13 October 2014

"Tuesdays With Morrie" Blog 3

- - -  What major concepts are covered in The Audiovisual, Part Two?  Defend your response with evidence from the text.

- - -  How does the story of Morrie's childhood serve to develop him as a character in the memoir?

51 comments:

  1. The concept of death and its effect is covered. Morrie talks about how one day he is up and the next he is down. Then Morrie speaks of the pain he still has seventy years after the death of his mother. Through this the audience learns of the emotional effect death has on a person. The fact that a death from seventy years ago can cause someone to cry shows the effects of death. Another concept is friendship because Morrie talks about his deaf friend. Even though neither one of them will be able to communicate in the future, they will both be able to feel the friendship. Morrie believes they will still be able to feel the love between them even if they can't verbally communicate it. Communication can not change a thirty-five year friendship. The concept shows how if a friendship is true then nothing can hinder it.
    The story of Morrie's childhood causes him to become a more round character as the audience learns more about him. Morrie's childhood reveals that he is tough. Morrie is able to live in poverty, grieve his mother, and bare the guilt of his brother's condition. Despite those obstacles he is able to succeed in life and love with his whole heart. The reader learns that love is very important to Morrie because he didn't have much of it in his life. His father was a cold man rarely showing affection. Morrie is religious because he would pray for his mother everyday despite his father's requests to forget her. Morrie is a teacher because he has high morals. He never wants to make money off of the labor of others. Through this story the reader learns how Morrie's great character developed. The circumstances of his childhood caused the optimistic man he became. The audience learns why Morrie does things only out of love because the lack of it he recieved. He saw how people can be with love from his stepmother. This section of the story reveals major keys to understanding Morrie.

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  2. The major concepts in "The Audiovisual, Part Two" were about aging and eventually death. Everybody said to Morrie that he looked good but he knew this wasn't true. He noticed the signs of his body becoming more and more a pile of goop. He noticed that he had a hard time pronouncing some words and he could no longer talk with his hands the way he wanted to. Morrie also explained that he missed his dead mother even though it had been 67 years since she had pasted.
    Morrie's childhood was very rough, right from the being. Losing his mother at just a young age and not be able to even talk about. He couldn't even tell his younger brother who his real mother was. Also he couldn't talk to his dad about it because all he did was bottle it up and push all his emotions as far down as possible. Not to mention the sorrow he had when he thought he gave he brother polio. Although this made Morrie who he is. A kind, gentle man with a odd and interesting look at life. He expresses his emotions better than anybody in the world probably. It helped him become what he wanted to be and what others needed him to be as well.

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  3. 1. Major concepts covered in the Audiovisual part 2 were things like friendship, pain, and depression.
    Friendship- Morrie talks about his friend of 35 years, Maurie Stein who is going deaf.
    Pain- How Morrie lost him mother at the age of 10 and he still feels the pain.
    Depression- How Morrie wakes up some days and is so depressed that he doesn't know what to do,

    2. The story about Morrie losing his mother and being lonely during his childhood developed him as a character because it takes a strong person to get through that and still be happy. Morrie was described as happy and not caring what anyone thinks about him but now we get a more in-depth look into why he is that way.

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  4. Concepts that can be taken from this part of the story is Morrie's kind heart. He explains death in not a bad way but as a new beginning. He also talks about friends and family as if they are the only thing that matters to him. The last concept that is shown in the interview is his gratitude. He is happy about there being a group in Pennsylvania and he is happy because as a child he wished that there was a group like this for whenever his mother had passed. Showing Morrie's childhood in the interview shows he is caring. One example is when he says he still thinks and misses his mother, even though she has been passed away for around seventy years. Another example from the interview is him talking about his friend of 35 years. He is deaf, and Morrie is soon not going to be able to speak or move his hands. But he doesn't care, he said that they had so much love for each other that they did not need to communicate they just needed to sit there and hold hands.

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  5. In The Audiovisual, Part Two, there are three major concepts. The first major point is that since Morrie's first interview on Nightline went well, the entire section is about the second interview had with Koppel. The next major concept is on Morrie's condition, in particular, his voice and hands. "And as he spoke, it became obvious. He was not waving his hands to make a point as freely as he had in their first conversation.". This quote explains how Morrie can't use his hands as much anymore. Another quote, "He had trouble pronouncing certain words-- the I sound seemed to get caught in his throat.", shows that Morrie can't speak as well now either. They continue to talk about this point, which includes Morrie asking himself rhetorical questions like,"How will you give when you can no longer speak?". The final major concept is Morrie answering and reacting to the letter sent in by Barbara. Barbara is a teacher who teaches nine students who have lost their parents. In Morrie's reply to the letter, the reader learns that Morrie lost his mother at a young age, and wishes he was in a similar environment. The news of Morrie's mother passing away when he was a child develops him as a character. Morrie develops as a character, because now we know why Morrie is so caring. The mother is usually the most caring individual in a household. Since Morrie's mother was not with him for the majority of his life, Morrie took it upon himself to be caring to others. This way, they wouldn't have to feel depressed like he was as a kid.

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  6. A major concept is that the author reveals that Morrie did not have much of a childhood. He did not have a mother figure until his father got remarried and he got a new step mom. Morrie was a very lonely kid. He said that he still felt the pain 70 years later. Mitch said this to show where Morrie got all his compassion from. His rough childhood shaped him into the person he was before he died. The hardships Morrie went through just made him want to give and recieve love even more. He became very compassionate from his childhood.

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  7. The major concepts in "The Audiovisual, Part Two," include death, the will to keep going, and the effects of Morrie's disease. Death is a major concept, because near the end of this section Koppel asked Morrie if the pain still goes on about his mother's death seventy years ago and Morrie responds with assurance. This shows that even this disease can't break Morrie down the thought of his deceased mother brought tears to his eyes in seconds. Morrie was asked what would he do when he couldn't use his hands and couldn't talk. He responded quickly saying that he would have people ask him yes or no questions. Morrie shows he isn't giving up and won't give up until he passes away and will continue to do whatever he can to give to others. Throughout this book we know that Mitch Albom isn't planning on hiding the fierceness of this disease and it is eminent in this section. He informs us on they have to feed Morrie through a tube, that his legs don't work, and that soon enough his hands and voice wont work either. This is a big part of this section, because Albom has no intent to hide the effects of this terrible disease.

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  8. Morrie's childhood turned out to be very influential in his later life. Growing up in the Bronx and losing his mother at a very early age and having a father who he wasn't close to could've turned Morrie the wrong way. He could've given up on education and lived out on the streets. However, he had a saving grace his Romanian stepmother. She taught him that education was the most important thing in life and was the key to escape the depression they were in. This changed Morrie's life he vowed he would live a life that helped people which is why he became a college professor. Also, this shaped his character in that he is tough and would never stop fighting as you see currently as he won't give up even after he contracted the ALS disease. This childhood also helped Morrie to never stop giving to the community or his family and to always stay positive.

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  9. Two major concepts that are covered in "The Audiovisual, Part Two" are that love and friendship concur all and that you need the comfort of others to deal with grief.

    The beginning of this section, Morrie is discussing about the progression of his disease with Koppel. He states how he can feel things going downhill, but when he is with his friends and family, he is able to stay positive. He also mentions how when he is no longer able to speak and visits with his deaf friend that they will not need speech or hearing to feel their friendship. All they will do is hold hands to pass their love between them.

    Morrie also discusses a letter that he received from a teacher of a class containing students who have suffered the death of a parent. He says how he wrote back mentioning that he would have loved to take her class because he felt so lonley when his mother died. Thinking about her death still hurts Morrie to this dy.

    The story of Morrie's childhood serves to develop him as a character by showing his charactericts as a child and how he has grown since then. Morrie lived in poverty as a child. He lost his mother, made money at age eight, and did not have a loving father. However, he did not let this stop him from going on to be a college professor and living his life to the fullest. This reveals his character traits of determination and resilience.

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  10. Question 1: The major concept is loss. Morrie talks about how sad he is to lose his voice and his hands. He is dreading the day he loses everything, so he is going to use them as long as he can. By explaining his grief over his mother, he shows that sadness and loss lives on, even years later. Sometimes though, Morrie explains, things cannot be lost, such as friendship and love. Those things that are never lost will over power those that will be lost.
    Question 2: His childhood reveals why Morrie values education and wants to live his life to the fullest. His family was very poor and constantly worked for money. Morrie doesn't like that. He does not want to live only to work, he wants to be happy and help others be happy, too. We learn why education is so important to Morrie. HIs stepmom taught him an valued education. It also shows that Morrie had a poor father figure an wants to be one to Mitch and teach him life lessons.

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  11. In The Audiovisual, Part Two, Morrie was seen losing his ability to move his hands and talk as easily as he used to. A main concept mentioned and shown through Morrie’s friend Maurie Stein, is the idea of friendship. Morris said that they do not need words to communicate. They have been friends for thirty-five years, and they know each so well, they do not even need to speak. This shows Morrie’s compassion towards his friends, and that he and his friends trust each other. Another concept Morrie mentions, that is mentioned many times throughout the novel, is the idea of love. In the interview, Morrie says he is sustained by the loving relationships with friends and people.
    The story at the end of The Audiovisual, Part Two shows that Morrie is damaged too. He has lost family, his mother died when he was very young. He says that he was lonely and would of gone to a group for help. Even though people see him as wise and optimistic, he went through life like everyone else. He says that the pain is still lasting after seventy years, meaning that he still has pain, even in his final years.

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  12. The major concepts covered in The Audiovisual, Part Two, are emotions and love. Morrie is asked a variety of questions about himself by Ted Koppel. Morrie explains to Koppel that his emotions vary because of what he has been going through, and that some emotions stay with you like the sadness he feels about his mother's death that happened seventy years ago. He also explains to Koppel that love is the deepiest emotion telling Koppel that "...The loving relationships maintain me." This tells Koppel that love means more to Morrie than anything else.

    The story of Morrie's childhood serves as a base for how Morrie developed as a person and his background. It shows what Morrie has experienced and how this experience modeled and shaped Morrie into the adult that he was.

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  13. 1. The major concepts revealed are compassion and Morrie's worsening state. Compassion is covered in Morrie talking about loving friendships and being able to sit silently holding hands with Maurie Stein and just having love passing between them. Morrie's worsening state is covered when Morrie starts to talk about loosing the ability to use his hands or talk and how both of those are huge parts of his life.
    2. Morrie's childhood story develops him as a character by showing how emotional he is. He still feels pain from something that happened seventy years ago and he is not afraid to show he is in pain so he cries.

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  14. One of the major concepts in the Audiovisual part 2 is when Morrie talked about himself not being able to talk. He said that he would be mute in a few more months. He also stressed the love he had for his friend, Maurie Stein, who is going deaf. Morrie told Koppel that he doesn't need speech and hearing to feel the love, when you have been with someone for over 35 years you can feel the love passing through them. Morrie also talked about how he still grieves over the loss of his mother and how he wish he had a group to express his sorrow.
    Since Morrie grew up in the Bronx, you can tell that he did not live in a wealthy area. It is where a lot of gangs are and it is not a clean area. He also grew up without having a mother which would have made his life even harder, but Morrie is the type of person who became stronger because of that and he has a lot life lessons that he has learned that helps him now. It makes him a stronger person with the disease he is struggling with.

