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4th Book: “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom
Character Captain - Darlene Mamoso
Mitch Albom - Morrie’s former student at Brandeis University, and the narrator of the book. After having abandoned his dreams of becoming a famous musician, he is disgusted by his desire for financial success and material wealth, though neither fill the void and unhappiness he feels. He has been working himself nearly to death, and suddenly finds himself out of a job when the staff at the newspaper he writes for decides to strike. Each Tuesday, he learns from Morrie, his that he needs to reassess his life, and to value love over money, and happiness over success.
Morrie Schwartz - Mitch’s favorite professor from Brandeis University, and the focus of the book, Morrie now suffers from ALS, a debilitating, incurable disease which ravages his body, but, cruelly, leaves him intellectually lucid. He had taught sociology at Brandeis, and continues to teach it to Mitch, instructing him on “The Meaning of Life,” and how to accept death and aging. After a childhood in which affection was largely absent, he thrives on physical contact as a baby would. He has a passion for dancing and music, and is quick to cry, especially since the onset of his disease. He does not suffocate his emotions, but shares them openly, and rejects the popular cultural norms in favor of creating his own system of beliefs. Mitch portrays him as a man of ultimate wisdom.
Ted Koppel - One of the most famous living television interviewers, Koppel conducts three interviews with Morrie for the news show “Nightline.” He is surprised when Morrie asks him personal questions just after they have met, though he immediately seems to like Morrie, and eventually grows to call him a friend. He is moved almost to tears during his last interview with Morrie, having deconstructed what Morrie had called his “narcissistic” television personality.
Charlotte - Morrie’s caring wife, who, at his insistence, keeps her job as a professor at M.I.T. throughout Morrie’s illness.
Janine - Mitch’s patient wife who willingly takes a phone call from Morrie, whom she has never met, and insists upon joining Mitch on his next Tuesday visit. Although she usually does not sing upon request, she does for Morrie, and moves him to tears with her beautiful voice.
Peter - Mitch’s younger brother who lives in Spain. Peter flies to various European cities seeking treatment for his pancreatic cancer, though he refuses any help from his family, who he has for the most part estranged himself from. He is reluctant when Mitch first tries to reestablish a relationship with him, but eventually warms.
Charlie - Morrie’s dispassionate father who immigrated to America to escape the Russian Army. Charlie raises his children on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and works in the fur business, though he seldom finds jobs and earns barely enough money to feed his family. He shows Morrie and his brother David little attention, and no affection whatsoever, and insists that Morrie keep his mother’s death a secret from David, as he wants his son to believe that his stepmother, Eva, is his biological mother. He dies after having run away from muggers, and Morrie must travel to New York to identify his body at the city morgue.
David - Morrie’s younger brother who, after their mother’s death, is sent with Morrie to a small hotel in the woods of Connecticut. There, he develops polio, seemingly just after he and Morrie have spent a night frolicking outside in the rain. Although his paralysis has nothing to do with their night in the rain, Morrie and blames himself for David’s paralysis.
Eva - The kind, caring immigrant woman who Charlie marries after Morrie’s mother dies. She gives Morrie and his brother David the love and affection they have so longed for, and instills in Morrie his love of books and desire for education.
Maurie Stein - A good friend of Morrie’s who sends some of Morrie’s aphorisms to a Boston Globe reporter who eventually publishes a feature story on Morrie. The reporter’s article prompts Ted Koppel to ask Morrie for an interview.
Norman - An old friend of Morrie’s who he has long been estranged from. He had been an artist, and had sculpted a bust of Morrie, a deft depiction of his features. He eventually moved away, and shortly thereafter, did not send his regards to Morrie or Charlotte although he knew that Charlotte would be undergoing a serious surgery. Because of his carelessness, Morrie forfeits his friendship with him and refuses to accept his apology, which he regrets, especially after his death a few years following their break up.
Connie - Morrie’s home health aide who is always there to assist Morrie in going to the bathroom, getting into his chair, and eating his meals. She is in disbelief when O.J. Simpson is voted not guilty by the court jury.
Al Axelrad - A rabbi from Brandeis and a long-time friend of Morrie’s. He performs Morrie’s funeral service.
Rob and Jon - Morrie’s two adult sons who, though they live far, often travel to Boston to visit Morrie, especially as his condition worsens.
Tony - Morrie’s home care worker who helps him in and out of his swimming suit.
Comment: I satisfactorily collected all the characters in the story and explained well their roles in a chronological order.
Mary Den Lea S. Duron - Discussion Director
1. What can you say about the book “Tuesdays with Morrie”?
Kaye Fanggolo: Tuesdays with Morrie is an inspiring story that teaches us to live and love to the fullest every day. Reading this book is realizing a lot of things especially about life, living and death.
Benita Benito: I thought this book would make me feel bored but as I went further reading, it made me realize a lot of values that should be given importance and application in real life especially the moments with our families.
