were?
17. Morrie said, "If you've found meaning in your life, you don't
want to go back. You want to go forward" (p. 118). Is this true
in your experience?
Let's Talk About Religion, Culture, and Ritual
18. Morrie believed, "You have to be strong enough to say if
the culture doesn't work, don't buy it. Create your own" (pp. 3536). How can people do this? How can this book help?
19. As his visits with Morrie continued, Mitch explored some
other cultures and religions and how each views death.
Discuss these and others that you've studied.
20. To the very end, Mitch arrived at Morrie's house with food.
Discuss the importance of this ritual.
Let's Talk About Relationships
21. Was Morrie making a judgment on people who choose not
to have kids with his statement: "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" (p. 93)? Whether or not he was, do you
agree?
22. Mitch wrote, "Perhaps this is one reason I was drawn to
Morrie. He let me be where my brother would not" (p. 97).
Discuss Mitch's relationship with Peter.
23. Discuss the practical side of Morrie's advice: "Only an open
heart will allow you to float equally between everyone" (p. 128).
How could this advice be useful the next time you're in a social
or other situation where you feel out of place or uncomfortable?
24. Morrie said that in marriage, "Your values must be alike" (p.
149). In what ways do you agree or disagree?
25. Would Morrie's lessons have carried less weight if Mitch
and Peter hadn't resumed contact by book's end?
top of the page
"This is a sweet book of a man's love for his mentor. It has a
stubborn honesty that nourishes the living."
--Robert Bly, author of Iron John
"A deeply moving account of courage and wisdom, shared by
an inveterate mentor looking into the multitextured face of his
own death. There is much to be learned by sitting in on this
final class."
--Jon Kabat-Zinn, coauthor of Everyday Blessings and
Wherever You Go, There You Are
"All of the saints and Buddhas have taught us that wisdom and
compassion are one. Now along comes Morrie, who makes it
perfectly plain. His living and dying show us the way."
--Joanna Bull, Founder and Executive Director of Gilda's
Club
top of the page
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/morrie/
http://library.sfcc.spokane.cc.wa.us/Tuesdays_With_Morrie.htm
Tuesdays With Morrie
discussion questions
Also: discussion questions for kids & families
1. Who got more out of their Tuesday meetings, Mitch or
Morrie? What did each of them learn as they met?
2. How did Mitch change during the book? Did your opinion of
Mitch change? How?
3. Do you think Mitch would have listened if Morrie hadn't been
dying? Do we listen to people who are dying in a different way?
Do their words carry special importance?
4. How is the hibiscus plant in Morrie's study a metaphor for his
life as well as for life in general?
5. Why did Mitch always bring food when he went to visit
Morrie? Discuss the importance of this ritual.
6. Does reading this book make it easier to talk about dying?
7. What would you have said to Morrie if you had had the
opportunity to visit him? What would you have asked him?
8. Has there been an adult in your life who has had a
significant impact on your thinking, your values or lifestyle and
who therefore helped you to become the person you are?
9. Morrie referred to himself as a bridge, a person between life
and death, which made him useful to others as a tool to
understand both. Talk about the literary, political or religious
figures who have also served this purpose.
10. What or who inspired Morrie's passion for books, education
and people?
College Book Homepage
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Suggested Classroom Activities in conjunction with the College
Book Program
Note: Please look over the entire list, not just your discipline. There
are many activities that could be used in other disciplines. Those
teaching a foreign language other than Spanish can use the activities
listed under Spanish.
Note: Morrie suffered from ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also
known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Administration of Justice:
Role play a situation in which a police officer is called to the scene of
an accident caused by a driver who has had a stroke or, like Morrie,
suddenly has no control over his feet.
Anthropology:
Choose another culture, past or present, and research how they view
death.
Art:
Create a picture or a sculpture depicting a scene from your "perfect
day".
Biology:
What happens to the body during the progression of a terminal
disease such as ALS?
Child Development:
Imagine that a child in your care has a grandparent with ALS or some
other terminal disease. How would you explain it to the child? How
would you suggest the child act around the grandparent?
