Tuesdays with Morrie Aphorism Project

Tuesdays with Morrie Aphorism Project

It is no secret that the novel Tuesdays with Morrie contains a surplus amount of sentiments that could be considered "inspirational". Whether it is a quote from Morrie, Mitch, or any other character, readers, such as I, can find ourselves fascinated beyond comprehension. However, one subset of quotes exist within the memoir that a majority of us can agree as immensely memorable, and they are Morrie's aphorisms. From “The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in" (52) to "Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live" (91), there was an abundance of aphorisms that could've been the center of this project, and I had chosen mine, or the aphorism, "Love is the only rational act" (52). In this blog, I plan to cover my thoughts on this aphorism, it's meaning, and how it connects to many other facets of life.

When this aphorism came about, I was curious as to what Morrie had meant by this. Of course, is was before I started to analyze it further, but still, I knew that it had a much deeper meaning than others. I then started to put my mind to work, and discovered it's meaning. "Love is the only rational act" implies that if an act isn't done out of love, compassion, or empathy, then it could be considered irrational. Many others would consider, for example, saving an animal from a fire, or helping a child with their homework rational, but if these acts are done solely out of anything other then a certain sense of empathy/sympathy towards them, then they are anything but rational, no matter who you are. My poster also tries to convey a similar message. Each human in the illustration seems to be at peace with each other while they admire the sentiment, and despite their differences, they are performing a rather rational act.

While analyzing the aphorism, not only was I able to navigate it's meaning, but also a connection to a popular tv show episode of The Simpsons. In this episode, Homer Simpson becomes part of a vigilante justice group in Springfield, which required him to physically harm those "up to no good". At first glance, the acts Homer had done seemed done out of love for his town, but he began to misuse his power, for he would harm anyone at later points just to gain power. This is what makes his acts irrational. He did not assault others out of love for his city, but more so a desire for power, which perfectly relates to this aphorism.

After analyzing the aphorism, I have found myself in close agreement with it. The foremost reason I agree with it is because of my previous thoughts. Because the aphorism implies that only rational acts are done out of love, which got me thinking about what acts I personally considered rational. Unsurprisingly enough, each one could be done out of love. This is what encouraged me to agree with this aphorism.

My aphorism: You learn more from you're immoral acts than your moral acts

Socratic Seminar Blog

Tuesdays with Morrie Seminar Reflections

During the course of reading and analyzing the memoir Tuesdays with Morrie, written by Mitch Albom in 1997, I, as well as my peers, were given a task to gather a plethora of questions, aphorisms, and observations from and pertaining to it, and we did not disappoint. The observations we were able to make were astute, creative, and even above grade level in some cases, but how could we have executed them? Well, a Socratic Seminar would be the answer. In fact, after the completion of the memoir, we were able to complete four seminars as well. In this blog, I will reflect on the Seminars in question, and discuss the strongpoints, weak-points, what could be improved in the future, for both myself and the group as a whole, and how they have contributed to my perception of the novel.

In one regard, the Socratic Seminars have made me realize the intersections between Morrie's aphorisms and where they can be useful in facets of everyday life. In our first Seminar, one of the very many topics discussed was "Why is happiness so hard to find?". Us as students were then given time to think about the answer to this complex question. A discussion about the items we take for granted, and how it can lead to a life of perpetual sadness then ensued. Prior to this, I hadn't been able to make such connections. I just read the aphorisms and applied it to the characters, not my life or current events, but the discussion really shaped the amount of connections I could make in the future.

In another regard, the Seminars were able to enhance my perception of Morrie and his struggle with ALS. While the memoir does cover Morrie's horrific illness quite a bit throughout, little information is given on the disease itself as opposed to how it has affected him. This then lead me into a trail of bemusement and wonder. Then the Socratic Seminars came along. Many of the students had shared more information on ALS with the group, such as its causes, symptoms, etc. This definitely assisted my progression in reading, as I was able to browse the memoir's contents with a newfound understanding of Morrie's suffrage.