Darlene Mamoso: I enjoyed reading Tuesdays with Morrie very much. It has been written quite well and has a great lesson to learn about. There are many wonderful quotes about life that would motivate and make a reflection about your own life and how you’re living it.
Ezel Mae Polo: I really like this book, it reminded me some of the important points in life. I suggest that people should read this book because it gives lessons and realizations.
Aiziah Usop: This book reviewed my perspective in life. I reminisced how I decided to live my life. I really appreciate the author of this book because it is well-written and very comprehensible.
Jezreel Kris Puda: Tuesdays with Morrie is a life changing book. While reading this book I realized that no matter how much we are trialed in life, everything must go on.
Mary Den Lea Duron: Tuesdays with Morrie is an inspirational book by which people can relate about life, realizations about living and the circumstances that revolve around it. Indeed, it is a wonderful life-learning novel well-written by Mitch Albom.
2. How can you describe Morrie as a character?
Kaye Fanggolo: Morrie is a wise teacher. He offers a lot of insights learned from life. Morrie is right about a lot of things, but he’s missing the boat on the most important lesson of them all. He doesn’t mention Jesus, the ultimate answer to all the questions.
Benita Benito: For me, Morrie is a great mentor. He seemed to have imparted important learning and affection to his students especially to Mitch.
Darlene Mamoso: Well, Morrie is a man of great affection to other people, passionate at what he is doing and wise at life’s circumstances.
Aiziah Usop: Morrie is a happy and contented man of his age and physical condition. He is also brave at anticipating death sooner or later compared to other old sick men who are frustrated and self-pitious.
Ezel Mae Polo: Morrie Schwartz is a bright, decent and joyful person. He simply love life and the path of living it. He knows how to control emotions by reciprocating physical depression into joyful dying.
Jezreel Kris Puda: Morrie is a great teacher and a dignified man until his death. He became an inspiration for Mitch. His passion for teaching and living is undeniably worth-learning from.
Mary Den Lea Duron: The main character, Morrie Schwartz, has portrayed himself with dignity and contentment about life. He showed how joyful he was about living that even death cannot defeat him. Indeed, he is a wonderful person, a teacher and a friend worth to be remembered.
Comment: Our Discussion Director formulated relevant questions which led us to deeper thinking about the whole concept of the novel and understanding the kind of character that Morrie Schwartz has.
Aiziah Shehanie T. Usop - Literary Luminary
“Do I wither up and disappear, or do I make the best of my time left?”
Morrie is very positive person because when he asked this question to himself, he said that he would not wither and he would not be ashamed of dying. Instead, he want to become a man with purpose. He wants everyone to learn from him. In short, he wants to be an inspiration.
“Accept what you are able to do and what you are not able to do. Accept the past as past, without denying it or discarding it. Learn to forgive yourself and to forgive others. Don’t assume that it’s too late to get involved.”
As I read this passage from Morrie, I was really captured. Coming from a man who has fatal illness, it is quiet amusing. Very positive person. The way he accept the thins that is happening to him makes him more inspiring to others. In this passage, it’s just showing that, we must live life to the fullest, without hatreds, should not say that our life is for nothing because we all have purpose and most especially live life without regrets.
“I want to live. So far, I’ve been able to do it. Will I be able to continue? I don’t know. But I’m betting on myself that I will.”
It is just but normal to a person who have a fatal illness to be bitter and angry in life. They have a lot of questions and fear and they are having this feeling of self-pity and Morrie is not an exception. He also encounter this feeling but instead of giving’up, he’ll tell himself to fight and live a life without that feeling. Though he knows already what is his condition, he’s still giving himself some words of wisdom that will be his inspiration to live.
“I maybe dying, but I am surrounded by loving, caring souls.”
Morrie, despite of his illness, his family never gives up on him. Instead they became more stronger and eager to help Morrie live a normal life. They never fail to visit him when they have time and share some inspirational message to each other. The love of a family is truly unconditional.
Comment: Thanks to our Literary luminary because she explained the passage satisfactorily.
Summarizer - Jezreel Kris Puda
Tuesdays with Morrie is a true story about sportswriter Mitch Albom and his favorite college professor Morrie Schwartz. During Albom’s undergraduate years at Brandeis University, when he takes every class taught by his mentor, he and Schwartz form a bond that goes beyond the typical student/teacher relationship.
After graduation, Albom promises to stay in touch with his professor and moves to New York City with the intention of pursuing a career as a professional musician. He spends several frustrating years working odd jobs and wondering what he is doing wrong. He loses touch with all of his college friends and with Schwartz. His musical dreams are dying a frustrating death, and he feels like a failure for the first time in his life.
Around that time, a favorite uncle passes away from cancer at the age of forty-four. This frightens Albom into action. He returns to school and earns graduate degrees in journalism and business administration from Columbia University in New York. Albom accepts a job as a sports writer and begins working long, grueling hours, determined not to end up at a corporate job he hates like his uncle did. He bounces around the country working for different newspapers and magazines before finally settling at The Detroit Free Press, where his career really begins to take off.
