The Five People You Meet in Heaven

1. The Five People You Meet in Heaven Vocabulary & Notes

2. Reflection • With a partner, discuss the following: • Where do you think authors gain the inspiration for their novels? • “It’s a tale of a life on earth. It’s a tale of life beyond it. It’s a fable about love, a warning about war, and a nod of the cap to the real people of this world, the ones who never get their name in lights.” • So, what are some of the topics that Mitch Albom might be touching upon in this novel?

3. Author Background: Mitch Albom • Who is Mitch Albom? • Best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio and television broadcaster, and musician • In 1985, moved to Detroit and became a famous sports journalist at the Detroit Free Press. • Currently hosts a daily talk show on WJR radio. • Regularly shows up on the shows: ESPN Sports Reporters and SportsCenter. • Founded seven charities in the metropolitan Detroit area. • Began his career as an author after reuniting with Morrie. • Has three best seller novels that became TV movies: • The Five People You Meet in Heaven, Tuesdays with Morrie, and For One More Day

4. Vocabulary (Pages 1-31) • Squat (adj.): short and thick or low and wide, especially in a way which is not attractive • Retrieve (verb): to find something and bring it back • Imminent (adj.): when an event, likely unpleasant, is about to happen soon • Solvent (n.):a substance, usually liquid, that dissolves or can dissolve another substance

5. Arthritis (noun): a disease that causes the joints of your body to become swollen and very painful

6. Shingles (noun): a disease caused by an infection of the nerve endings, which produces painful red spots

7. Lanky (adj.):someone who is lanky is tall and thin, and moves awkwardly

8. Pier (noun): a structure that is built over and into the water so that boats can stop next to it or people can walk along it Halibut (noun): a large flat sea fish used as food

9. Vocabulary (Pages 1-31) • Nimble (adj.): able to move quickly and easily with light neat movements • Summon (verb): to order someone to come to a place • Agony (noun): very severe pain • Cacophony (noun): a loud unpleasant mixture of sounds

10. Judy Garland: (1922-69) a US film actress and singer who first appeared in films as a child. She is most famous for appearing as the character Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Taffy (noun): soft, chewy, sweet food

11. Unravel (verb): when threads, string, rope, etc., stop being twisted together - Ex: Unraveled cable wire

12. Vocabulary (Pages 1-31) • Primitive (adj.): very simple, does not have modern parts to make it better • Pristine (adj.): extremely fresh or clean; not damaged in any way • Limber (adj.): able to move and bend easily • Perversion (noun): the process of changing something that is natural and good into something that is unnatural and wrong, or the result of such a change

13. Kiosk (noun): a small building in the street where newspapers, sweets etc are sold Promenade (noun): a wide road next to the beach, where people can walk for pleasure

14. Tenement (noun): a large building divided into apartments, especially in the poorer areas of a city

15. Notes (Pages 1-31) • Story starts with an ending (Eddie’s death) • Setting- sunny, at amusement park, summer • Eddie’s death – accident involving Freddy’s Free Fall • Eddie: • a workingman (a maintenance man) • white-haired old man, army tattoo, left knee wounded in war, • job was to “maintain” the rides • dies on his 83rd birthday, • regular customers knew him, children loved him, teenagers did not love him

17. Notes (Pages 1-31) • Foreshadowing: p.2 – After all these years he could hear trouble… • Onomatopoeia: p.4 – clack-clack-clack • Dominguez: lanky, boney-cheeked, young man, optimistic • Eddie planned to leave the pier, but his plans never worked out. • He came to the acceptance that this was his life and being a maintenance man was all he would ever be- “got stuck,” “settled” • Eddie gives Dominguez money for his vacation • We can infer that they are friends, only friend Eddie has

18. Notes (Pages 1-31) • Onomatopeoia: p.8 zzzapzzzap • P.8 – teenagers do not respect him • Marguerite- what assumption can you make? • Theme (p.10) – connectedness (everything in life is connected in some way) • Foreshadowing (p.11)- the missing key…how? • Key is also demonstrates the theme of connectedness • Eddie leads a lonely life • Nearly lost everyone he cared about • Final words- “Get back”

19. Notes (Pages 1-31) • P. 18- example 2 of the theme – the little girl ..how? • Last thing Eddie felt before his death- two hands in his own • Italicized sections represent flashbacks of Eddie’s life. • The Journey • Eddie’s journey to heaven- feels no emotion, sadness or pain; feels calm like a child • Eddie’s Fifth Birthday • Mickey Shea- works with his father; alcoholic • What can you infer about Eddie’s relationship with his parents?

20. Notes (Pages 1-31) • The Arrival: • Woke up in a teacup; at Ruby Pier 75 years ago • No pain, doesn’t need a cane, BUT can’t speak (has no voice) • Hears a voice coming from the sideshow, also known as the freak house • A man with blue skin tells Eddie that he as been waiting for him.