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  15. The major concepts covered in "The Audiovisual, Part Two" are that pain cannot be healed over time. Pain can be lessened, but it will never completely go away, and the same goes for love. Morrie recieves a letter about kids who are missing a parent. Morrie feels regret towards them, however, he understands how these kids feel. Morrie's own mother died when he was only eight years old. At the thought of his mother's death, Morrie begins to cry. Ted Koppel, who is interviewing Morrie when he begins to cry, is taken back by surprise that Morrie cries about his mother death even though it was so long ago. However, Morrie continues to cry because he still loves his mother dearly and still feels the same pain now that he felt when he was eight at the thought of his mother, who passed away.

    Morrie lived a hard childhood, his mother died when he was eight and his father didn't really speak to him much after she passed away. Morrie felt very lonely all the time. His family was very poor and couldn't afford much so Morrie had to make do with what he had. Morrie's hard childhood is probably why Morrie is always thankful for everything. It probably also taught him to never take anything for advantage because you never know when you might lose it. His childhood is most likely the reason he is the man he is today- kind, generous, and thankful.

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  16. In "The Audiovisual, Part Two" we learn about Morrie's background. We learn of the thirty-five year relationship between him and Maurie Stein. There was an indescribable closeness that evolved as Morrie explains it in one sentence. Maurie is losing his hearing as Morrie is losing his speaking. Morrie states that they do not need to speak or hear to feel compassion between each other. This can all be shown by them just holding hands. We also learn about Morrie's mother dying when he was young, and he is brought to tears when looking back at how lonely he felt. This shows that Morrie has been a courageous character from the start. He has fought through everything, when others might have felt bad for themselves. At a young age he fought over the idea of feeling alone because he lost his mother, and at his older age he is fighting the idea of losing himself over ALS.

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  17. The major concepts covered are love and death. Morrie tells Koppel that his loving relationships maintain him as he dies, and uses the example of Maurie Stien. Morrie says that if he were to see Maurie again, they wouldn't need speech or movement to communicate. He says that they would only need to hold hands because of all the love that would flow between them. Death is addressed through Morrie crying over the death of his mother even though it was seventy years ago. It shows how death continues to have an effect on people even as time goes on.

    The story of Morrie's childhood helps to explain who he is as a person now. In his childhood, he lacked love and attention from his father after his mother died. This is why he thrives on the loving and affectionate relationships he has now. It also shows the development of Morrie's character and his reasons for becoming a professor.The scene of Morrie and his father in the factory reveal Morrie's empathetic quality. After seeing the workers being yelled at, Morrie vows to never work in a place where people are put down or insulted. This statement ties back into the statement Morrie makes in "Taking Attendance" about having a culture that does not make people feel good about themselves, which ultimately helps the reader understand who he is as a person now.

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  18. In the Audiovisual, Part 2 covers Ted coning back to Morries house to interview him again as they both talk about their childhood. Morrie also discussed what will happen when he loses voice and ability to speak and in his hands. Ted also asked about his friend of 35 years and how he he will be usable to speak too and Morrie says "and they'll be a lot of love passing between us. Ted, we've had had 35 years of friendship.You don't need speech or hearing for that." When Morrie talks about his childhood and him looking his mother as a young age, and how after 70 years he still thinks about her. When he says he wish he had a group to talk to about, it shows he cares and understands what's they are all going through and just wanted someone to understand what he was going through. Because loosing a parent is never easy.

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  19. A major concept is death. People may not be able to observe its full affect on the outside, but on the inside, the person knows what is happening to them. Koppel believes Morrie looks well and better, however Morrie knows that is not true. He is slowly dying and only he knows how bad it truly is. Another concept is loss. By dealing with the loss of another, you dwell on the past and don't want to continue. However, you can continue to love them after they are gone, only in a different way. Morrie lost his mother and after this, he continued loving her and remembering her, even though his father wanted to forget her and move on completely. He couldn't do that though and always kept her in the back of his mind.

    It reveals that Morrie is a compassionate, loving, and warm hearted person. He is compassionate for others. He watches out for the people he loves and appears to keep their best interest in mind. Also, he loves what he does and loves learning and teaching others. He learned from a young age how to love and when choosing his career, he made sure he would not work by exploiting another person.

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  20. The major concept that stands out in "The Audiovisual, Part Two" is how big Morrie's heart is. Morrie's basis in life is love and compassion. Morrie says, "The loving relationships maintain me." Morrie is fully aware that he is dying. He claims he can tell day by day how is body is slowly deteriorating. However, he is not so worried about his body shutting down because he knows love will always be there. Not only does he express it in that way, but also when he is talking about his friend, Maurie Stein. Stein was going deaf and after a while, there will be no way for Maurie and Morrie to communicate verbally. Morrie says, "You don't need speech or hearing to feel that." He is referring to the love and bond that the two will always share. The last way Morrie's big heart is shown in "The Audiovisual, Part two" is when Morrie speaks of his mother. Although it has been many, many years, he will always remember the love he had for his mother, and it will always remain that way. The story of Morrie's childhood develops Morrie as a character in the memoir. The way Morrie was developed was through change. Morrie's lifestyle changed significantly from when he was a child to where he is now. Morrie grew up in poverty and could barely afford to have a meal on his plate. He grew up in a negative atmosphere with a grouchy, stern, and Russian father. Morrie was able to turn his life around and recognize things for the good. He is able to pull out the positive in almost every situation. Morrie is developed as a character because the reader can understand the change Morrie went through in his lifetime.