As Albom’s career grows, so do his income and his material possessions. The more he gets, the more he wants and the harder he works. During this time, he also gets married. His wife wants to start a family, and he promises her “someday.” One evening while flipping channels on the television, Albom catches the introduction to Nightline and hears the name Morrie Schwartz. His long-forgotten favorite professor is the subject of a Ted Koppel interview. Albom watches in shock as he learns Schwartz is dying of ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Shortly after learning the diagnosis, Schwartz makes an important decision. He isn’t going to hide behind his illness. He isn’t going to be ashamed or afraid of dying. He’s been a teacher all his life and decides he’ll teach one final class, teaching his students how to die. That’s where Schwartz’s old student and friend Mitch Albom comes in. After seeing the Nightline interview, Albom visits Schwartz and makes another promise to keep in touch.
A few weeks later, Albom’s newspaper goes on strike, and he is out of a job. Left with too much time on his hands and too many unsettling thoughts in his head, he returns to Massachusetts to see Schwartz. In fact, he returns to Massachusetts every Tuesday until the end of Schwartz’s life.
After a couple of visits, Albom begins recording their talks, with Schwartz’s permission and his encouragement. He wants to share this journey with the world and knows that Albom can help him reach beyond the walls to which his disease has confined him. For the next fourteen weeks, Schwartz and Albom discuss everything from regrets and death to money and marriage, from family to forgiveness. Their conversations and the insights they give into the way Schwartz has lived his life and accepts his death become the foundation around which Tuesdays with Morrie is written.
Comment: I salute you for summarising this story. And I’m satisfied with the outcome.
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3rd Book - “Fault In Our Stars” by John Green
Vocabulary Enhancer - Darlene Mamoso
*veritable - often used as intensifier
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: I was veritably swimming in a paralyzing and totally clinical depression
*decrepit - lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: So here’s how it went in God’s heart: The six or seven or ten of us walked/wheeled in, grazed at a decrepit selection of cookies and lemonade, sat down in the Circle of Trust, and listened to Patrick recount for the thousandth time his depressingly miserable life story.
*prospect - the possibility of future success
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: by exploiting his cancertastic past, slowly working his way toward a master’s degree that will not improve his career prospects, waiting, as we all do, for the sword of Damocles to give him the relief that he escaped lo those many years ago when cancer took both of his nuts but spared what only the most generous soul would call his life.
*facet - a distinct feature or element in a problem
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: The only redeeming facet of Support Group was this kid named Isaac, a long-faced, skinny guy with straight blond hair swept over one eye.
*myriad - a large indefinite number
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: I looked away, suddenly conscious of my myriad insufficiencies.
*proffer - present for acceptance or rejection
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: The hour proceeded apace: Fights were recounted, battles won amid wars sure to be lost; hope was clung to; families were both celebrated and denounced; it was agreed that friends just didn’t get it; tears were shed; comfort proffered.
*proverbial - of or relating to or resembling or expressed in a proverb
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: “I fear it like the proverbial blind man who’s afraid of the dark.”
*naught - a quantity of no importance
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this”—I gestured encompassingly—“will have been for naught.
*affliction - a condition of suffering or distress due to ill health
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: I’d learned this from my aforementioned third best friend, Peter Van Houten, the reclusive author of An Imperial Affliction, the book that was as close a thing as I had to a Bible.
*deign - do something that one considers to be below one’s dignity
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: I feel so fortunate that an intellectual giant like yourself would deign to operate on me.
*ascertain - earn or discover with certainty
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: “Yes, it’s difficult to ascertain whether he is trying to arouse her or perform a breast exam.”
*dubious - not convinced
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: “It’s a metaphor,” I said, dubious.
*aura - a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: “That explains the aura of sophistication.”
*doppelganger - a ghostly double of a living person that haunts its living counterpart
EXAMPLE SENTENCE :Augustus said, “Hazel and I are going to watch V for Vendetta so she can see her filmic doppelganger, mid-two thousands Natalie Portman.
*fraught - marked by distress
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: The day of the existentially fraught free throws was coincidentally also my last day of dual leggedness.
*zeal - a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.
*plumb - examine thoroughly and in great depth
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: (This is an old argument in the field of Thinking About Suffering, and its stupidity and lack of sophistication could be plumbed for centuries
*suffice - be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: but suffice it to say that the existence of broccoli does not in any way affect the taste of chocolate.)
*cohort - a band of warriors (originally a unit of a Roman Legion)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: “Sadly, the bridge is already under insurgent control due to questionable strategizing by my bereft cohort.”
*feign - make a pretence of
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: Any attempts to feign normal social interactions were just depressing because it was so glaringly obvious that everyone I spoke to for the rest of my life would feel awkward and self-conscious around me, except maybe kids like Jackie who just didn’t know any better.