21. Vocabulary (Pages 32-55) • Grotesque (adjective): unpleasant, shocking, and offensive; extremely ugly in a strange or unnatural way (Example: The Blue Man) • Belittle (verb): to make someone or something seem small or unimportant • Silver nitrate (noun): A poisonous colorless crystalline compound, AgNO3, that becomes grayish black when exposed to light in the presence of organic matter and is used in manufacturing photographic film, silvering mirrors, dyeing hair, plating silver, and in medicine as a cautery (burning dead tissue) and antiseptic

22. Silver Nitrate

23. Vocabulary (Pages 32-55) • Agitated (adjective): so nervous or upset that you are unable to keep still or think calmly • Commodity (noun): a product that is bought or sold; a useful quality or thing • Relent (verb): to change your attitude and become less strict or cruel towards someone

24. Notes (Pages 32-55) • Eddie had barely known the blue man. • Eddie’s body feels like a child’s because that is when he knew the Blue Man . You start with the same feelings you had. • Heaven has steps. The Blue man is in two, Eddie is in one • You can not talk so that you can listen • Why is Eddie in Heaven: • To meet 5 people • Each was in his life for a reason… you may not know it at the time, so that is what heaven is for. For understanding your life on earth • How does the Blue Man say people think of heaven? • - place to have your life explained to you

25. Notes (Pages 32-55) • The Blue Man is the first person Eddie meets: he went through five people and waited in heaven for Eddie to tell him his story, which is a part of Eddie’s. • Some people he knew, some he didn’t BUT they all changed his life forever. • Blue Man tells Eddie that he killed him. • Flashback - Eddie’s 7th birthday – • Receives a new baseball as his present…ball is overthrown and Eddie and Joe chase after it • Theme of connectedness: the baseball he received on his seventh birthday • The Blue Man: Immigrant from Poland, had no money growing up, nervous child by nature, father worked in a sweatshop and eventually joined him, wet his pants at his father’s work and father refused to speak to him- he had shamed him… became a nervous young man

26. Notes (Pages 32-55) • The Blue Man went to a chemist for medicine for his nerves -> gave him silver nitrate (later considered poison) -> mix with water and take every night • It wasn’t working, so he took more than he was supposed to = skin was turning the color of ash and turned from gray to blue- side effect of the poison • Got fired -> ran into carnival workers one night and agreed to join their carnival -> then later came to Ruby Pier and that became his home • They are at Ruby Pier because that is where heaven is for the Blue Man. This is not Eddie’s heaven

27. Notes (Pages 32-55) • Same story- two different angles, two different endings, one happy and one sad • Eddie’s side: • Playing baseball with his friends -> ball flies over Eddie’s head -> runs into the street chasing after it -> runs in front of a car • The car screeches and veers and just misses him. • Then, he goes back to his friends as if nothing happened and continues on with his friends

28. Notes (Pages 32-55) • Blue Man’s side: • Borrows a car to practice driving, road is wet, and suddenly a baseball and a boy appear in front. • Slams on the brakes -> car skids -> man regains control of the car • Sees in the rearview mirror the boy has disappeared but the man’s body is still affected from almost hitting the boy. • Experiences a jolt of adrenaline -> heart is pumping too fast -> feels dizzy -> drops his head, and almost collides with another car. • The man veers -> slams his brakes -> and the car skids until it collides with the back of a parked truck • The crash causes the man to smack into the steering wheel, and his head is bleeding -> Gets out -> sees the damage -> collapses -> has a heart attack and dies.

29. Notes (32-55) • Flashback: • Eddie’s 8th birthday • Eddie is mad that he has to go somewhere on his birthday and doesn’t think it is fair • He knows he is supposed to be sad, but instead is mad, and counting down until it is over. • Little does he know that he is at the Blue Man’s funeral, the man he unknowingly killed

30. The First Lesson • Eddie thinks he is in heaven for justice, to pay for his sin. • Blue Man is really there to teach him something. • Lesson 1: There are no random acts in life. We are all connected. • Fairness is not involved in life and death. • Eddie was at his funeral and didn’t even know it. • The good from the Blue Man’s death is that Eddie lived.

31. Connecting Art & Literature • Michelangelo’s “The Last Judgment”

33. Connection • Explain how artists have been depicting heaven and hell for centuries. How does the media perceive the afterlife? • How does Eddie perceives heaven as a place for punishment and the prevalence of this notion in today’s society. • Are there other depictions of the afterlife in contrast to paradise vs hell?

34. Author’s View of Heaven People think of heaven as a paradise garden, a place where they can float on clouds and laze in rivers and mountains. But scenery without solace is meaningless. "This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for." Eddie coughed, trying to bring up his voice. He was tired of being silent. "I am your first person, Edward. When I died, my life was illuminated by five others, and then I came here to wait for you, to stand in your line, to tell you my story, which becomes part of yours. There will be others for you, too. Some you knew, maybe some you didn't. But they all crossed your path before they died. And they altered it forever."

