1.

The plant is continually used as a metaphor for Morrie's life and for life its
elf. As Morrie's body gradually deteriorates, so does the condition of the pink
hibiscus plant which sits on the window ledge in Morrie's study. With each degen
eration of Morrie's health, the plant's pink petals wither and drop off into the
soil to decompose. Morrie soon grows reliant on a tank of oxygen which he requi
res to breathe, and on his aides, family and friends for simple tasks such as ea
ting and going to the bathroom. However, despite such adversity, Morrie, like th
e plant,"holds on, small but firm" to his life as he nears its end. The hibiscus
embodies the concept that all living creatures experience a natural life cycle
which inevitably and rightly ends in death; eventually, both Morrie and the plan
t will die, as all living beings eventually must.
2.Determined to accept his own death and the concept of death itself, Morrie con
sciously "detaches himself from the experience" when he suffers his violent coug
hing spells, each of which comes loaded with the possibility of his last breath.
Morrie derives his method of detachment from the Buddhist philosophy that one s
hould not cling to anything, as everything that exists is transient. In detachin
g, Morrie is able to step out of his tangible surroundings and into his own stat
e of consciousness, namely for the sake of gaining perspective and composure in
a stressful situation. Morrie does not intend to stop feeling or experiencing wh
en he detaches, but, rather, detaches out of a desire to experience wholly. He e
xplains that it is only when he releases himself from a life-threatening experie
nce that he is able to completely let go of his fear, to detach from a situation
that renders him terrified and tense. Morrie does not want to die in fear or in
pain, and detaches in these frightening moments so that he may accept the imper
manence of his life and embrace his death, which he knows may come at any moment
.
3.
4.
5.Morrie believes that the happiness of youth is a farce, as not only do young p
eople suffer very real miseries, but they do not have the wisdom of age to deal
with them. Morrie thought the emphasis on youth and how great it is was fostered
by the media and presented to a gullible and inexperienced youth. As we age we
are not as susceptible to the manipulations of the media and the advertising the
rein because we have experienced youth. We have already fallen prey to the manip
ulations and moved on from them and there fore are less likely to be susceptible
to them.
Morrie says that he has never feared aging; he embraces it. He also tells Mitch
that, in old age, to wish for youth indicates an unfulfilled life, and that to f
ight age is fight a hopeless battle, because aging and death are inevitable, and
part of life. When we are younger we think we are invincible and thoughts of de
ath are generally far from our minds. As we age we no longer believe that we are
invincible, our bodies belie this belief and so Morrie believed that with age c
omes wisdom and a greater understanding of life and of death.
6.I would have to say Mitch. This is because Mitch orginiall lost track of his
way. He went from a great kid to a non-family man who worked all the time. Aft
er visiting with Morris every Tuesday, Mitch was able to get is priorities strai
ght and his life back on a good track. Morrie on the other hand was just able t
o enjoy his last days with an old but younger friend.
7.