*perpetuity - the property of being perpetual (seemingly ceaseless)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: it can’t end, then it should at least continue into perpetuity like the adventures of Staff Sergeant Max Mayhem’s platoon.
*coy - modestly or warily rejecting approaches or overtures
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:I enjoyed being coy.
*geyser - a spring that discharges hot water and steam
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: His dismembered body exploded like a geyser and the screen went red.
*metronome - clicking pendulum indicates the exact tempo of a piece of music
EXAMPLE SENTENCE: He nodded, the tears not like tears so much as a quiet metronome—steady, endless.
*double entendre - an ambiguity with one interpretation that is indelicate
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Pardon the double entendre, my friend, but there’s something a little worrisome in your eyes.”
Comment: I somehow manage to pick the difficult words I encountered when reading the novel. I hope that my my group mates will find it helpful.
Aiziah Shehanie T. Usop - Summarizer
The story follows the main character, Hazel Grace Lancaster, as she battles cancer. Not only is Hazel trying to live the normal life of a 16-year-old girl, but she is also struggling with what it will be like for her parents after she dies. While Hazel attends a church support group for cancer survivors, she meets a boy that is one year older than her, Augustus Waters. While Augustus had a type of cancer that causes him to lose his leg and wear a prosthetic, it also has a survival rate that is much higher than Hazel’s death sentence.
From the first day that Hazel meets Augustus, the two are practically inseparable. The basis of their relationship ends up being Hazel’s favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. She requires Augustus to read it and in turn, he requires her to read the book that is the basis of his favorite video game. Hazel relates to the character in her favorite book, Anna, because Anna has a rare blood cancer. Augustus and Hazel bond over the book because both of them of a burning desire to find out how the story ends because the author stops the book before providing conclusion on what happens to each of the characters.
Augustus joins Hazel’s pursuit of the book’s author, Peter Van Houten, to provide the answers that they need. Augustus even uses a wish foundation to fly him and Hazel to Amsterdam, where the author lives, to talk with him in person. While Hazel is the one that is doomed to die, Augustus ends up telling Hazel that at his recent scan, the doctors discovered that his entire body is filled with cancer. Hazel spends the last months of Augustus’s life caring for him and loving him.
Comment: Our summarizer did a great job! It make us easily understand the flow of the story in the novel.
Mary Den Lea S. Duron - Connector
The book entitled “Fault in our stars” tells people that no matter what problems you are facing there’s still reason to smile and hope for another day. It tells readers that life must still go on even if it’s hard to believe because life is not about how you live but how you can survive.
I can relate to the situation of Hazel and Augustus not because I have cancer but it was the same feeling when I also experienced being discouraged and hopeless at life. There was even a time that I attempted suicide because of abandonment that I find no more reasons to live. Thank God I never killed myself in no time. Like Hazel and Augustus who derived their heartaches on books, I also found an outlet through my friends and cousins by which I felt sense of belongingness like a family. There were times that pain and resentments haunt me and kept me crying at night but unlike before that I just keep them and hurt myself, I can already share my emotions to other people to gain comfort and love. Like Hazel and Augustus, they traveled and did their most happiest moment by visiting an author and a museum at Amsterdam, I also love traveling and hanging out with my cousins and friends. Yes there are times that I want to give up and stop fighting but I also thank God for showing His love and grace for me through the people He sent to become my family.
Same with what Hazel and Augustus did together, they never bothered to think that they were sick. Instead of staying in a corner, they use their remaining days to spend their time with each other and do things that they never did before. For me now, I won’t think of how life has been to me but how I can enjoy life to the fullest.
This novel inspired me in dealing with problems. It gave me hope, joy, excitement and love for myself and to other people.
Comment: I’m inspired on how you connect the characters in the novel to your life. Great job Den!
Literary Luminary - Jezreel Kris Puda
* “I’m going to a movie with Augustus Waters” (Chapter 1, p. 21).
- She’s going to a movie with Augustus but she noticed that Augustus is a horrible driver and he says he blames it on his prosthetic leg, which forces him to drive with his left foot instead of his right. He says he passed the driving test on the fourth try. Hazel starts to tell Augustus about her diagnosis, but chooses to make her outcome as a rosy as possible, which is not exactly the truth.
* "And I can’t be a regular teen, because I’m a grenade" (Chapter 6, p. 99).
- When Hazel tells her mother, her mother hesitates and says she’ll have to talk to Hazel’s doctor. Hazel starts to think about how she didn’t really want Augustus to kiss her when they ere in the park. She wonders though what he was trying to convey when Augustus held Hazel’s face in his hands. Hazel calls Kaitlyn for advice.
* “They’re fictions. Nothing happens to them” (Chapter 12, p. 190).
- The next morning, Hazel wakes up at 4 a.m. in anticipation of meeting Peter. Augustus arrives to pick Hazel up for their trip to meet Peter at his house. A potbellied man answers the door to the house. When they ask for Peter Van Houten, the man slams the door nd screams for his assistant. They hear his assistant explaining it that the two kids are the ones for America there to meet with him. Peter insists it was a rhetorical offer. The assistant convinces Peter to meet with the kids so he can see how his work matters.