Morrie lost a parent at an early age. Imagine that a child in your care
has come back to you after his/her parent died. How would you
expect the child to act? How would you handle the situation?
CIS:
Find at least one web site for ALS and evaluate it.
Dance:
Morrie loved to dance the lindy and the tango. When were these
dances first popular? Demonstrate one or both.
Dental Hygiene:
Discuss why dental hygiene is so important among elderly patients.
EMT:
Role play a situation in which you respond to an emergency call for
someone who cannot speak (because of ALS or another condition).
What if the person lives alone or the only other person in the home
doesn’t speak English?
English:
Write a paragraph about a favorite teacher you have had and tell what
made him/her special.
If you knew you had only a year to live and that toward the end you
would be greatly incapacitated, how would you spend that year,
month by month? What would you do the same? What would you do
differently?
If you were to have a living funeral for yourself as Morrie did, what
would it be like?
For extra credit, watch the movie "Pride of the Yankees" (about Lou
Gehrig) and write a one-page paper about it.
Mitch’s hero from childhood was his uncle. Who was your childhood
hero and why?
Pick one of Morrie’s quotes below and write a one-page paper telling
what it means and whether you agree with it.




"Accept what you are able to do and what you are not
able to do."
"Accept the past as past, without denying it or
discarding it."
"Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others."
"Don’t assume it’s too late to get involved."
For extra credit, watch the movie "Tuesdays with Morrie" and write a
short paper comparing it to the book.
What do you think Morrie would have said about the events of
September 11?
Would you rather die suddenly or, like Morrie, have a long time to
prepare for it?
In the book there is a quote from Henry Adams, "A teacher affects
eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Do you agree?
Can you give examples?
Morrie said, "Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody
believes it. If we did, we would do things differently." What would
you do differently?
One of the women who wrote to Morrie described him as a "prophet".
Do you agree? Why or why not?
When Mitch asked Morrie what he would come back as if
reincarnated, Morrie replied, "A gazelle." What would you come back
as if it were possible?
This was Morrie’s formula for a meaningful life: "Devote yourself to
loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and
devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and
meaning." Using this formula, how would you rate yourself? What
can you do to change things?
Morrie’s choice for his tombstone was "A Teacher To The Last".
What would you choose for yourself?
Fire Science:
What steps must be taken if there is a person like Morrie in a burning
building, someone who cannot walk and cannot respond vocally when
you try to locate him?
Geography:
On a city map of Boston, find the Charles River and Brandeis
University.
History:
Write a short paper on a famous teacher from another time, such as
Annie Sullivan or Socrates.
Morrie’s father came from Russia. Using The Harvard Encyclopedia
of American Ethnic Groups, research when the Russians came and
why, where they settled, and what problems they faced. If you wish,
you may choose another immigrant group instead.
Mathematics:
Using Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges in the Reference
section of the Library, find some of the colleges and universities in
the Boston metropolitan area and make graphs comparing them as to
student/faculty ratio, undergraduate/graduate ratio, tuition and fees,
percentage of applicants accepted, etc.
Music:
Morrie liked to do the lindy to Jimi Hendrix. Find out how to do the
dance and try it to Jimi’s music.
Choose two pieces of music to share with the class, one evoking
Morrie’s momentary self-pity upon awakening and the other, his
feeling lucky to be alive.
Nursing:
Morrie described his disease this way: "ALS is like a lit candle – it
melts your nerves and leaves your body a pile of wax." Comment on
this.
What can health professionals do to help their terminally ill patients
preserve their dignity? Or do you believe that this is basically
impossible?
Create a timeline for the usual progression of ALS.
Do a professional literature search to find what research is being done
on ALS.
Are there ALS support groups in San Diego County?
Philosophy:
One year during the Vietnam War, Morrie gave all his male students
A’s to help them keep their student deferments. Do you think that this
was this right or wrong?
Morrie said, "Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody
believes it. If we did, we would do things differently." What would
you do differently?