35. Do-Now • Explain how action and consequence are connected.

36. Writing Assignment “There are no random acts. That we are all connected. That you can no more separate one life from another than you can separate a breeze from the wind.” • Explain this quote in your own words. • Then, relate this idea to your own life. • For example: How different would life be if you didn’t meet your: best friend, your sibling, or a certain role-model?

37. Vocabulary • Bandolier (noun): a belt that goes over someone's shoulder and is used to carry bullets • Oblige (verb): when someone does something because they have to and it is necessary • Bayonet (noun): a long knife that is fixed to the end of a rifle • Burlap (noun): a type of thick rough cloth • Barracks (noun): a building or group of buildings in which soldiers live • Diversion (noun): something that stops you from paying attention to what you are doing or what is happening

38. Bandolier Bayonet

39. Burlap Barracks 

40. Notes (P. 56-97) • Eddie’s body is now changing • No longer limber- muscles are tight • Acting like a soldier • “Fear had found him, even in heaven.” • Mother’s reaction to war vs. father’s reaction to war • Mother cares, father is distant • Had a goal before the war- to study engineering • Eddie thought war would make him a man. • Mickey Shea’s advice: thinking gets you killed

41. Notes (P. 56-97) • Second Person: Eddie’s Captain from the war (his commanding officer) • Was not expecting him • Captain’s promise- “leave no one behind” • Eddie tells the Captain that he still does not understand why he is in heaven. • Eddie did not keep in touch with the men in his unit. • Hurt too much

42. Notes (P. 56-97) • Eddie and his unit were captured: • Kept in a coal mine • All had different reactions to being captured • 4 months in- Rabozzo gets really sick • Shot by captors • Rabozzo’s death really affects Eddie • Stops praying and counting the days • Thought they were going to die there. • Eddie gets himself and the unit free by creating a diversion. • Pretends to sing a melody- really telling his men to be ready to attack • Grabbed a rock -> threw it at Crazy Two -> killed all of the Crazies • Revenge

43. Notes (P. 56-97) • Eddie and his men burned down the huts, mines, and surrounding areas • Eddie goes into a burning barn • Thinks he sees a small child; convinced he sees someone • Hallucinating • Lost his mind at this point; reached his breaking point • Burning in the barn-> gets shot in the knee and dragged out of the burning barn

44. Notes (P. 56-97) • Eddie feels a rush of pain and anger; scars return • Eddie tackles the Captain, and they wrestle through the vines • Why? • Eddie would have died • Wasn’t his time • Only had a minute to get out • Captain took his leg to save his life (Sacrifice) • Got into the transport vehicle -> reached a gate • Captain got out to check the path • Signaled the men to move forward- path was clear • Captain stepped on a land mine and blew to pieces

45. Notes (P. 56-97) THE SECOND LESSON: • Captain has been waiting at his burial ground • Dying is not the end; Earth is only the beginning • Heaven is to make sense of your yesterdays • Sacrifice- Eddie made one, Captain made BUT Eddie was angry and kept thinking of his losses • “Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something you aspire to. Little sacrifices. Big sacrifices.”

46. Notes (P. 56-97) THE SECOND LESSON: • Rabozzo- sacrificed his life BUT his brother became a great solider and a great man- inspired • Captain did not die for nothing- they all would’ve died • Captain was waiting for Eddie’s forgiveness • Captain’s heaven: • Wanted to see a world without war • War zone came to life- green grass, blue sky • The captain sees where he dies differently than Eddie

47. Vocabulary (Pages 98-119) • Firmament (noun): the sky or heaven • Succulent (adj): juicy and good to eat • Gurney (noun): a long narrow table with wheels used for moving sick people in a hospital • Solitude (noun): when you are alone, especially when this is what you enjoy • Entrust (verb): to make someone responsible for doing something important, or for taking care of someone • Meager (adj): when the amount of something is too small and is much less than you need

48. Vocabulary (Pages 98-119) • Callous (adj): not caring that other people are suffering • Mimic (verb): to copy the way someone speaks or behaves, especially in order to make people laugh • Unbeknownst (adverb): without that person knowing about it • Inexplicable (adj): too unusual or strange to be explained or understood • Covet (verb): to have a very strong desire to have something that someone else has

49. Vocabulary (Pages 98-119) • Bodice (noun): the part of a woman's dress above her waist • Parasol (noun): a type of umbrella used to provide shade from the sun • Agitation(noun): when you are so anxious, nervous, or upset that you cannot think calmly:

50. Notes (Pages 98-119) • Eddie is now in the mountains with snow • Physical changes: older; body is flabbier, looser • Becoming the man he was on Earth • Knee pain is still there • Stumbles upon a diner • People in there are from different decades and everyone has been wounded • Looks over and sees his dad • Significance in the way his dad is sitting: • Ignoring him even in heaven