Last Lecture free essay sample

LectureLast Lecture Don’t judge a book by its cover. You hear that expression all the time. However, it couldn’t be applied greater than the book titled, â€Å"The Last Lecture† by Randy Pausch. When I first looked at the book, I expected to encounter a story filled with nothing but sadness. However, after reading this National Bestseller, I found that I had discovered a tale of life. â€Å"The Last Lecture† documents the life of Randy Pausch in the form of short stories that exemplified the kind of man he lived as. Pausch’s ability to share those stories on paper with the world was quite impressive. His story-telling ability was perhaps the most positive aspect of the book. Each â€Å"mini-lesson† consisted of an attention grabbing opening, much like we are required to do in this book review (hopefully I have succeeded). For example, â€Å"Weve placed a lot of emphasis in this country on the idea of peoples rights. We will write a custom essay sample on Last Lecture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Thats how it should be, but it makes no sense to talk about rights without also talking about responsibilities†. Having a sentence that is quite plain and simple but at the same time extremely thought provoking helped to pull me into every chapter. After an attention grabbing opening, Pausch continued to draw us in with tales of humor and light mischief. Although some of his stories deviated off topic, every detail enhanced the end result of the lesson learned. Ultimately, Mr. Pausch chose to write and present his â€Å"last lecture† for his children. The book was extremely positive despite the fact that the man writing it knew that he had very little time left to live. At the end of each short story, Pausch summed up the series of events that it consisted of and left us with a lesson learned in couple sentences. Those couple sentence at the end of each chapter proved to hold much more value than their length, however. Pausch left us with this at the end of one story, â€Å" No job is beneath you. You ought to be thrilled you got a job in the mailroom. And when you get there, heres what you do: Be really great at sorting mail† It is no mystery from the very beginning that Randy Pausch is dying of cancer. As a matter of fact, he tells us right away that he has only months to live. The author does not probe for emotional appeal with his diagnosis. Cancer is noted only when the author is concerned for the future of his family. I cannot recall a time in the book when he feels sorry for himself. His impending death is the reason for his writing of a last lecture, and I find it quite amazing how at peace he is with this. The beginning of the story consists mostly of Pausch’s professional life. He is a remarkable man in every respect, but his academic ability must be noted. Randy Pausch chose to become a university professor even though many other options awaited him. At one point in the story a man asked him what the key was to success. Pausch countered by asking the man to call him on his office phone at 10:30 Friday night and then he would reveal his answer. Ha! I love it. We learn a lot about Randy’s life through short-stories in the first part of the book. The story then progresses to where Randy meets his future wife, Jai. The two go through a unique experience before committing to each other. And their marriage almost only lasts one day! But I will allow you to read to find out the details. The remainder of the story focuses on Pausch’s love for his wife and children, including the happiness, sadness, successes, and trying times that they have and are currently facing. There are simply too many short stories to share in this book review; you’ll have to read yourself. But let me assure you, you’ll laugh, cry, and come away a better person if you do. If you asked me what Randy Pausch is trying to convey in his last lecture, I would simply say that success is not about the number of days that you live on this earth, it is about the quality of each day. It is also not about the number of breaths you take, but the number of breaths that take your breath away. Pardon the cliche. Randy Pausch demonstrates an amazing understanding of how to be happy in life. I would recommend this book to readers of age 16 and older, just because personally I feel that before 16 years old I would not have appreciated the book’s content. It is an amazing tale of a man that overcame death: not physically, but spiritually. I will leave you with these words from Randy Pausch, â€Å"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand†