HW 22 - Illness & Dying Book Part 1 HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 2

HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 3
Précis:  This book is about a patient name Mcmurphy and his life in the mental institution, he actually thought that will be better than going to jail.  After a couple days in the mental hospital, he realized going to jail would have been better.  In this book he experience, having friends he never thought of and living a life that was unexpected.

Published: 1987

1 “.It’s still hard for me to have clear mind thinking on it. But it’s the truth even if it didn’t happen”(pg18) The reason why I like this quote, because it explains that the nurse can't define him because they don’t know his real life situation.  What happened in his life should not define him as a mental person.

2. McMurphy tells Harding that the meeting was a “pecking party”—the men acted like a bunch of chickens pecking at another chicken’s wound. He warns them that a pecking party can wipe out the whole flock( 35) The reason why I like this quote, is because this explains that in the mental hospital  they treat the patients as though they got problems instead of helping them  it becomes a" pecking party" the people with all the problems and the nurses are not help because they are in the movement of treating them not "normal"

3.  “They are tall and sharp and bony and their faces are chipped into expressions that never change, like flint arrowheads. Their eyes come to points. If you brush against their hair it rasps the hide right off you” (32)  I think this quote means that, the nurses walk around with no emotion and makes the patient feel scared instead having a comforting nurse it becomes uncomfortable and scary for them.

This makes it difficult to continue what is best for this person.  Or how can we shape the society into making an individual feel  “normal”  in their life, which im not sure is possible because in these institutions they make patients feel scared and not wanted. They drug and brain wash their minds, the patients “peck” and the nurses create the discomfort and let patients feel not “normal”

HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 2

Tuesdays with Morrie an old man, an young man, and life's greatest lesson by Mitch Albom

Published : 1997

publisher: Random House

Précis: So far in the book Mitch, has been there every Tuesday for morrie throughout his sickness. Mitch made a list of the things he wanted to talk to Morrie about:

1. Death

2. Fear

3. Aging

4. Greed

5. Marriage

6. Family

7. Society

8. Forgiveness

9. A meaningful life

Each chapter they spoke about the list Mitch made has Morrie gets older and sickness is slowly taking over Mitch helps out more. Mitch helps with massaging him, wiping his butt, adjusting his pillow. Their relationship becomes more meaningful when Mitch opens up and don’t feel embarrassed by helping Morrie out. Morrie every day is fighting to breath since ALS is started to take over his lungs, he takes long coughs and his hands is no longer to move, but his voice still lives.

1.       “Because it's the ultimate sign of dependency. Someone wiping your bottom. But I'm working on it. I'm trying to enjoy the process"... "Yes After all, I get to be a baby one more time"(pg.49). If were to read on more he explains how being a baby again is what most people want because being a baby is when we got the most affection between a mother and a child or a person that cares for the baby.  It’s a sign of dependency but we get care and love. This is what Mitch is now doing to Morrie, which shows love between the two. I also like his quote because it makes me think about when I was baby how much I enjoyed being with my mother and I never wanted to leave by her side.

2.       “But Giving to other people is what makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what Look like in the mirror. When I give time, when I can make someone smile after they were seeing sad, it’s as close to healthy as I ever feel”(pg.128) This quote I enjoy, because I also like the feeling when I make a person smile or when I’m doing something kind to a person. It brings a healthy vibe because I’m helping myself and the other person.

3.       “People haven’t found meaning in their lives , so they’re running all the time looking for it. They think the next car, the next house, the next job. Then they find those things are empty, too, and they keep running…once you start running, I said, it’s hard to slow yourself down.”(pg.136) when I read this quote, two questions popped up. When will the person stop running? Than how will the person be ever happy? The reason why I ask is because it not situation I think a person should be in.

Reading most of these chapters I laughed, I pictured an old professor and young man having the best time together, this book also made me think.  As I keep reading I try and relate his quotes to myself or think about how it’s applied to “our culture”. It’s true the things he said ,  but why is it so this can only work for certain people? In my world I believe people should always treat people with kindness, but can it really work? Do everybody deserve kindness and heart to heart conversation if a person were to listen.  I believe people are like this ( like Morrie) but it only works for “ their world” and I’m not sure what I mean by that…

HW 22 - Illness & Dying Book Part 1
Tuesdays with Morrie an old man, an young man, and life's greatest lesson by Mitch Albom

Published : 1997
publisher: Random House

Précis : Tuesdays with Morrie, is about an old man who took his illness and turned into the meaning of life. He would laugh and talk for hours, but it was never was a conversation that a person wanted to end because Morrie as a person he would leave a good feeling inside each person he spoke to.  Morrie before he got sick would spend his time dancing no matter how bad he was dancing is what Morrie wanted to do. While he was sick one of his best students Mitch Albom, who once lost contact got back to see his old professor "his Couch" he called him, it was a never ending bond. Mitch ended up seeing Morrie every Tuesday.  These Tuesdays turned into "Lessons in how to live". The more Mitch saw Morrie , Mitch would question his thoughts but that was Morrie purpose, he wanted Mitch to see things in a lovely way to get understanding of things and not just life eat you up.  Life is about love and interacting.

1. " Coach, he says. All right, I'll be your coach. And you can be my player. You call play all the lovely parts of life that I'm too old now" (Pg31). The reason why I like this line is because I thought of my past and present teachers and how each one affects me in different ways. To me they are role models.

2.  " The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't, don't buy it" (Pg 42).  This quote came to my attention because I thought of myself when I'm in certain situations and how I deal with them.  When I do try hard and it’s something that I’m not passionate about or not so good at I tend to fail more than to achieve it. I guess, because I know I’m not good at it and “our culture" makes it feel as though it’s impossible to understand. This is why to me is “don’t buy it".

3. So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote your-self to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning" (Pg 43) This one was my favorite because I thought of how I use to work so many days so that I can gain a lot of money, but in the end I was tried all the time and I wasn't giving nice energy to the people at work or at home for some reason I was moody person. When this was happening to me, people at worked wasn't being so nice to me and at home there were arguments for no reason. When I noticed this, I had to change my work days and I felt so much better and happy to see people.

Reading this book makes me think about my past and present teachers. Some days they were harsh and I would get mad, but it wasn't in the sense of hate and some days they were really nice.  Throughout the years, my teachers gave me comfort into believing and getting purpose of things.  In Tuesdays with Morrie, he gave Mitch a reason to keep seeing him on Tuesdays. Mitch saw Morrie as a coach. When Mitch knew that Morrie was slowly dying he wanted to become closer to him. Having this relationship benefited both partners in a loving way. Morrie illness made him a stronger person and Mitch “touchy-feely" person. When morrie went for the “Nightline" TV show,  Koppel spoke about what  will Morrie do when he can't talk no more, Morrie answered people will have to start asking him yes and no questions. When Morrie said this is made think about, it can't be the end of things until a person delta with their situation and figure out a way so it can cope with them.