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  21. One major concept in "The Audiovisual, Part Two," is that even very different people can learn to get along and open up to one another. Despite being unsure of Koppel initially, Morrie is now comfortable enough to cry in front of him and discuss very personal matters, like childhood. The story reveals how strong-willed Morrie is an how closely he treasures his memories, even the bad ones. He disregarded his father's wish for him to forget about his deceased mother by keeping the telegraph which announced her death. However, he was willing to accept the much-needed love given by his step-mother, which shows how lonely he was as a child. Perhaps that's why he is so loving now: he would hate to see anyone close to him suffer as much as he once did. Morrie is compassionate and able to feel the pain of others from experience because of his childhood.

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  22. During this point in the story, Morrie talks about his bodily decline as ALS continues to take him over. He talks about how he will deeply miss the ability to speak and use his hands because they are an essential part of him and as he puts it, "This is how I give to people". Morrie also reads a letter he received from a viewer. The letter stated how the viewers mother died. Morrie wrote the viewer back sharing his own experience of the death of his mother. This lets us know that Morrie's childhood was difficult. Also because of the fact that he cries while reading his own letter shows us that he was very close to his mother. In fact, Ted Koppel says, " that was seventy years ago your mother died. The pain still goes on?''. Morrie replied, "You bet,".

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  23. There are several major concepts covered in "The Audiovisual, Part Two." One of them was how friendship does not need to be something shared through words. Morrie was asked how he will manage to communicate with his friend Maurie while Morrie is going to become mute and Maurie is going deaf. Morrie said that they will hold hands and that there will be a lot of love passing between them. A friendship of thirty-five years does not need speech or hearing to feel that love. Another major concept covered was that sometimes pain and sorrow will not go away for many years. Morrie talked about how he still feels pain the of his mother’s death from seventy years ago. His voice even cracked when he talked about it.

    The story of Morrie’s childhood helps to develop him as a character in the memoir. It explains the beginnings of Morrie, the pain and suffering he went through when he was young and why he chose to become a professor. It shows us why he still mourns over his mother’s death and how difficult it was for him to grow up. Along with his mother’s death, he also had to experience his brother, David, get polio. This explains why Morrie gives so much love now because when he was young he did not have enough love given to him. By default he became a professor because he made a vow that he would never do any work that exploited someone else, and he would never allow himself to make money off the sweat of others. He also said he does not like lawyers, so law was ruled out, and he does not like the sight of blood, so medicine was ruled out.

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  24. Major concept #1:
    A major concept covered is how important loving relationships are to our lives. As humans we rely on hte ones we love to keep us strong and keep us from being lonely. If someone important to us is taken, there is a gaping hole left in our heart. Morrie has felt this way about his mother for a very long time. Even though it was only seventy years ago, he still misses her and when he talks to Koppel he becomes very emotional as though she just died yesterday.
    Major concept #2:
    If people see you have strength and joy in your life constantly, no matter what you are going through, they will see you as an example and follow if they can. This is shown through how different the news cast is when they come for the second interview. This especially shown through Ted Koppel and how much more personable and "warmer" he is. Albom even describes it as "It was as if Morrie were breaking him down, one layer at a time."

    Every character has developed in their lives (either positively or negatively depending on the person) and it all starts in their youth. At nine years old, Morrie had to grow up very fast. He became responsible and mature very quickly after his mother died and brother became sick. He did not know how to fix these problems but he did whatever he could to face them. He was persistent and refused to forget about the people he loved just because they couldn't be around anymore (unlike his father who tries to erase Morrie's birth mother's life completely). Then, because of his step mother he developed his extreme love for education and was taught to be loving and caring. All of those things he learned from his youth he still carries with him today. This helps develop his character in the story by showing how far he has come and how strong Morrie truly is.

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  25. The major concepts of pain and worry are covered in The Audiovisual, Part Two. Morrie asks many questions such as, "What am I going to do without my hands?" He presents his worries to Koppel. Morrie shares a pain of his with Koppel. ". . . because I was so lonely. . ." He describes what it was like to lose his mother as a child. The pain continues even after seventy years.

    The story of Morrie as a child develops his character ever more. His story shows that he was not always wise and confident as he is when talking with Koppel and Mitch. This gives Morrie a sense of vulnerability and exposes his weak side. Characters have many qualities and this develops Morrie's character that he is a real person with real pain.

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  26. Morrie covers the topics about emotions and the deterioration of his body functions in "The Audiovisual, Part Two". In this section, he says how his emotions are up when he has people and friends around him and those are what keep him moving forward with life. He admits there are some days when he wakes up and feels depressed and like the world has collapsed around him because he doesn't know what it will be like to endure his future days. He also talks about the pain of his mother's death which occurred seventy ago and how he was so lonely because no one was there to comfort him in his time of sorrow. He also feels a sense of dread when it comes to the thought of his future self. He worries about the day when he won't be able to swallow or use his hands or voice to share his stories with others.

    The story of Morrie's childhood is important to the development of his character in the memoir because this brings out the compassionate side of him to the reader. The death of his mother was a big blow to him, considering he was only eight years old at the time. He was lonely because he didn't have anyone to comfort him in this time of sorrow. As he became older, he decided he wanted to make a difference in this world and influence all the people he came across. Without all the events in his childhood, he would definitely not have accomplished any of the things he did in his life.

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  27. Major concepts that are covered in The Audiovisual, Part Two, are that Morrie is deteriorating, his love relationship, and his mother's death. Morrie is being interviewd be Tedd Kopel and he tells Morrie that he looks good. Morrie replys saying that only he knew how he really was. And that wasn't very good. Then he talks about how he is soon to go death and blind. Koppel asks how he will communicate? Morrie explains that his love relationship will only require holding hands to communicate. Lastly, Morrie starts to crack his voice whenever they talk about his mother. It says that she had died over 70 years ago and his pain still goes on. Morrie's childhood has developed him as a character because it provides background information on all of the challenges that he has overcome growing up in life. It also supports our knowledge on how Morrie became such a kind and caring man becasue he knows what it is like to be in those situations.

