Chapter 1

The Curriculum

Summary
The last class of my old professor’s life took place once a week in his house, by a
window in the study where he could watch a small hibiscus plant shed its pink
leaves. The subject was The Meaning of Life and there were oral exams each
week. Physical tasks such as lifting the professor’s head and kissing him good-bye
earned extra credit. No books were required, but many topics were covered,
including love, work, community, family, aging, forgiveness, and, finally, death.
The last lecture was brief, only a few words, and a funeral was held in lieu of
graduation.
The paper is presented here. The senior class of Brandeis University graduates
from college, and afterward, they meet Morrie Schwartz, their favorite professor.
He is a small man with sparkling blue green eyes, thinning silver hair, big ears, a
triangular nose, and tufts of graying eyebrows. He tells them how he took every
class he taught and gives them a present, a tan briefcase with his initials on the
front. He hugs them and asks if they will stay in touch, and when he steps back,
he is crying.

Life lesson
Time runs so fast. Do the things you want and study as hard as you can to make
yourself good or better, but at the same time, don’t forget the people around you
who support and teach you. Know how to look back on the people who become
part of your life.
 Chapter 2
The Syllabus

Summary
More details about Morrie’s personality are provided by Mitch. When Morrie lost
his ability to dance, he realized his health was failing. Any type of music made
Morrie want to dance, with or without a partner. He started seeing doctors in his
seventies as his breathing, walking, and sleep grew increasingly difficult; he was
then given the diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s illness, also known as Amyotrophic
Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The physician informed him that death was inevitable. Do I
wither up and disappear, or do I make the most of my time left? Is a question
Morrie asks himself as he leaves the doctor’s office after receiving the terrible
news.” . He makes the decision to keep swimming and living life to the fullest.

Life lesson
Enjoy your life in any situation because you don’t know what will happen next.
Not all the time you’re strong, so don’t do things that you’ll regret. Always be
positive in any way you can, no matter what happens. There are reasons for it.
And always trust God and yourself. Even in the dark, there is a light.
 Chapter 3
The students
Summary
Mitch talks about his life since he last met Morrie on the day of his college
graduation. He acknowledges that, despite his pledge to stay in touch, “I did not
keep in touch” years later. He no longer remembers any of his undergraduate pals
and only sometimes considers Morrie. He emigrated to New York City in the
intention of pursuing a career as a musician. But after his uncle passed away, he
quickly understood that life was too short to waste it on unappreciated music. He
makes the decision to continue his studies at Columbia University and earn a
journalism master’s degree. He takes the first position that comes up as a sports
writer and writes about well-known players. He first relocated to Florida, then to
New York, and finally to Detroit. In several years, he is writing sports books,
hosting radio shows, and even appearing on TV. He meets his current wife, and
continues to work. It seems that Mitch was trying to make the most of his life by
accepting job after job, accomplishment after accomplishment.

Life lesson
Failure is part of life. Don’t just accept failure; there are times you will shine and
achieve the dream you want. Don’t forget people in your past; they are part of
you. Make them your motivation for success. Don’t make some promise that
you’re not going to fulfill because the person you promise will assume something.
 Chapter 4
The Audiovisual
Summary
Bite-sized philosophies about living with death’s shadow” were the first things
Morrie wrote. A Boston Globe reporter writes a lengthy article about Morrie and
the challenges he is facing after receiving them from one of his colleagues
teachers at Brandeis University. A producer of the popular talk show “Nightline”
was intrigued by the piece, so he gets in touch with Ted Koppel, the most well-
known interviewer in America, to ask if he would like to interview Morrie. Ted
Koppel’s voice could be heard asking, “who is Morrie Schwartz? “ one evening as
album flipped through the television networks.”. The chapter then goes back to
the spring of 1976, to Mitch and Morrie’s first class together, when they first met.
It was a small class and Morrie asked Mitch what he preferred to be called. After
telling Morrie that his friends call him “Mitch”, Morrie told him that he hopes one
da will think of him as a friend.

