Tuesday's With Morrie discussion

How did Morrie's childhood experiences with his family lead him to change his perspective on life when he learned he was dying?

He ultimately began to accept that he needed someone to take care of him and tend to his needs as a mother tends to a child. That is why he began to enjoy his dependency and enjoy his caretakers cleaning up after him/ helping him because he did not receive enough unconditional love and attention as a child because his mother died. Since his mother died when he was at a very young age he was forced to grow up faster and take on more responsibility with is why he felt a sense of dependency when he learned to enjoy people tending to his needs.

How did learning of Morrie's fatal disease cause Mitch to view his own life differently? Did it cause him to take action towards what his realization?

Should this book be on the list that all high schoolers should read? Why or why not? Did you enjoy the book?

To answer Merna's question, Mitch started to pay less attention to the trivial things going around him. For example, the OJ case was very prominent at that time but from Morrie he learned that it was a waste of his time.

Morrie expresses many opinions on humans and what they wish to achieve compared to the reality which they tend to ignore. One of life's inevitable truths is aging and death. And Morrie says "age is not a competitive issue" (Page 120). This line really just got me thinking. One thing I notice in my everyday life is how humans crave competitions. Everybody is trying to better than the next person at something. It is something that really bothers me personally because life (in my opinion) is not a competition. It's a different experience for every single person. So why do we, as humans, make it a competition? Why does everyone crave to be better than the next person? If life is a game, it sure is not one with fair rules and I don't think people realize that. So when Morrie states that "age is not a competitive issue", it makes me wonder if people actually accept this fact. Age and death just happens to be one of life's battles that cannot be won by a human despite of money, power or beauty. Mitch's concerns about envy amongst the generation are valid today. It happens in our classroom. Reading about it, compelled me to speak about it. Therefore, I think this novel should be read by all high schoolers. It may compell other young people to speak out and accept some of the issues today.
Has this novel spoken to any of you? Do you think we should be required to read Tuesdays with Morrie? What do you think about what Mitch struggles with? And what do you think of Morrie's insight on these struggles

To answer Malavika's question: Tuesday with Morrie has spoken to me because Morrie tells us about life transitions and psychology terms; he was extremely deep and profound, while Mitch was very shallow. Morrie knew that "if you know how to live, you know how to die" and that affection is nothing to be ashamed of. Morrie, unlike Mitch, was very un-centered around winning. ("What's so bad about being number two?") We should require to read Tuesday with Morrie because it talks about how life and how truthful Morrie tells in novel that we can somehow relate with him.

Should this book be on the list that all high schoolers should read? Why or why not? Did you enjoy the book?

Tuesdays with Morrie should most definitely be on the list all high schoolers should read. I believe the lessons Morrie teaches Mitch in the book are essential for young people to learn. By the time most people usually get to learn these lessons their lives are in close proximity to death, exposing young people to this book will expose the younger generation to a new way of living even before they hit adulthood, a more purer way. Tuesdays with Morrie brings something to the classroom that the education system fails to do, and that is long life lessons, more than just formulas, historical events, and Shakespearean plays. Morries insightful views on life will inspire teenagers to build healthier relationships with their families, and will encourage them to become better individuals.