Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Lessons Learned

What have you learned from reading this book, if anything? Has it changed your perspective on how you should be living your day-to-day life?

33 comments:

Austin Noble said...

I've actually learned quite a bit from viewing this lecture. It has made me really start thinking of what my dreams actually are. It's also made me think about karma, as he refrenenced in the lecture, and how I should act towards others on a daily basis. If "what comes around, goes around", really is the case, I think that I, and many others, need to work on being a better person as a whole.

Maci said...

I have learned so much from my reading of The Last Lecture. I learned that you should not let anyone try to stop you from achieving your dreams. Also not to let small things in life get you down to try to be positive through everything life throws at you.

Sydney said...

While I watched the lecture, I started to think about how I would act if I was in this circumstance. It made me really look up to him for being so positive, and I could only hope to be as positive as he was during this hard time in his life! During his speech, he talked about how one time two different men told him the same thing, but said it in two very different ways. That really made me think about how I say things to people, and how I really should think about how things sound before I say them.

jc_jett95 said...

I feel that I have learned much from reading this lecture. I have learned to never quit and I truly think that the brick walls are there to give you a chance to show how much you want something. I believe that you should always live your life to the fullest and never give up on your dreams.

RileyDuke said...

I have learned from this lecture that you must accept life how it has become. There is war, disease, and brick walls all over the world. Being able to accept it and enjoy a those around you daily will help everyone to enjoy a happier life.

Kayla! said...

I have learned many things from reading The Last Lecture. One of the biggest lessons I have learned is that there are "brick walls" everywhere you look and that they are not there to keep you out, they are there to see how bad you want something and how hard you are willing to work for it. I have also learned that there are different kinds of brick walls, some harder to overcome than others, but no matter how strong the bricks or how thick the wall there is always a way through the "brick walls" that we come to in life...it may be difficult but there is always a way.

Jaclyn said...

the last lecture actually hits really close to home for me since my grandmother recently lost her fight with cancer. I learned a lot from the last lecture. Including that what happens happens and that even when things are bad, being positive is important.

Caylee said...

It has taught me to love everyone with all that I have. You never know when your life could end. So while you're here, you should live your life and love everyone who will miss you. Even love those who won't miss you. Just be happy, because there is no point in worrying about tomorrow. I shouldn't get mad as useless things because when I'm gone, I won't be able to apologize for hurting people. I've learned to try to be kind, even when it's hard. I have just learned to live and love.

Unknown said...

I have learned quite a bit from watching The Last Lecture. I have learned that life is not just given to you, God blesses you with it. I have also learned that you should always chase your dreams and not let anything keep from doing so.

Avery Lowery said...

This lecture has taught me to spend everyday living as if tomorrow was my last day alive. It has also taught me the importance of setting goals in life. The last lecture has so many lessons to be learned from it.

Maci said...

This comment is regarding A Lesson Before Dying. I really enjoyed this book. I have learned that you should not judge people based on their ethnicity. I have also learned that loyalty is very important. It was important for Jefferson to have Grant support him during his time of need. I also learned in the story not to take the simple pleasures in life for granted. Jefferson was quick to miss simple things such as home cooked meals, ice cream, and the radio.

Maci said...

While I enjoyed the novel A Lesson Before Dying, I enjoyed The Last Lecture more. I think that I liked it more due to the fact that although A Lesson Before Dying was a realistic story, knowing the Last Lecture was a true story, about a real person and not a character, made it more interesting to me.

Caylee said...

Regarding A Lesson Before Dying, I learned that one should allow themself time to get to know someone before they judge them. In this case, after Grant got to know Jefferson, he wanted to become his friend, instead of just visiting him as an obligation to Miss Emma.

Caylee said...

I also learned that you should treat people right. Just be kind to people for no reason. Jefferson insinuates to Grant that he has never had someone just be kind to him. He was happy that Grant showed him kindness and love. Something he only felt from Miss Emma for a long time. Grant got more out of becoming Jefferson's friend than Jefferson did.

Sydney said...

In the book A Lesson Before Dying, I realized that you should always look at whatever obstacle is placed in front of you as an opportunity, not an obligation. If Grant would have done this, he would have seen that becoming friends with Jefferson was helping him tremendously.

Sydney said...

