Today’s society raises concerns about death. Death is a common topic of speculation that is frightening individuals for various reasons. The unexpected expectations from aging, the anxious and dread feelings to not accomplish certain things in life seem to be cause for concerns to fear the end. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom sheds light on this issue as we follow along his story with his former teacher, Morrie Schwartz, diagnosed with ALS, a terminal illness. Through their short time together, the former student reflects on the significance of life and the nature of transformation of him and Morrie. Throughout his final thesis, the author employs irony in its two different forms, situational and verbal irony.
Irony refers to the meaning …show more content…
It occurs when Mitch realizes through his time with his teacher the meaning of life. Thus, he contemplates “I thought about how much time we spent on things to shape our bodies… and in the end, nature takes it from us anyhow” (44). The use of irony in this situation highlights Albom’s own reflection on how people try of keeping fit and living healthy but eventually fall victims to the ravages of time and the degradation that it comes with. Sarcasm is also used in Morrie’s statement concerning death, “Everyone knows they’re going to die, but no one believes it […] Yet everyone knows someone who has died” (24). Death is inevitable and is something that every human shall come to experience, denying the concept of one’s own mortality does not make it any less of a reality. In other words, death is not to be feared but rather embraced and accepted as part of this cycle we've all come to know as …show more content…
Morrie, as relayed in the first instance of situational irony, appears to have accepted his fate and instead of wallowing in grief chooses to share his last moments with his friends and celebrate the life that he led. Through instances of verbal irony, Mitch reflects on Morrie’s insights, his own purpose of life and realizes that values determine a life of self-fulfillment and happiness. The emphasis laid by both forms of irony is that life is short, and we should make the most out of it. Thus, when the inevitable happens and we find ourselves in Morrie's shoes, we shall not be haunted by any regrets but instead shall fondly look back at the lives we've led and accept our end. In addition, Mitch also contemplates upon the purpose of life and how it should be led. Morrie's words ‘…once you learn how to die, you learn how to live' (24) is also an irony that engages the author to contemplate on the meaningful things in life like relationships and appreciate their significance. Death can sometimes take away our ambition in a slightly way, but there is truth within it. Realizing the fact that we can die at any time allows us to see the parts of our life that are essential and unimportant. From the motivation to amass wealth and status, Mitch acknowledges how Morrie changed him to recognize the relevance of passion, love and commitment to individual
Irony refers to the meaning …show more content…
It occurs when Mitch realizes through his time with his teacher the meaning of life. Thus, he contemplates “I thought about how much time we spent on things to shape our bodies… and in the end, nature takes it from us anyhow” (44). The use of irony in this situation highlights Albom’s own reflection on how people try of keeping fit and living healthy but eventually fall victims to the ravages of time and the degradation that it comes with. Sarcasm is also used in Morrie’s statement concerning death, “Everyone knows they’re going to die, but no one believes it […] Yet everyone knows someone who has died” (24). Death is inevitable and is something that every human shall come to experience, denying the concept of one’s own mortality does not make it any less of a reality. In other words, death is not to be feared but rather embraced and accepted as part of this cycle we've all come to know as …show more content…
Morrie, as relayed in the first instance of situational irony, appears to have accepted his fate and instead of wallowing in grief chooses to share his last moments with his friends and celebrate the life that he led. Through instances of verbal irony, Mitch reflects on Morrie’s insights, his own purpose of life and realizes that values determine a life of self-fulfillment and happiness. The emphasis laid by both forms of irony is that life is short, and we should make the most out of it. Thus, when the inevitable happens and we find ourselves in Morrie's shoes, we shall not be haunted by any regrets but instead shall fondly look back at the lives we've led and accept our end. In addition, Mitch also contemplates upon the purpose of life and how it should be led. Morrie's words ‘…once you learn how to die, you learn how to live' (24) is also an irony that engages the author to contemplate on the meaningful things in life like relationships and appreciate their significance. Death can sometimes take away our ambition in a slightly way, but there is truth within it. Realizing the fact that we can die at any time allows us to see the parts of our life that are essential and unimportant. From the motivation to amass wealth and status, Mitch acknowledges how Morrie changed him to recognize the relevance of passion, love and commitment to individual