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  28. The concepts of love and acceptance are covered in this section of the book. Morrie is on "Nightline" speaking to Koppel of his illness and how to move forward. Morrie keeps a very positive attitude towards his sickness even though he knows he is going to feel pain. "Ted, we've had thirty-five years of friendship. You don't need speech or hearing to feel that." Morrie expresses his acceptance toward his illness and sees the good in what is happening to him. He is surrounded by family and friends and that is all that matters to him.

    Morrie's childhood is a very tragic one because he lost his mother at such a young age and it transformed him into the man he was. Because of losing his mom at such a young age Morrie recieved no affection and this affected him, until his stepmom came into his life and took on the role of him mother. She was a strong figure in his life and strived for him to be the best that he could be. His childhood builds Morrie to see things from a different light then other people, and also his compassion for others.

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  29. One major concept covered is Morrie's deterioration from his disease. When Koppel arrives, there is no interview before the interview. When Morrie speaks, he has a hard time pronouncing words and making gestures with his hands. His character is less animated than what is was during the first interview. The second concept covered is Morrie's theory of love and friendship without words. With Morrie slowly losing his voice and his close friend going deaf, Koppel questions how they will be able to communicate with one another. Based on his college experiment, Morrie knows that their friendship runs deep and that words are not needed to be able to express love.
    At only the age of eight, Morrie had suffered the great loss of his mother. Since her death, he was left to take on the responsibilty and independence of an adult. From the death of his mother and the diease infecting his brother, Morrie felt responsible for it all. His father being a Russian immigrant he lacked the skills to be able to find a job, leaving them living in almost poverty. His father also deprived him the affection and love he longed for. Until his stepmother came along he didn't know the feeling of being loved and was given the passion to pursue a teaching career. The events of his childhood effected the way he developed as a man. The lack of love he received from his father is what he now thrives and cherishes greatly from his friends and family. He now is not afraid to show physical displays of affection, from openly crying, holding hands, and expressing his love. As Morrie's disease spreads his independence is decreasing as he relies on people to help him complete everyday tasks. This is difficult for him to accpet because for so long he had the responsibilty of taking care of himself and others.

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  30. There are two main concepts. The first is to display how far Morrie's health has deteriorated, as well as his persistence. Contrast is shown between Morrie's first television appearance, when he spoke and gestured with his hands with so much gusto, and his second, in which he neglects to use his hands and can barely get some of his words out. As Ted Koppel points out this deterioration and how it will affect his actions and giving of love in the future, Morrie comes up with solutions that will triumph over his limited abilities and still allow him to still feel the same amount of love and live as fully as he did with better health. The second concept is showing that death affects one for their whole life, evidenced by Morrie's breaking down into tears at the mention of his mother who passed away when he was young. When asked if he still feels pain about it, Morrie replies, "You bet." This foreshadows what Mitch will feel when Morrie dies because Morrie had always been like a parent or uncle to him.

    The story of Morrie's childhood hands the reader a glimpse of how the past had shaped his love of education and his compassion for others. It also exhibits a persistence and sense of ambition because now the reader knows that Morrie had to experience terrible circumstances and push through a lot of pain to reach the level of a much-respected professor. The anecdote develops him further as a round, dynamic character who has a lot of characteristics and has certainly changed in order to become the man he is in the present.

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  31. 1.) The major concepts in The Audiovisual are Morries worsening state and compassion and friendship. Morries worsening state makes him more dependent on others which helps him to build friendships with others. Morrie feels down but, he doesn't when his friends are around. He says they keep him up and the loving relationships maintain him. Morrie even says to Koppel that when he goes deaf they will hold hands and there will be a lot of love passing betweeen them. Morrie thinks you do not need speech or hearing to be able to feel love.

    2.) Mories story of him loosing his mother helps develop him as a character. Morrie has gone through a lot in his life time. He is currently struggling with ALS and is fighting through it. He teaches others important life lessons that he has learned as he is slowly dying. As a child when he lost his mother he was very lonely. Morrie shows in the memoir that he can over come almost anything. When the schoolteacher writes him a letter he is moved by what the teacher does for children who have lost one of their parents. Morrie fought through his emotions when he lost his mother and is fighting with ALS.

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  32. In the section, many important concepts are covered. For example, the importance of loving relationships. We rely on people we love to keep ourselves happy and keep us from feeling alone. Morrie speaks about how when friends and family come to visit him, he is in good spirits. However, when he is alone, he is more depressed. This is the time when he thinks of his future: not being able to use his hands, mouth, or to even move at all. Another major concept that is covered is that people will deem you a role model if you show strength, joy, and confidence in your everyday life, especially if he/she had to deal with adversity throughout their life. In the section, it talks about for the second interview how Koppel is "warmer" than he was in the first interview. This feeling was conveyed to him through Morrie.
    The story develops him through the adversity that Morrie faced through his childhood. At only nine years old, he was well-matured because of his family situation. With his mother dying and his brother being diagnosed with polio, he needed to mature. He never forgot his late mother no matter what his father had told him, showing persistence and love. Finally, he developed love for his step-mother, who preached the importance of education and the virtues of loving and caring for others. His childhood molded Morrie into who he was, and showed the strength he had and how he can still be optimistic.

