Morrie struggles to eat his meal and tells Mitch that many visitors are unhappy due to cultural influences. Mitch is shocked by Morrie's lack of self-pity and gratitude for his slow, painful death. Morrie explains that ALS will eventually attack his lungs and urges Mitch to accept death as he has less than 5 months to live. When Mitch feels confused about expectations versus wants, Morrie explains his theory of "tension of opposites" between opposing forces in life. Mitch is also reminded of rejecting societies that don't support one's development.

1. THE CLASSROOM

2. Vocabulary
 Lamented – expressing sorrow
 Cynical- expressing negativity
 Humility-being humble or modest
 Infantile-childlike
 Insatiable –Impossible to satisfy

3. Summary
 Morrie struggles to eat his meal, and when he is finished,
tells Mitch that many of his visitors are unhappy, which
he thinks is a result of the culture. Mitch is also shocked
by his lack of self-pity, namely the gratitude he feels for
his slow, painful death.
 He is forever haunted by Morrie's explanation that he will
die of suffocation, as the ALS will eventually attack his
lungs. Morrie urges Mitch to accept death, as it is clear
that he has no more than five months left to live.
 One afternoon, he complains to Morrie of feeling
confused about what is expected of him versus what he
wants for himself. In reply, Morrie explains his theory on
the "tension of opposites."
 Mitch also remembers what Morrie had told him about
rejecting a society's culture if it is not conducive to one's
own development.

4. Summary Continued
 Morrie had developed his own culture, involving
himself in discussion groups, friends, books, and
dancing..Mitch had developed his own culture of
working himself to death, having dedicated his
life to earning money
 When Mitch returns to Detroit, he learns that the
newspaper union to which he belongs has gone
on strike, which means his piece will not be
published, nor will he be paid for the grueling
work he had done while in London.
Suddenly, Mitch is left without a job and without
a purpose.

5. Study Questions
1. How does Mitch analyze his life during the past 16 years? Explain
whether or not you think he is happy with his life.
 Mitch basically believes he traded his happiness for wealth, indicating he
is not happy.
2. How does Morrie explain his dying process?
-Morrie expresses the gratitude he feels for having love around him
while he dies, which he says is better than living unhappily.
3.Explain what Morrie means by the “tension of opposites.”
-He means that life pulls alternately back and forth, like a wrestling
match. Love, he says, always wins.
4.During his sophomore year in college, what does Mitch tell Morrie he
wants to do when he gets out of college? How does Morrie respond?
-Mitch says he will be a lawyer, as his father wants him to be. Morrie
encourages Mitch to become a musician