Morrie quoted the poet Auden, "Love each other or perish." What do
you think the poet meant?
Imagine that you have the chance to write your own obituary. What
would you like it to say? What changes can you make in your life to
achieve that?
Physical Education/Health:
Write a one-page paper about the value of massage in the care of the
terminally ill.
Write a short paper about Lou Gehrig.
What are the names of the professional sports teams in Detroit
(football, basketball, baseball, hockey)? How did you find that
information?
Mitch’s senior honors thesis was about how football has become
almost a religion in America. Try your hand at the same topic.
Physics:
Stephen Hawking, physicist, also suffers from ALS. Learn about
Hawking and his struggle with the disease.
Psychology:
Morrie would have agreed with the Barbra Streisand song, " People
who need people are the luckiest people in the world." Do you agree?
Why?
Dr. Norman Cousins believed that a patient’s attitude determined to a
great extent whether he would survive a devastating illness. Who was
Dr. Cousins and how was he viewed by the medical community?
Working in pairs, take turns playing the ALS patient. Imagine that
you cannot move anything below your chest and that the other person
has to feed you with a spoon (try to have real food for this exercise).
Describe your feelings as the patient and then as the caregiver.
Instructors: On page 53 in the book, there is a description of the time
that Morrie spent the first fifteen minutes of class in complete silence
while his students became increasingly agitated. Try this with your
class as a means of initiating a discussion on silence. Why does
silence embarrass us? What comfort do we find in noise?
Mitch said that his visits with Morrie were like a "cleansing rinse of
human kindness." What is there in your life, if anything, that
compares to this?
Do you agree or disagree that forgiveness serves the person who
forgives more than the person who is forgiven?
Morrie’s friend Maurice Stein was deaf, and Morrie was reaching the
point where he could no longer speak. Two friends, one couldn’t
speak, the other couldn’t hear. Role play how they might
communicate their feelings.
Morrie said that we are brainwashed about materialism. Do you
agree? Why or why not?
Morrie said, "People are only mean when they are threatened, and
that’s what our culture does. That’s what our economy does." Do you
agree? Can you think of any examples for which this is not true?
Sociology:
Does our society value older people? Why or why not? Compare our
society with another country as to how we treat our elders.
What qualities do older people have that transcend the age barrier?
Visit a senior citizen center or an elderly person in your neighborhood
and write a brief oral history on him/her.
Morrie said that our society has a shortage of compassion. Do you
agree? Have things changed since Sept. 11?
Spanish:
In writing or orally, tell about a favorite teacher you have had and
why he/she was special.
Working in pairs, take turns playing the ALS patient. Imagine that
you cannot move anything below your chest and that the other person
has to feed you with a spoon (try to have real food for this exercise).
In Spanish, describe your feelings as the patient and then as the
caregiver.
Write a short paper telling what you think Morrie would have said
about the events of September 11. Alternatively, have a class
discussion all in Spanish.
In the book there is a quote from Henry Adams, "A teacher affects
eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Do you agree?
Can you give examples? Speak in Spanish on this topic.
Morrie said, "Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody
believes it. If we did, we would do things differently." What would
you do differently?
Morrie complained that everyone is in a hurry. Think about yourself.
How much do you hurry? When? Why?
Speech:
Tell about a favorite teacher you have had and why he/she was
special.
Would you rather die suddenly or, like Morrie, have a long time to
prepare for it?
Mitch made a list of things he wanted to talk to Morrie about. Choose
one from below and speak for 5 minutes.
• Death • Fear • Aging
• Greed • Marriage • Family
• Society • Forgiveness • A meaningful life
In the book there is a quote from Henry Adams, "A teacher affects
eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." Do you agree?
Can you give examples?
Morrie said, "Everyone knows they’re going to die, but nobody
believes it. If we did, we would do things differently." What would
you do differently?
Morrie complained that everyone is in a hurry. Think about yourself.
How much did you hurry? When? Why?
Travel and Tourism:
What would be Mitch’s options (airlines, times, fares) today in going
from Detroit to Boston and back again?
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