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  33. In "The Audiovisual, Part Two" there are a few major concepts revealed. In the beginning of that section it tells how comfortable people are in Morrie's presence and it emphasizes the affect that he had on people. Mitch wrote that "when the cameramen and producers came through the door, they already felt like family." This shows that Morrie really brought out some of the best qualities of people and he brought everyone together, even when he was dying. Another concept covered in this section was the importance of love and how you can express it in so may different ways. You do not have to outright say the words to let people know that they are loved. Morrie tells Koppel "there'll be a lot of love passing between us. You don't need speech or hearing to feel that." Morrie was saying that even when he could not tell you his feelings, he would still be able to express them to you in a different way and that everyone can do that. The last major concept that was expressed was how the events and feelings you have witnessed in your past can still haunt you in the future. Morrie talks about his mother's death and is still shaken after seventy years of her passing. This is something that everyone should realize and know that even though something happened a while ago, the affects that it has on people is still as strong as it could have been before.

    The story of Morrie's childhood really develops his character. He talks of his mother passing when he was a young boy and that he was always felts lonely. He says that he wished he would have been able to talk about his feelings to someone else. This shows how sensitive Morrie was and how certain things changed him. This story tells the reader why Morrie is so open to talk with others and why he's so welcoming because he does not want people to feel the loneliness he felt.

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  34. The idea of dread is major in Audiovisual Part Two. Morrie discusses “But there are days when I am depressed. Let me not deceive you. I see certain things
    going and I feel a sense of dread" Morrie then continues to talk about his worry about losing parts of his body to the disease and being scared about it. He also discusses the love between two long time friends that cannot communicate normally, but that will not stop them from loving each other according to Morrie: " “We will hold hands,” Morrie said. “And there’ll be a lot of love passing between us.
    Ted, we’ve had thirty-five years of friendship. You don’t need speech or hearing to feel that.” This statement shows that Morrie believes love is not based on physical capability.

    The story about Morrie shows that Morrie's heart has been pure; his actions in the story reflect his attitude in his elderly life. This greatly develops character by showing us that Morrie is not just a wise and dying man, but instead a person with a lifetime of experience and a want to influence people.

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  35. Anastasia LandstorferOctober 13, 2014 at 10:42 PM

    One major concept is that you have no choice in life but to accept the inevitable. What matters is how you react to the situations. Morrie takes everything that puts him down and overcomes it. He finds a way to overcome every obstacle in his way. When he is faced with the challenge of his friend unable to hear and him unable to speak. He offers the idea that they will just hold hands. The other major concept is that hurt you feel from something never really goes away. It might get better but it is never really healed. Morrie admits that after 70 years ago he still hurts from his mothers death.
    Morrie grew up what seems like a lonely child. He never wants people to feel the way he did. This results in Morrie doing whatever he can to make everyone feel welcome. He experiences loneliness and sadness firsthand. His deamenor and attitude towards life is a lot different due to this.

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  36. 1.One major concepts of the Audiovisual part two is that when Koppel walked into Morries home he felt already connected and warmer. This is proven in the text when it says," there was no feeling out process, no interview before the interview." This part of the text states that they don't need to get to know each other before they talk personal. Another concept of the audiovisual part two is when Morrie opened the letter and found that the lady who wrote to him had a similar situation. He was upset and shed a tear when he had remember his situation with his mom. "I lost my mother when I was a child", said Morrie. He was so lonely when his mom died. My assumption is he will not get lonely even though he will not be able to talk or move his hands. This is the most important thing to Morrie right now because he using these to tell his story.

    2. When Morrie talks about his childhood he is depressed because of his mom and his loneliness. This shows that Morrie is a very lighthearted and fun person. He can take that sad situation in a childhood and still be this positive and happy late like this in his life.

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  37. Some major conflicts that were covered in this section would be that Morrie is coming to grips and is realizing how soon he will not be able to talk. It states in the text how his voice and his hands were an "essential part of him". How that was a key part of him. Another concept covered would be how Morrie is thinking back to his mother and how he missed her and wished that he had a group with children who had lost their parents. He was "very moved and wished he had a group to talk about his sorrows"
    The story of Morries childhood serves to develop his character by showing that he is a compassionate man how cares about a lot of things. Also, it shows how he wished he had a group like that and was starting to tell how he missed his mother. This is how it develops Morries character in the memoir

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  38. The major concepts covered in The Audiovisual, Part Two are the physical and mental condition of Morrie. The next topic that is talked about is his early childhood. This is seen throughout the section. The conversation starts out with and Koppel discussing how Morrie looks, and how Morrie knows that he is going to die. Morrie then explains something to us that shows how he is in private. He describes how he is happy when around friends, but when he is alone, extremely depressed. Later he describes how his physical state will slowly get worse, and how he will slowly die. Next Morrie reads a letter he wrote to a Pennsylvania schoolteacher. In this letter we saw a side of Morrie’s childhood. When he was a little boy, his mother passed away. This struck Morrie hard and still hurts seventy years later. This is our first glance at Morrie’s childhood which will lead us into the next section. Seeing the physical and private mental state of Morrie allows the reader to feel a sense of deterioration of Morrie. This kinda fills us in for current events, instead of focusing on deep topics. The Audiovisual, Part Two, serves the purpose of showing the future of Morrie and leading us into the past.

    The story of Morrie’s childhood is sad and depressing. He starts out as a young boy, having to announce his Mother’s death to his father. He is also bore down with the fact that his brother has polio, who seemed to be his best friend, from what we see with them playing in the rain. He does this all through extreme poverty. Mitch writes this to show that Morrie had a rough childhood. Although he did have a guide. His stepmother showed him lots of love, something he did not see from his father. She sang to him at night, taught him a love for education and gave him hope. This eventually led Morrie to become a professor. This section, The Professor develops Morrie as a character in several ways. By learning a deeper understanding of Morrie’s early life we can understand that he is no stranger to rough times. This allows us to see how Morrie can be so optimistic towards life. He is also no stranger to death or disease, due to his brother and mother having major illnesses. This allows the reader to see Morrie, even though dying of a terrible disease, does not worry about death, but embraces it. Since he embraces death, we can infer that Morrie has spent a great deal of time thinking about the passing of of his mother. To find closure Morrie has accepted death, not rejected it. Although we can tell from his current emotional state in the mornings, and his tears for his mother in The Audiovisual, Part Two, that he still laments over her. Lastly, Morrie’s father did not show Morrie lots of love when he was younger. This allowed Morrie to have gratitude for love. Since Morrie was shown how valuable love is, he shows it to other. Morrie always wants to help others and do the right thing. The section The Professor gives us explanations and deepens our understanding for Morrie’s character through his childhood experiences.

