From the first day that Mr. Kain gave us Tuesdays with Morrie, I couldn't put it down. I got so into it that I read half of the book in the first night. That is especially impressive considering that I'm not really a fan of non-fiction books on general principle, I'm more of a science fiction and fantasy kind of girl, and I also don't usually like the books we read in English class. However, I actually enjoyed reading Tuesdays with Morrie. This is probably because most non-fiction books are, in my opinion, boring, and most of the books we read in English are really depressing and disturbing, like The Stranger, and Tuesdays with Morrie isn't. I'm not saying that Tuesdays with Morrie is a feel good book, I mean the entire thing is pretty much about an old man's trip to death's door, but there is so much more to it.
This book conects with real life because it actually happened, but not all non-fiction books are as relatable as Tuesdays with Morrie. All of Morrie's lessons are things that people can relate to. Whether it is how to deal with the death of a loved one, how to find meaning in life and make the most out of the time you have, or how to be your own person and not what people and society tell you that you should be. Even if you have never lost someone close to you and think that you know who you are, there is still a lesson to be learned from this book. Teenagers in particular can relate a lot to this book. The teenage years are the time for you to find out who you really are, not just who your parents or teachers want you to be. It is when you find yourself. That may be why I enjoyed this book so much, because I am trying to find my place in this world and I don't neccesarily want to be exactly who my parents want me to be. I love my parents, but that doesn't mean that I want to be exactly like them. They instowed important values in me, and now it is my turn to take those values and use them to become the best me that I can be, while doing what I love.
There are many literary devices used in Tuesdays with Morrie, including tone, conflict, theme, and foreshadowing. The book uses very basic language, since most of the words are word-for-word conversations between Mitch and Morrie that Mitch recorded prior to Morrie's death. The tone that Mitch uses in these conversations is nothing less then adoring. There are two main conflicts in the novel, one that centers on Morrie and another that centers on Mitch. In the book, Morrie has to come to terms with his gradual death from ALS, while Mitch has to deal with his disillusionment with popular culture. The two main themes of this book are love and culture. Morrie often told Mitch that he needed to create his own culture and that love was the only rational act you can have in life. One of Morrie's many aphorisms that he wrote towards the end of his life dealt with death, saying "When you're in bed, you're dead,". This is foreshadowing because, before Mitch's last visit, Morrie was moved from his study to his bed, where he died a few days later.