Peter Van Houten comes back to let them in the door. They walk back two he bags, which Peter says is 18 years worth of fan mail that he can’t open. Hazel realizes this is why he never answered her letters.
Comment: The Literary Luminary found it very dramatic and difficult to locate. Good job for finding these passage and make us understand what it really means.
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2nd Book - “Veronika Decides To Die” by Paolo Coelho
Connector - Darlene Mamoso
In the story, Veronika is a beautiful young woman who appears to have the perfect life, but nevertheless decides to commit suicide by ingesting too many sleeping pills.
The story tells of second chances and new beginnings. How Veronika felt so low and decides to end her problem by giving up and committing suicide. I can relate the story to us, college students. I believe that not because one falls, s/he should already think that it’s the end of the world. Instead, one should think that these are all challenges and that at the end of the day, the one who does not quit wins.
Aiziah Shehanie T.Usop - Discussion Director
What can you say about the book?
Mary Den Lea Duron : Well, the book itself is indeed amazing because it is giving us the ideas to show who we really are and discover things without hesitations.
Jezreel Kris Puda: The book is not just interesting, it is written well by Paolo Coelho. It teaches us about life and how we should handle ourselves in times of hardships.
Ezel Mae Polo: This book teaches us about life , our choices and decisions. We can always ask someone to guide us but in the end only ourselves will be the one to decide.
Darlene Mamoso : It’s really an eye opener to us that the best teacher is really our own experience in life. Every one who thinks his life is not worth living should give it a try and the doctors should read it in order to know the mind-set of patients.
Benita Benito: Struggles in life are not hindrance to do what we want. It’s just only but spices to make us strong . Our own choices and decisions will always matter.
Cariz Fangolo: It’s crazy! It’s quite amazing to know someone’s life who is not normal like Veronica.
2. What can you say about the character of Veronica?
Mary Den Lea Duron: I think she’s quite insecure about herself.
Jezreel Kris Puda: She’s not proud of herself at first but in the end, by meeting other people, she discovers that, she was able to do things which she thinks she can’t.
Ezel Mae Polo: Her character tells us that despite of our mistakes in life, we still have the chance to stand up and correct it. We must accept that we are not perfect.
Darlene Mamoso: She’s an inspiration to all of us because despite of what happen to her, she still manage to stand and face a new world without fear and insecurities.
Cariz Fangolo: Her character is hopeless because she thinks that nobody loves her but in the end, she realised that she’s capable of loving and she’s easy to be loved.
Comment: The discussion director make us really think about the novel we’ve read.
Character Captain - Jezreel Kris Puda
Veronika - She is the protagonist who undergoes a journey of transformation. She’s in despair and and ready to commit suicide but she became affirmed and then an affirming survivor. She has damaged her heart to the point where it will be unable to sustain her life for much longer than five days. Finally, in the end she became determined to live what she believes to be what little life she has left to the fullest. The narrative is anchored in and defined by her journey of transformation, her movement from despair into hope, from spiritual, emotional, and even physical imprisonment into freedom. In more specific terms, that journey is one of awakening and evolution and movement from despair through enlightenment into joy and freedom. It is a journey that carries with it substantial resonances of archetype and myth, echoing long-told stories of heroic characters encountering both obstacles and allies as they undergo physical challenges with metaphorical spiritual resonances.
Zedka - This character experiences severe depression related to love. A fellow patient whose soul travels outside her body in a process refered to as “astral projection”. Fascinated with what the narrative describes as the ideal, “Impossible Love,”
Mari - This character experiences horrible panic attacks. A member of a highly functional group of inmates known as The Fraternity. She advised Veronika to try what had once been forbidden and Veronika masturbated to the point of having several climaxes. All this, in spite of having a series of painful and frightening heart attacks, arouses in Veronika the desire to try even more experiences, and eventually the desire to live as fully as she can in the time remaining to her.
Eduard - This character experiences self-inflicted exile. explored what he called “Visions of Paradise” which explains Veronika’s gradual experience of awakening to the possibility of a more free and full life. This sort of life, the narrative suggests, is held to be “insane” by those in the “real” world but which, the narrative contends, is the only sort of life that is truly “lived.” A schizophrenic patient who lives in and defines his own reality. This leads into a conversation about reality in general, which is, Igor says, “whatever the majority deems it to be… supports the desires of society as a whole”.
The Fraternity - This group of people pretends to suffer from insanity. The group where Mari belongs and it is composed of certain inmates. Examine a note left for them by Mari, in which she says life with them was just the same as life out in the world. People were/are confined and defined by barriers and walls, protected from living and engaging in themselves. She thanks them all for their company and the good times they experienced together, saying that even though she is sixty five, she is going out to fully experience both life and herself. The members of The Fraternity go to bed that night believing she has gone truly insane.