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  39. One major concept that is really highlighted in The Audiovisual, Part Two is communication through feeling. Morrie talks about how he will not be able to talk too much longer and will become mute. He also talks about his friend, Maurie Stein, who is slowly going deaf. Koppel was wondering how the two friends, deaf and mute, would communicate and Morrie simply said "we will hold hands." This isn't the first time in the story communication without speaking is mentioned. Morrie believes that if you have a strong enough relationship with the person, then all you have to do is touch them to understand their feelings. Another concept covered is the way Morrie uses his emotions to communicate with others. He freely expresses his feelings even on TV. In today's society, it's unheard of for a man to cry, but he cries, as the cameras roll, about his mother's death that happened 70 years ago. This shows us how much he loved his mother and how tortured he must have been as a child. If he had just said: "oh yeah, and my mother died when I was a child" then the feelings he wanted to convey aren't represented accurately.

    The story of Morrie's Childhood serves to develop his character in many ways. 1. It gives background. Now the reader knows that Morrie has a back story and didn't just appear at the place he is now for the story. 2. It builds upon his personality and traits. When his mother died, his poor family became even poorer and he had to grow up quick becoming responsible. This shows that he has been independent and mature since his young childhood. 3. It explains Morrie's actions and feelings. Without this flashback, you wouldn't have known that Morrie has been independent since a young age and that this explains why he is uncomfortable being dependent all of a sudden. Also, going through so many hardships and tragedies when he was little explains why he's so emotional and open about it too.

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  40. In this section Morrie states that "The loving relationships maintain me." This is important because it shows Morrie needs love and support to get through his hard times. It is revealed that Morrie had a mother that passed away when he was a child. this hit him very hard. He said he was lonely without her and it still hurts him to this day that she has died. Also, he talks about his best friend Maurie Stein. Maurie is going deaf, so they are both getting old together and Morrie expresses that they've been best friends for a while so they will get through the process together.
    The story of Morrie's childhood shows what kind of person Morrie really is. He is so caring and grew up so lonely without a mother and a father that had to escape the Russian Army. I am starting to feel bad for Morrie knowing that such a horrible disease has attacked him and he is such a great man.

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  41. The Audiovisual, Part Two developed the progression of Morrie's disease by contrasting the interviews with Ted Koppel. For instance, Morrie could not gesture with his hands freely as this became more laborious for him. Pronunciation of certain words became difficult as seen when Morrie stumbled. This reveals the progression of the disease as it was taking his ability to communicate.

    The story of Morrie's childhood developed Morrie as a dynamic and round character. When his father took him to work for his job, Morrie instantly dislikes the idea of money for hard labor where they belittle workers. Through this Morrie learns to treat others how he wanted himself to be treated. In a sense, the reason Morrie chose his profession was revealed. In addition to Morrie's change in perspective ,his emotional state was developed in his childhood story. This chapter contrasted to present Morrie in the memoir because Morrie during the interview revealed he was surrounded by love to help forget his ongoing loss of communication. In this chapter, Morrie is young and lonely having lost his mother. In all, Morrie's childhood story developed Morrie's character.

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  42. Communication without language serves as a prevalent theme throughout "Tuesdays With Morrie," and is noticeable during his interview with Ted Kopple. Kopple is amazed as to how a deaf and mute man could possibly communicate with one another, though Morrie understands that friendship runs deeper than mere words. As Morrie's condition worsens, Morrie becomes increasingly dependent on physical affection.Morrie's relationship with Mitch grows increasingly physical and they often hold hands as they converse, and Mitch overcomes his discomfort with displays of physical affection. Another theme is that Morrie also uses his emotions to communicate with others. During his interview with Koppel, when he sheds tears for his mother, who had died seventy years prior. Clearly, his mother's death is a tragedy that has affected Morrie's life since his eighth year, when he read the telegram announcing her death. Morrie blames himself for his mother's death, but is helpless to cure his brother from polio or to bring his mother back to life. Morrie's feeling of helplessness is much like Mitch's sense that he has lost control upon the death of his favorite uncle, which he describes in the beginning of the book. Mitch reacts by joining the work force and striving for financial success, as where Morrie throws himself into his education, and is driven by a passion for knowledge which carries him into his adulthood, and, eventually, into the Mitch's profession.

    The story of Morrie's childhood developed him as a character because without the caring of a loving mother Morrie had to be stronger mentally than before. Also, Morrie's passion for education was instilled by Eva, his stepmother. Morrie need for physical affection is due to the absence during his childhood. Since his mother's death and his cold-mannered father, Eva steps in and tries to fill that gap, but Morrie's need is never fulfilled. This is why Morrie looks to his family and friends for constant physical attention.

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  43. In the audiovisual part two of "Tuesdays with Morrie" Morrie is performing an interview with Ted Koppel. They talk about Morrie and his state of health but then dive deeper in his emotions. Morrie explained a friendship he had with a coworker from Brandeis. He was telling Koppel how a friendship that last that long doesn't require communication between the two. And lastly Morrie read one of the many letters he received. It touched him deeply and brought him to tears. I believe the major concept in this audiovisual is about love and friendship. Morrie expresses that at one point a friendship will not need communication. And that still after 70 years he still feels pain for his lost mother.