Life lesson
“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.” Be positive in life and know how to share your experience with
others as a lesson. Don’t give up on yourself, no matter what happens. Always do
things that make you happy, even if they seem impossible.
 Chapter 5
The Orientation
Summary
Still talking to a producer on the phone about one of his stories, Mitch arrives at
Morrie’s house. He pretends to be looking for something in his car since he does
not want to discontinue the call. Later, Mitch regrets pretending to look for his
keys while ignoring his former professor. After not seeing Mitch for nearly sixteen
years, Morrie gives him a huge hug when he does. Morrie starts to talk about his
impending death as the two of them sit in the home. Although I was not aware of
it, our final class had just started, according to Mitch. This chapter takes place
during Mitch’s undergraduate years; Mitch refers to Morrie as “Coach” and
remembers their cafeteria lunches together.

Life lesson
Be happy to meet the person you knew in the past who became part of you and
who became your friend at the same time, so you could never regret things that
you have done. Be kind to them; don’t just escape.
 Chapter 6
The Classroom

Summary
That day, Mitch and Morrie converse for more than two hours, primarily about
Morrie’s illness. Mitch starts to question what has happened to him and why he
isn’t the same person he was in college. Mitch wonders, “what happened to me?
“ as Morrie mentions how popular he is since he is dying.”. Morrie performs a
simple breathing test on Mitch to demonstrate how frail he is. After giving Morrie
one last embrace before departing to board his journey home, Mitch leaves.
Mitch recalls his earlier book purchases from Morrie’s reading list. He caught
Morrie’s contagious love of books and developed an appreciation for the study of
human relationships. After class, they frequently talked, and he even confided in
Morrie about how perplexing his life is.

Life lesson
Have you enjoyed your life? That’s the question I asked after I read this chapter.
You should be happy and do things you want without regrets. Fulfill what you
want to do before you die. Make as many memories as you can.
 Chapter 7
Taking Attendance

Summary
Mitch travels to London to cover Wimbledon a few weeks after his stay with
Morrie. He is aware of the swarm of printed tabloids and ravenous reporters
surrounding him. He recalls Morrie and their talk. “During our visit, Morrie said,
‘The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves.’” And
you have to be tough enough to say, ‘If the culture doesn’t work, don’t purchase
it.'" When Mitch returns to Detroit, his newspaper’s unions have gone on strike.
Mitch was currently unemployed from his newspaper work. He called Morrie, and
the two planned to meet the next Tuesday. The chapter then flashes back to
Mitch’s sophomore year in college when he began to meet Morrie outside of the
classroom for discussions. Mitch talks to Morrie about his aspirations in life
because Morrie listens, unlike Mitch’s father who wants him to be a lawyer.

Life lesson
Don’t be afraid to share your feelings or emotions with those who know you
better than anyone. The person who has become your friend for many years.
 Chapter 8
The First Tuesday- We Talk About The World

Summary
Mitch pays a second visit to Morrie. He notices a stack of newspapers, clearly read
by Morrie. Mitch is shocked that Morrie is aware of current events. Morrie sobs
as they discuss current events in the world. Morrie tells him that he cries about
what is going on in the world because he feels connected to the people who are
suffering. This chapter’s flashback takes place in one of Mitch’s undergraduate
classes with Morrie. Morrie walks into the room and remains silent for almost
fifteen minutes. The kids get uneasy, which sparks a conversation about quiet.
Mitch is unconcerned with the silence, and as he walks out of Morrie’s class, he
stops and tells him that Mitch reminds him of himself.

Life lessons
Acceptance is better than anything, in any way. Look at life uniquely because it’s
the best. ‘The important thing in life to learn is to give out love and let it in.”
Morrie is right about this statement.
 Chapter 9
The Second Tuesday- We Talk About Being Sorry for
Yourself”
Summary
Mitch and Morrie talk about feeling sorry for yourself on the second Tuesday of
the month. Mitch inquires of Morrie whether he feels sorry for himself.
“sometimes, in the mornings,” he responds, “that’s when I mourn.” I move my
fingers and hands—whatever I can still move—around my body, mourning what
I’ve lost.” Mitch is astounded by Morrie’s belief that knowing he is dying gives
him more time to say goodbye. When Morrie returns from the bathroom, Mitch
offers to help him into the chair, but soon realizes that their time together is
coming to an end. Mitch recalls a particular class he took with Morrie during his
junior year in college. Morrie had each student to fall backwards in trust that their
assigned partners would catch them. Only one student completes the trust
exercise correctly

Life lesson
It’s okay to cry if you feel pain; it can lessen the pain you feel. Open your
problems and thoughts to someone who understands you, and understand the
people who share their feelings with you.
 Chapter 10
The Third Tuesday- We Talk About Regrets”

Summary
Mitch brings a tape recorder to Morrie’s in order to remember their discussions.
They discuss regrets and how people don’t think about what they really want
from life: “The culture doesn’t encourage you to think about such things until
you’re about to die”. Morrie tells Mitch, “Ask me anything”, so on the plane ride
home that day, he makes a list of all of the questions he had for Morrie. This
chapter goes back to Mitch’s senior year in college, when Morrie convinced him
to write a sociology thesis on sports. He is very proud of his work and
momentarily considers returning to graduate school.

Life lesson
We don’t know when we will die. What time, what day? Sooner or later,
tomorrow, today, or maybe next month or next year Let’s do the things we want
as part of our existence in life. Share your thoughts and memories with those who
are open to them. It’s better to do something that you’ll never regret.
 Chapter 11
The Audiovisual- Part 2

Summary
The “Nightline” show did a follow-up report, and Ted Koppel interviewed Morrie
once more. Morrie and Koppel get along well because they are at ease with each
other. Koppel mostly inquired as to what he would do if he could no longer speak
or move his hands. Morrie answers all of his inquiries regarding emotions,
communication, and silence. Morrie confesses his anguish over feeling lonely for
the first time. Morrie later reads a letter from a teacher of children who have lost
a parent. We learn that his mother died while he was a child, more than seventy
years ago.

Life lesson
The person you know who is strong can be weak; maybe pain from their past is
the reason behind the smiles. There is pain that no one knows about.
 Chapter 12
The Professor”

Summary
Mitch provides background information on Morrie. Morrie’s mother died when he
was eight years old, and he had to tell his father, who spoke only a little English.
After she died, he discovered that his brother had polio. Morrie began attending
to the synagogue to pray for his mother and his sick brother, believing that it was
all his fault. The following year, his father married Eva. Eva placed a high priority
on education because it seemed to be the only way to get a job during the Great
Depression. Eva also took English classes, and she was a wonderful educational
motivation to Morrie.

Life lesson
Our lives have a dark part, like Morrie feels, but in this darkness, there will always
be a light that will shine. So many problems will come, but if you just trust God
and yourself, you can solve them in a way you can, in simple steps. Never give up;
just trust yourself.
 Chapter 13
The Fourth Tuesday- We Talk About Death”

Summary
Morrie is now dependent on an oxygen machine, but he still meets Mitch every
fourth Tuesday. They talk about death and how most people do not believe they
will ever die. Morrie advises Mitch , “once you learn how to die, you learn how to
live.” Morrie then asks Mitch if he would still work as hard if he knew he could
die at any time. Morrie believes that if individuals could believe they could die at
any time, they would live their lives differently. Morrie’s boys came over one
Sunday afternoon to answer letters. He has them write for him because his
writing is now illegible to everyone but him. The chapter flashes back to a later
memory with Morrie when they are discussing Lou Gehrig and his baseball career.

Lesson learn
“Once you learn to die, you learn to live.” This quote is hard to understand, but if
you go deeper, you’ll understand the meaning of it. Having a sentence to die is
hard because you don’t know when it's the right time. People go there, and
people die because we are born to die.
 Tuesday
With
Morrie
Book Review
Submitted by: Jenie G. Alvarez
12 Aries