Dr. Igor - This character performs morally questionable experiments. He told Veronika that her attempt to kill herself, initially unsuccessful, will inevitably succeed. She has damaged her heart to the point where it will be unable to sustain her life for much longer than five days. Helped much in the recovery of Veronika.
The Staff at Villette - This group of people follow orders without question. As a nurse comments wryly that there’s no way she (the nurse) wants to be trapped with the lunatics, Veronika is suddenly overwhelmed with grief and collapses into her lap. The nurse tells her that watching over Veronika makes her think about her own daughter, about things in her daughter’s life that might make her want to kill herself, and about what drives people to try to kill themselves “against the natural order of things, which is to fight for survival whatever happens?” Through her tears, Veronika confesses her reasons for wanting to end her life and then is allowed to go play the piano. Somehow these staff helped Veronika realize and appreciate the meaning of life.
Our Lady (The Virgin Mary) - This character is a religious symbol.
The Author (Paulo Coelho) - This person enjoys writing on the topic of spiritual transformation and illumination. Paulo is very much positive in viewing life and he does know the different ways on how to appreciate life. He portrayed the beauty of life and self-worth.
Comment: I think he is having a hard time for characterising the characters in the story. But I’m giving him a thumbs up for his job well done.
Literary Artist/ Artistic Adventurer - Mary Den Lea S. Duron
Choices of life.
Life is,
As it is;
Killing it; or
Dying for it.
The struggles, burdens, loss
Mostly seen with flaws
That’s how life has been in reality
Yet the pace, does it really ought to be?
Questions can be asked
Of life on how to pass -
Why live? How to live?
Right! You have to ask to know the lead.
Options in a test - a ‘whether,’
Life demands an answer
It is a choice, live or die
Or simply letting it by.
One just passing it through
Living no traces, leaving no clue.
The other was born to live
He only lived in search to leave.
But one man discovers life
He says, How wonderful it is like?
If a dying man could only ask one more wish
Guess he would have enjoyed a little more bliss
Of life that the first had missed,
The next who lost the fun and twist,
And the last who just passed his test.
We make our own choices.
We make our life and its chances.
Think of life,
Will you live or die?
This poem is specially composed and dedicated to all hopeless people relevant to the character of Veronica who has been emotionally overwhelmed by oppression in life. Veronica refused to see life beyond her incapacities which led her suicidal attempt. She had given up on life and its beauty that she believed to get no better but then, the moment she was admitted to the remaining days of her life, she realized herself experiencing enlightenment and satisfaction she has never lived before. A realization of wanting to live again..
Comment: Our literary Artist made the poem impressive, that connects the relations in the novel we’ve read.
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1st Book: "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks
Summarizer - Darlene Mamoso
The Last Song is a novel by bestselling author Nicholas Sparks. In this novel, Ronnie Miller has spent the last three years not speaking to her father because of his decision to leave the family. However, Ronnie finds herself forced to spend the entire summer at her father’s home in North Carolina. Initially, Ronnie does all she can to avoid her father by hanging out with a new friend on the beach, but overtime Ronnie finds herself reconnecting with her father in a more meaningful way than she could ever have imagined. The Last Song is a novel of growth and maturity, but also a novel of love that takes the reader’s breath away.
Ronnie Miller is angry with her father for leaving the family without explanation. Ronnie assumes that her father had an affair and this is what has caused him to abandon her, her mother, and her little brother, Jonah. For this reason, Ronnie has stopped playing the piano, a passion she and her father once shared, and has not spoken to her father for three years. However, Ronnie finds herself forced to spend the summer with her father.
In the beginning, Ronnie spends as much time away from the house as possible. Ronnie makes a new friend in Blaze, a girl her age who is also struggling with parental issues. However, when Blaze’s boyfriend, Marcus, makes a public pass on Ronnie, Blaze retaliates by setting Ronnie up for a shoplifting charge, her third in recent years. Ronnie finds herself forced to turn to her father for support as she tries to get everyone to believe that she did nothing wrong.
A short time later, Ronnie’s father shows her a nest of turtle eggs. Ronnie becomes obsessed with the nest, frightened that a raccoon might attempt to eat the eggs before they emerge. Ronnie spends several nights sleeping beside the nest and harassing a volunteer at the local aquarium to place a cage over the nest to protect it. This volunteer, Will, is a local teenager Ronnie literally ran into on the beach her first day in North Carolina. Will decides to spend the night sleeping with the turtle nest beside Ronnie in order to protect it before the cage can be placed.
Ronnie and Will spend an afternoon together after sharing guard duty over the turtle eggs. Ronnie greatly enjoys herself. However, Ronnie begins to doubt herself and her trust in Will when a girl tells her that Will is a serial dater. Ronnie shuts Will out, but later regrets her actions, asking for his forgiveness. Will and Ronnie begin to see one another regularly. Will’s friends resent Ronnie’s presence in his life because of the time it takes him from them and Will’s mother dislikes Ronnie. However, Will and Ronnie manage to forge ahead despite these difficulties.
