Summary  
Tuesdays with Morrie 
How has Morrie’s health/condition changed in the second section of reading (p. 48-99)? Compare and contrast to the first 47 pages of the book.
How is Mitch’s perspective changing or shifting in this second portion of the book?
Identify one stressor each of the main characters is facing in this section of the book.
Provide one connection to The Last Dancetextbook (for this class) thus far. You may consider all of the chapters covered in class thus far. 
Describe (for yourself) how if any the “message” of the book has changed in p. 48-99 for either of the main characters?
What is the most meaningful passage or excerpt in the book (p. 48-99) for YOU?
Tuesdays with Morrie
Avery Wells
Dr. Hand
6/5/22
Tuesdays with Morrie
The book Tuesdays with Morrie has two main characters: Mitch Albom, a student at
Brandeis University, and his favourite professor, Morris Schwartz, better known as Morrie.
Mitch Albom was a journalist who wrote newspaper articles and made a lot of money. Morrie
was a professor of sociology who was later diagnosed with ALS, a disease that affected the
nerves.
In the first 50 pages of the book, Morrie is diagnosed with a disease referred to as ALS,
which attacks the nerves bit by bit until the whole system gives up. Doctors give Morrie a
maximum of two years before the disease fully overpowers his body, but Morrie feels it’s sooner
than that. He doesn’t stop doing his usual activities, and as time goes by, the disease gets the
better of him. Morrie gets to a point where he needs assistance walking, and with time it gets
worse. With his condition worsening, Morrie decides to have one final lecture at his university,
which is something he loves doing. The disease worsens, and Morrie ends up in a wheelchair
with assistants to help him around. Morrie accepts his fate and decides to live his final days well.
He holds a funeral for himself while still alive and always has people visiting him, and those who
can’t make it are always calling. Everyone talks about Morrie and how he is dealing with his
disease, and articles are written about him, and everyone talks about him. Ted Koppel, a famous
TV host, interviews Morrie and his favourite former student Mitch Albom hears about his
favourite professor and decides to visit him. They talk about life and remember the olden days in
university when they used to meet on Tuesdays, and he was his coach. They agree to meet every
Tuesday, and they talk about life.
The main message of the book so far is positivity in life. Morrie is diagnosed with ALS,
which has no cure at all, and he is given two years to live yet has no self-pity at all. He accepts
the situation and decides to make the most out of life. Morrie spends time with people, holds
meaningful conversations, and talks about life. Morrie holds a funeral for himself while he is still
alive to hear people talk about his good traits, which shows how much he accepts his situation
and has come to terms with it. He shares meals with people and listens to people, which he was
so good at even though he just had a few days to live.
The most meaningful passage of the book for me so far is “so many people walk around
with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they are busy doing things they think
are important. That is because they are chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into
your life is to devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating
something that gives you purpose and meaning.” That is where Mitch remembers what Morrie
told him, and it shows how we prioritize things that are not important in life, leaving out the
crucial details about life we should prioritize.
One thing that is so intriguing is Morrie’s way of handling his illness. He takes it
positively and makes the most out of his remaining time. Most people would be sad and take a
diagnosis like that as a death sentence and completely lose hope in life. He is not afraid to talk
about death and surrounds himself with people and talks to them about life and death, which not
everyone does. He even holds a funeral just so that he can listen to people say good things about
him.