I also agree with Maci when she posted that she enjoyed The Last Lecture better. I think that knowing that Randy was a real man with real feelings helped me to relate to the story more, even though Randy and Jefferson were both having to deal with death approaching them.

Austin Noble said...

From reading A Lesson Before Dying, it has really taught me about the constant struggle of a person's life. It has truly taught me to live life to the fullest every day of my life, for I'll never know what die could be my last. Will I die a man? Or a mere hog.

RileyDuke said...

Reading "A Lesson Before Dying1' has taught me that the world we live in may be better than everyone thinks. The segregation and racism of that era was so extreme that Jefferson had no chance.

RileyDuke said...

I also agree with Austin on the issue on our own lives. We might be men in our own eyes but are we hogs when it comes down to the details?

Jaclyn said...

In reading A Lesson Before Dying I realized the importance of equality in society and the roles that people play in society.

Jaclyn said...

I liked A Lesson Before Dying, but i didn't love it. I liked the over all concept and theme that Gaines was trying to portray, but i found it hard to follow sometimes because of the large amount of random characters who were just kind of there. Like in the thirtieth chapter for example, i could have done without all the characters introduced for the first time, like Sidney DeRogers, and Clay Lemmons. The entire chapter just seemed out of place.

Kayla! said...

This post is regarding A Lesson Before Dying. One lesson I have learned from reading this novel is that you should always hang around with the right crowd and people you trust. Jefferson could have avoided the whole situation if he would not have gotton in the car with two people he hardly knew.

Anonymous said...

While reading A Lesson Before Dying I learned some things. I learned that you should never take what you have for granted and that you should always be thankful. I also learned that I shouldn't be so quick to judge people, I should really get to know them better before making any assumptions. Another thing I learned was that sometimes you should do something for someone even if you don't want to. Grant went and talked to Jefferson in his jail cell like Miss Emma wanted him to, and it payed off in the long run.

Anonymous said...

I think I have to agree with Maci and Sydney about liking The Last Lecture a little bit more than A Lesson Before Dying. I still enjoyed reading A Lesson Before Dying, but I learned more from The Last Lecture. Since I enjoyed these two books so much, I can't wait to see what the final book has in store for me to learn.

Kayla! said...

I also agree with Maci and Sydney. Though Jefferson was facing death ,just as Randy was, he was not a real person. Randy being an actual human with a real terminal disease made more of an impact in my life.

Kayla! said...

I aslo agree with Jennifer's last comment. I have learned many lessons from reading the last two books,I am excited to see what the last book has in store.

savannahthompson95 said...

From reading ,A Lesson Before Dying,I learned that anyone can have a great impact on your outlook on life !

savannahthompson95 said...

I enjoyed both books, but A Lesson Befroe Dying was not as easy to apply to current times. The Last Lecture was a personally expericence to somone so it had a greater impact.

Anonymous said...

A Lesson Before Dying was a really emotional book. It really makes me look at how I percieve life and how I feel towards the feelings of others. Grant had a few moments where he was unsure on the road he was following but he still managed to keep a strong connection with Jefferson to help him.

Unknown said...

From reading, A lesson Before Dying I learned that even the slightest things can change you perspective of life and your outlook on it also!

Maci said...

After reading In Cold Blood, it reminded me to not take life for granted as the Clutter family's lives were abruptly taken from them. It also taught me to not be envious of others as envy does nothing but lead you deeper and deeper in sin.

Kayla! said...

I think all the books I have read over this summer have had one main lesson that I have have reccived, that life is a precious gift that can be taken away from you in a split second and that you need to live it to the fullest!

Anonymous said...

I am not exactly sure if I am suppose to relate the question to A Lesson Before Dying or The Last Lecture. I am going to relate it to both.(: I learned by watching The Last Lecture that we should set childhood dreams and try to achieve them, even if their are walls we have to break down to get to the place we want to be. I believe by doing this, we can go far in life. Also, i learned even in the hardest times we need to stay strong and die with pride. We can relate The Last Lecture and A Lesson Before Dying together because in both someone dies with pride. Randy Pausch was dying and Jefferson was waiting on death row to be killed. Randy Pausch is positive even though he is dying from cancer. Jefferson had to be taught to have pride and to be positive and in the end he was. Also, i learned in both books that by dying with pride, we could change many people's lives. Lastly, in A Lesson Before Dying, we need to learn not to judge people even if they are different.