On the day that the turtle eggs hatch, Ronnie discovers that her father is dying from stomach cancer. Ronnie is devastated by this news, especially due to the fact that she did not speak to him for such a long time. When Ronnie’s mother comes to take her back to New York, Ronnie makes the decision to stay with her father and help him through the final stages of the illness. Ronnie shuts out everyone in her grief, including Will, struggling within herself to find a way to honor her father and make up for her childish behavior after the end of her parents’ marriage. Eventually Ronnie realizes the best gift she can give to her father is to embrace her own gift, to return to the piano.
Ronnie finishes a song her father had been writing before his illness forced him to stop. Ronnie begins playing for her father each day as the cancer slowly takes away his life. After her father’s death, Ronnie returns to New York and auditions to attend Julliard. Will, whom Ronnie thought was gone from her life for good, comes to New York to attend school and to be close to her.
Discussion Director - Jezreel Kris Puda
1. Why is the book entitled “The Last Song?”
Mary Den Leah Duron: I think the novel is entitled the last song since Ronnie and her dad share a common passion - piano - that relates to the title. Moreover it ends up with her father having cancer and that may lead them having the last song - few moments to be together - to sing.
Darlene Mamoso: The novel, as I understand is a twist for the protagonist (Ronnie) as she rebelled at first and served as her father’s support at last. She has to be strong and gather her strength to finish what her father was doing (stained glass window) and composing a song for her dad. That was for me is the reason why the novel got the title, “The Last Song”.
Cariz Fangolo: I think it got his name from the last part of the story where emphasis on the composition of a song is noticed. Ronnie wrote a song and she was the only witness to her father’s death. for me that is the last song for her father which was from Ronnie.
Aiziah Shehanie Usop: The novel got its name from the moment where Ronnie and Steve reunited and spent a father-daughter relationship while cancer struck Steve down and Ronnie has to play the piano and write the last song her father may hear in memory of his daughter.
Benita Benito: It is entitled “The Last Song” because the first song that Ronnie composed for her father is the same song her father heard before his death. Song in here emphasizes on reconciliation and love.
Ezel Mae Polo: The novel is entitled “The Last Song” because Ronnie and Steve share a common passion for piano and Ronnie offered a song to her father before his death and that for me is the last song for Steve.
2. Why do you think the story ended that way?
Mary Den Leah Duron : I think the story ended that way to serve as inspiration to Ronnie and her family. Her mother, they don’t fight anymore and she lived happily from that experience that she had. How to forgive and discover the beauty of life.
Darlene Mamoso : It emphasizes on embracing and flourishing life because life is for the living. It also teaches her a lesson about continuing life no matter how difficult it has been to her.In the true form, the story has a happy ending.
Cariz Fangolo : This shows that it does not matter how many people one touches in one’s life — what is important is the depth of one’s relationship with those people. The love of a daughter to her father is greatly shown in the ending of the story.
Aiziah Shehanie Usop : Steve listens to the composition that he and his daughter created together and is at peace. He compares life to a song and finally feels God’s presence in the world. That leads to a beautiful ending with a realization that love of God is love in its purest form and Ronnie greatly learned from that.
Benita Benito : I think the story ended that way because it signifies a calm and serene situation between the father and his daughter. This means that we should continue life as Ronnie did. The love of God is the purest form of all love.
Ezel Mae Polo : It focuses on how beautiful life is, so the protagonist in the story lives on with her own life and that was a very beautiful ending for a story involving a family and their relationship with each other.
Comment: I enjoyed when our discussion director opened up the question to us and we cooperate on what our discussion director says.
Vocabulary Enhancer – Aiziah Shehanie T. Usop
1. Adrenaline a substance that is released in the body of a person who is feeling a strong emotion (such as excitement, fear or anger) and that causes the heart to beat faster and gives the person more energy.
*Sometimes the burst of adrenaline you get the night before the deadline is enough to propel you to a successful finish
2. Chemotherapy the treatment of disease by means of chemicals that have a specific toxic effect cancerous tissue.
*At the completion of high-dose chemotherapy, all tumor markers had returned to normal in 6 patients.
3. Empathy intellectually identifying the feelings or thoughts of others; not feeling what others feel but being able to understand their feelings.
*He seems to have a genuine empathy with the part.
4. Hospice a healthcare facility for the terminally ill that emphasizes pain control and emotional support for the patient and family.
*Patients and their families too often hesitate to call hospice.
5. Malignant a tumor that invades surrounding tissues, is usually capable of producing metastases, may recur after attempted removal, and is likely to cause death unless adequately treated.
*The malignant cells are invading and destroying the muscle fibers of the heart.
6. Metastasized to have spread to other parts of the body.
*Take a virtual tour into the growth of a tumor and watch how blood vessels help tumors grow and metastasize.