    Morries childhood most likely affected the way he is completely. Morrie grew up poor and lost his mother at a young age. These two things alone were probably the biggest problems Morrie had as a child. But without a mother he still ended up with love and compassion which he still showed in his teachings. And growing up poor and somedays only having bread to eat he learned to be thankful for everything he was given. Also his stepmother taught Morrie that education was the only "antidote" for their poverty. So this is why Morrie studied hard and then became a teacher to help other people. I believe this is how Morrie's childhood effected the rest of his life for the better.

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  44. In The Audiovisual Part Two, Morrie discusses what he's going to do when he's unable to move most of his body and talk. The love in his heart is shown as he tells Ted Koppel about his want to just hold hands with a friend. He tells us you don't need speech or hearing to feel it.

    Morrie's stories about his childhood show his character developing at an early age. His mother's death inspires him to be kind and fair to everyone. He wanted to help people, and so he became a professor, and Mitch Albom says he was the best professor he ever had.

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  45. One main concept is that Morrie is very unique with his emotions. He never let's his emotions over take his personality or change who he is. He feels all the emotions a normal person feels and isn't afraid to show them, but he always finds a way to remember all the good and all the positive aspects of his life. He always finds a way to he at peace. When Koppel asked what would happen if Morrie couldn't talk and met up with his old friend who couldn't speak. Morrie simply responded by saying "we will hold hands." This shows how Morrie looks past all the negative things and focuses on the positive. He doesn't mourn over something bad for long time, he does the best he can and he is content with it. When Morrie talks about when he lost his mother at a young age, it shows how Morrie let's you know his most personal parts of his life. I believe he does this to teach lessons to people. He uses himself as an example and his experiences to show and teach the lessons in a real life example.

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  46. One main concept covered in this part of the story is death and the effect it has on people. Morrie tells Koppel that even after his mother died seventeen years ago he still feel the effect of death and misses her. An example of this in the story is that when Koppel asked Morrie if he is afraid of death and what are some of the effects that death has on people. Another example is that Morrie feels sad some days because he thinks of his mother and family that has long passed and he wonders if his family will feel the same when he passes and what other effects death will have on his family. His childhood story helps him to become a character in the memoir by the story tells us how the times were different when he was younger and never wanted this to happen to him. He told Koppel that he rarely ever thought of death when he was younger and now he thinks about it all the time. This action helps him to become a character in the story because now Morrie can share his experience with the world and show them that death takes you over.

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  47. I bleave that the mourning of death is covered. The child hood of Morrie is told and one key thing remember is the passing of his mother. He states that he still morns her death even up til that day. I bleav he is showing how it is important to morn for others but it is more important to talk about it, so that the pain can pass and the lonelynes will not egist. This shapes Morries charter Throu the book as he sets out to teach the lessons of life. He understands what people feel and want as he had once went through times of great sorrow.

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  48. I bleave that the mourning of death is covered. The child hood of Morrie is told and one key thing remember is the passing of his mother. He states that he still morns her death even up til that day. I bleav he is showing how it is important to morn for others but it is more important to talk about it, so that the pain can pass and the lonelynes will not egist. This shapes Morries charter Throu the book as he sets out to teach the lessons of life. He understands what people feel and want as he had once went through times of great sorrow.

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  49. The Audiovisual Part two covers the concept of death. He mentions how he lost his mother at a young age and how he received a letter from a lady who helps children who lost a parent. Also he talks about how he is slowly dying. Eventually he won't be able to talk, or move his hands so communication will be lost and soon after that, death will come.
    The story about Morries childhood helps us realize that he has worked hard to become the caring, loving person he is. He was raised without love for a few years and then the affection that was shown after his mothers death was from his step mother. He has been through pain and has decided that to better himself he must move on and love people.

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  50. I think the major concept uncovered in The Audiovisual, Part Two, is uncovered during the interview with Koppel. Morrie states that his one good friend is going deaf, and he believes he himself will soon be mute, Koppel then asks how they (Morrie and his friend), will communicate, and Morrie simply replies that they will hold hands, because after such a long relationship as theirs they don't need to communicate with words to know that they love each other.

    Morries childhood, I believe, demonstrates three things about his character. How he had to read the telegram stating his own mothers death to his dad at such a young age shows the independence, responsibility, and maturity he had to develop at that time. He had to be independent and not dependent because with his mother out of the picture and his dad working, Morrie had to take care of himself for the most part at home. Responsibility and maturity come in with the same thing, he had to not only be independent and take care of himself, but also take care of his brother when he got sick with polio. In order to handle the situations that Morrie had gone through at such a young age shows the maturity, responsibility, and independence in his character.

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  51. The two main concepts that were covered in the Audiovisual Part Two are death and how to handle dying. As Koppel comes to interview Morrie a second time, Morrie talked about what things bothered him and what wouldn't as he became closer to death. But Morrie talked about how even though even him and his friend were not fully able alone and leaning toward death, together they could be one able body and represent life. Morrie also talks about how his mother died when he was a young boy and when he became overwhelmed with the subject and showed emotion, Koppel seemed surprised. But Morrie always says how it's okay to mourn and cry sometimes. How could he not cry if he is a man about love and loved his mother.

    Morrie's childhood developed him as a character by the way he dealt with the challenges he faced in his life at such an early age. He had to overcome the death of his mother and the poverty he lived upon. Morrie had every reason to be depressed and become a pessimist. With the kind nature and love of his stepmother, he was able to catch enough positive outlook into the world that he made himself positive. Morrie could grieve over his illness but instead continues to live and share his knowledge so others can be happy as well.

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