580 California St., Suite 400
San Francisco, CA, 94104
Key research themes
1. How does 'Tuesdays with Morrie' function as a literary mentorship narrative addressing aging, dying, and the art of living?
This research theme focuses on the literary and gerontological aspects of Mitch Albom's 'Tuesdays with Morrie,' analyzing its role as a mentorship narrative that conveys wisdom about aging, dying, and living meaningfully. It examines how the memoir revitalizes the archetype of the wise elder mentor in later life to transmit humanistic values across generations, offering a counter-narrative to ageism and fear of death prevalent in Western cultures. The theme highlights the text's contribution to literary gerontology by providing a subjective, nuanced portrayal of later-life growth and death as integral to the human experience.
Key finding: 'Tuesdays with Morrie' serves as a profound example of later-life mentorship narratives, reviving the classical mentor-mentee relationship to foster wisdom and personal growth regarding aging and dying. The memoir integrates... Read more
2. What philosophical and spiritual insights about human existence and love does Mitch Albom articulate through 'Tuesdays with Morrie'?
This theme explores Albom's philosophical treatment of 'agape' (selfless love) as central to human existence as portrayed in 'Tuesdays with Morrie.' It sheds light on how the memoir philosophizes life's essence through spiritual awakening, emphasizing that love encompasses truth, freedom, peace, and death. Research here examines Albom's narrative methods—textual criticism and hermeneutics—to reveal how the author challenges readers to reconsider Filipino values and universal humanistic ideals via the embodiment of agape, positioning the memoir as both a literary and existential discourse on love as life's quintessence.
Key finding: Through qualitative philosophical analysis, this study finds that Albom’s writings, particularly in 'Tuesdays with Morrie,' propose agape (selfless love) as the essential core of human existence. The memoir elucidates that... Read more
3. How do personal reflections and educational perspectives interpret the life lessons and motivational messages in 'Tuesdays with Morrie'?
This theme consolidates qualitative reflections and applied psychological analyses exploring the practical dimensions of Morrie's teachings in the memoir. Emphasizing motivation, striving for success despite adversity, and the transmission of love and compassion as educational and therapeutic tools, these works illustrate how the narrative impacts individual life planning, professional aspirations, and emotional development. They further discuss the relevance of Morrie's ethos for helping professions and self-care approaches, foregrounding the memoir’s utility in personal and vocational contexts.
Key finding: This reflective analysis demonstrates how Morrie’s lessons on love, compassion, forgiveness, death, and regret serve as foundational principles for personal and professional development, particularly in helping professions... Read more
Key finding: Employing Alfred Adler’s individual psychology, this qualitative study explicates Morrie’s experiences of inferiority, motivation, and struggle as depicted in the memoir. It reveals that despite feelings of weakness and... Read more
Key finding: This critical reflection emphasizes the profound existential insights conveyed through Morrie’s teachings on mortality and living. The work argues that learning how to die equates to learning how to live fully without... Read more