The Last Lecture

Synopsis

The Last Lecture is organized similarly throughout each of the nine chapters. Pausch depicts an important event in his life in the first half of each chapter. Then, he describes how this event either brought him closer to achieving his childhood dreams or taught him valuable lessons he refers to throughout his life.

Chapter 1 “An Injured Lion Still Wants to Roar”: Pausch has a dilemma in deciding to give his last lecture or not. His desire to leave a tangible memory of himself for his three young children leads him to the decision to deliver his lecture despite having months left to live.

Chapter 2My Life in a Laptop”: His objective is to collect over 300 images for the presentation that will help direct him throughout his speech. Pausch comments on an interaction he had with a pregnant woman, who was less than delighted about her unplanned pregnancy. This leads him to think about the “accidental elements” that bring people in or take people out of this world, much like his pancreatic cancer.

Chapter 3 “The Elephant in the Room”: Pausch describes the beginning of his lecture, dressed in his Disney Imagineer uniform to represent achieving one's childhood dreams. He presents slides with images of the tumors on his liver, thus addressing “the elephant in the room”.

Chapter 4 “The Parent Lottery”: Pausch credits his parents for his success in achieving his childhood dreams. He recounts how his mother valued compassion for others compared to mundane accomplishments for himself, while his father, a storyteller with a desire to make a moral point. His sister comments that hearing Pausch deliver his final speech was like hearing her father's voice come out of her brother's mouth.

Chapter 5 “The Elevator in the Ranch House”: Pausch, his siblings, and his friends win over their parents and are allowed to craft their own mural on his bedroom walls. The painting included an elevator door, a rocket ship, chess pieces, etc. His advice is for parents to let their kids express their creativity and allow them to paint their rooms if they ask.

Chapter 6 “Getting to Zero-G”: Pausch fulfills his childhood dream of experiencing zero gravity. He proposes a research study where students and himself would be able to climb aboard NASA's “Vomit Comet”. He is able to take part in the experience by registering as an adviser, because professors and teachers were not allowed to take part in the activity. Pausch ends the chapter with a lesson stating that someone should always bring something to the table when seeking to achieve their dreams.

Chapter 7 “I Never Made It to the NFL”: Pausch imparts one of the most important things his football coach taught him was that “when you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, they've given up on you.” Pausch is reminded of his coach when he feels like giving up and works harder because of him. He discusses the idea of “head fake” which is teaching real-life skills embedded into other skills.

Chapter 8 “You'll Find Me Under ‘V’”: One of Pausch’s many childhood dreams is to contribute to the encyclopedia. His career in computer science allows him to achieve this dream. He was asked to write the section on virtual reality as he was one of the founders of Carnegie Mellon’s virtual reality program.

Chapter 9 “A Skill Set Called Leadership”: Growing up Pausch dreamed to be Captain James T. Kirk from the 1960s TV series Star Trek. Pausch details how William Shatner, the actor who played Captain Kirk, came to his virtual reality lab at Carnegie Mellon. Pausch recites a line from the Star Trek movie, in which Kirk reprograms a simulation that kills the whole crew because "he didn't believe in the no-win scenario." Pausch found this line within his own story when, in the face of his diagnosis, Shatner sent him an autographed picture, signing it with that same line from the movie.


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