When going into the Seminars, I had very high expectations of myself and my potential performance. I hoped to contribute a substantial amount of information to the discussion, while also bringing forth new points of view. I wanted to proceed with a mix of quantity and quality, and I believe that I had not disappointed. I always tried to grasp a moment to speak, (without cutting a peer off of course), and I managed to do this quite a bit over the course of the Seminar. I also believe that my perspective was made abundantly clear, to a point where the students could relate to it. However, I wish I was able to bring more students into the conversation. Despite participation being outstanding for most, others were a bit more timid or hesitant to share, and I did not lessen this issue. My goal for the future is to be more inclusive of my peers, which can lead to a discussion of more substance.

While I do believe my participation was beneficial for the most part, the discussion would have been absolutely empty without the points of view from my peers. In fact, they were the main reason the Seminars were as successful as they were. The students were patient, polite, and they brought a surplus amount of astute observations and questions to the table any chance they got. I particularly found them sharing their personal experiences as a way for us to connect with the book on a greater scale. However, I do believe ideas were shared in an uneven ratio. For example, one student would contribute more ideas than anyone would know what to do with, while another stays as silent as a rock throughout the Seminar. In the future, I hope students who contribute too much can share their ideas briefly, while the ones who contribute too little can become a sensational source of information for the group.

The Perfect Day

My Perfect Day

At around 8:30 a.m, I hope to wake up from a long, soothing sleep. Uninterrupted, and unquestioned. I spring out of my bed, dash down to stairs, and take an enormous leap into the living room to find my two favorite people. My mother, Marisa, and my younger brother, Anthony. They are not the only ones welcoming me with open arms as I approach, for I am also treated to a hardy breakfast of pancakes, oatmeal, and a fruit smoothie made in our kitchen. All three of us sit down on the couch, my brother and I observing individual Seinfeld episodes on the television. We eventually settle on "The Bizarro Jerry". One of my favorite episodes. I proceed to eat and talk with my family as the episode plays for around 20 minutes. The episode eventually ends and my breakfast is now nonexistent, which signals me to go upstairs and get ready for the day.

As soon as I am fully clothed, I run downstairs once again, but this time, I am greeted to my grandfather, Robert Sr, my uncle, Robert Jr, his fiancé, Alison, and my aunt, Victoria. We immediately head to Dave & Buster's in Addison, where we meet the rest of Alison's family. Up until noon, we play some arcade games, laugh, and discuss our lives. My grandfather and I then leave the area to meet my mother for a joint lunch and dinner at The Melting Pot. As fondue trays come in and out of our table, we discuss our lives once again. I feel no guilt as I feast on the trays of food, which would normally be the case.

After this event, I get back in the car with my mother and we go shopping once more. We have little worries about money, as my mother had been saving up for this day. We visit stores as casual as Five Below and Target, to more upperclass ones, such as Bevello and Kate Spade. I do not intend to by copious amounts of items, and neither does my mother, but we still manage to pick out a few items of interest. After this event, we return home to Anthony, who was being babysat by a neighbor.

Around 6:30, I am ready to have a night out at Six Flags with friends from school. Our parents were skeptical about letting us walk around the park on our own, but we convinced them that our phones were fully charged and we would call or text if we were concerned in any way. They agreed to lounge in a restaurant in the park. My friends and I were able to purchase fast passes, for we had saved a surplus amount of money to do so. For the rest of the night, we rode thrill rides that were exciting enough to make our skin develop goosebumps. Once we get to the point where we can hardly run due to exhaustion, our parents and ourselves exited the park, where we would return to our houses and take a good night slumber.

I believe that this day could become a reality if I planned, saved, and negotiated well enough. Days like the one I had stated above are ones that cannot be planned on a whim, so I must contact the people involved and get dates, times, and prices sorted out. The next step is saving. It would be very difficult to have a day such as this one for free, so I must forget about frivolously spending money on low want items and start budgeting. The last step to achieving the perfect day is negotiation. Many of the people involved, including myself, would have to cancel or postpone certain events to make this one a reality, so this would imply that I must negotiate with others about what I can do to make up for the time, if anything at all.