7. Oncologist a specialist in the study and treatment of cancer.
*Each consultant has a clinic covering general pediatric oncology.
8. Pasty pale and unhealthy in appearance.
*Len’s face was pasty white and for a moment she thought he was going to throw up.
9. Psychopathic those having antisocial behavior who were most likely born with temperamental differences such as impulsivity and fearlessness that leads to risk-seeking behavior and an inability to internalize social norms.
*Psychopathic killers coming out of the past are not even her driving reason for trying to hide herself.
10. Sociopathic those having an anti-social personality disorder yet have a relatively normal temperament with erratic criminal behavior.
*People who smoke marijuana or hashish will run around doing unspeakable acts that can only be described as sociopathic.
Comment: Thanks to our vocabulary enricher who looked for the meaning of difficult words in the novel, it makes me help to understand those words.
Passage Picker/ Literary Luminary - Mary Den Lea S. Duron
“Truth only means something when it’s hard to admit”
Yes, I agree with this quote because there are really times when situations get worse then all you have left to do is to accept the truth because it is the reality that speaks, whether it is from the view of society, influence of belief or the principles you personally value as moral and right. Because if you deny the fact, the truth will still haunt your conscience and then follows the consequences of the decisions you have made. Interestingly, realizing, weighing and admitting the truth are three difficult consequential processes- for me, they only mean of surrender because you have no more moves to get rid of the situation. And when such truth means something to you, it just reflects that it is real and affects you and the situation at most.
“In the end you should always do the right thing even if it’s hard.”
In life, people are expected to always do and follow the right thing whatever situations they are in or whatever factors are at stake. However, there are really times that decision-making is tough when there are many considerations to weigh about. Sometimes, you beat your own self against the expectations of your family, your career, your friends, your obligations and better opportunities that divide your focus. An old man once shared, it is better to do the right thing to so everything would happen accordingly. I can agree to that however, I also allow mistakes to happen because I believe nobody is truly perfect. There will also be exceptions to expectations. One can lie, the other can be selfish and more cannot deny the fact of committing other sins. There can be times that we cannot prevent situations to complicate because we are many. We cannot control everything on this world. We have different personalities and intellectual capacities, that even the society affects our doing one way or another. Nevertheless, it is up to us to make or life because it’s our choice how to live it. Yes, doing the right thing is the best but sometimes, having mistakes are more fun and exciting. One should also mind to make sure that mistake doesn’t end as still mistake, it should be taken as room for better learning and understanding of what sense life really means.
“In a lifetime of mistakes, you two are the greatest things that have ever happened to me.”
This passage is from the main character of the story Steve Miller, the father of Ronnie, who admitted to have made a lot of mistakes especially to his daughter but he tried to find ways on how to revive their relationship and bring back the love of his daughter despite how Ronnie treated him he still hoped and loved his daughter. This passage affects me personally because I have resentments to my parents. I belong to a broken home that’s why I have grown and live with my grandparents until now. My parents are separated and both of them already have families. My mother just died a month ago and my father currently resides at Dumaguete. Well, it’s really painful to experience abandonment and rejection from your own family, being away with them for your whole life but everytime I think of it, it becomes more tiring and stressful that’s why I decided to drop off the issue, forgive and forget as much as I can, and continue my life. Upon reading this line, it just made me think of the greatest things that ever happened to me. Well, there are so much to say. For now, I am just happy that I am still alive and I am looking forward to be graduating soon.
“We’re not perfect, any of us. We make mistakes, we screw up but then we forgive and move forward”
Well, this passage simply says that how inevitably imperfect we people are. Yes, I can commit mistake, others can be able too. We can make mistakes no matter how we see and plan things yet at the end, we are still unsatisfied to ourselves. However, we cannot move forward in life if we don’t know and learn to forgive ourselves and forgive those who failed us. That’s why, difficult as it is, we cannot deny mistaking and be selfish of forgiving because nobody is perfect. Even the Bible said that so, why can’t you forgive others? Haven’t you sinned at all?
Sometimes you have to be apart from the people you love, but that doesn’t make you love them any less. Sometimes it makes you love them more.
Yes, being apart from your loved ones is really hard and I believe everybody knows home-sickening. It’s the thought and feeling that you missed already the moments at home with your family, the bonding with your children, and the laughters with friends but because of important reasons that we bear being away with them for some time or even years like the sacrifices of the OFWs. True enough with the above-mentioned passage, actually it is a reminder because most of the people today tend to forget this truth. Oftentimes, people are consumed with arrogance and opportunities, and have forgotten where they actually started. In the passage, it reminds me that sometimes, distance has become an excuse to escape, make promises and leave people behind. This should not be. Being distant to the people you love only shows how much you still think and care for them despite how busy the career you are in. By texting, calling or any electronic communication that you can avail just to send regards to your family only proves you really loved them and that your love remains the same with and away with them.
Comment: Our Passage Picker really did a good job for finding those passages difficult to understand. Thank You.
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