Quotes From Touching Spirit Bear

“Something very beautiful happens to people when their world has fallen apart: a humility, a nobility, a higher intelligence emerges at just the point when our knees hit the floor.” (Marianne Williamson). Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, focuses on a boy named Cole who doesn’t care about anything and does whatever he wants. He ends up beating up a fellow student and goes to jail for it, but has a chance to get out by going to an island to “change” for the better. In fact he does end up changing for the better and overcomes some of his big challenges. Cole’s attitude, relationships, and environment develop into positive counterbalances that help him overcome adversity.

Touching Spirit Bear is an intriguing and breathtaking novel by US author, Ben Mikaelsen . The genre of this book is adventure and coming of age because we, as the reader, understand the difficult journey the protagonist, Cole, goes through as he matures and changes. The book is carefully written from the first and third person point of view to help see and understand the events from different perspectives. The other main characters are Edwin, Garvey, Cole’s parents, and the Spirit Bear. The main themes of the book are the power of nature, anger, forgiveness, and healing. The setting takes place on an Island off Alaska and in Indianapolis. The message the author, Mikaelsen, wants the reader to understand

Cole Matthews is a very troubled kid who tends to get into trouble, he blames everything that happens on anyone who isn't him. He always gets a "second chance," from his parents, thus he doesn't understand the concept of change. Cole is a cocky fifteen year-old who doesn't learn from his mistakes, and can't seem to notice that some things cannot have the blame placed on someone else, only him. When he ends up going to jail, AGAIN , after beating up a kid for ratting him out after he robbed a store. Once he reaches the island he has been sent to for a year he learns that his real weakness is being alone.

“With anger that had been brewing all day, he attacked him and started hitting him hard in the face with his bare fists. Peter was no match, and soon Cole had pounded him bloody. A dozen students stood watching. When Peter tried to escape, he tripped and fell to the ground. Cole jumped on him again and started smashing his head into the sidewalk” (8). Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen is about a kid named Cole. Cole is an angry kid who does a lot of bad stuff, so he gets put through Circle Justice, and the circle decides to put him on an island in Alaska. While on the island he is mauled by a spirit bear and after healing decides that he wants to become a better person. When he gets put on the island again, he takes it seriously and changes into a better person. Cole was able to overcome his adversity because he wanted to become a better person, he never gave up, and he had people supporting him along the way.

Sometimes people need a certain experience to change their point of view. In Touching Spirit Bear, written by Ben Mikaelsen, a violent teenager named Cole Matthews is sent on a mission to redeem himself, and faces radical experiences that ultimately change his whole mindset. He commits the crime of beating up a fellow peer, then is banished to an island as a punishment for his actions by the Circle Justice; a committee that serves as an alternative form of justice in the Tlingit culture. He then faces difficult and even deadly challenges. As a result of this experience, he changes from his ungovernable, supercilious ways as he comes to strong and sudden realizations of how wrong he was, and he learns how to be an honest and forgiving human being.

To overlook the significance of rather trivial and simple tasks as well as phrases can be a normal occurrence. Imbedded in many of these tasks and sayings can hide profound meaning and symbolism. Often times these doings, which can hold great meaning, are demonstrated by an unlikely group in society –the adolescents. In the short essay “My Children Explain the Big Issues” written by will Baker, he confirms this phenomenon’s presence through stories of his own children. Baker’s children unknowingly unravel and explain the complexities of: feminism, fate, existentialism, and east and west culture.

In writing in one of the oldest political magazines, Robert claims extraordinary ideas on Jock Culture. With his audience being surround by readers of politics, his argument is more in favor of those types of people you may classify as the pukes. By playing with there emotions, Robert tries to pursue that Jocks are the bad guys and they have a bad influence. Robert uses these emotions to show that kids are being influenced while they’re young, pressured by parents and coaches into “bullying, violence, and the commitment to a win-at-all attitude the can kill a soul” (307). By choosing to attack on kids he really pokes under some people's skin, like he does most of the article. In the article Lipsyte attacks the effects of sports on Jocks, making harsh statements like, “no wonder there are so many abusive athletes, emotionally stunted ex-athletes, and the resentful onlookers. What makes this appeal so strong is that using emotion for this argument is the best way to expose the way Jock Culture is

Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikealson, teaches you that Justice should heal not punish. Cole Mathews is a troubled kid who beats up a kid named Peter Driscal. He gets in trouble and gets an opportunity to go to Circle Justice. Cole is banished to a remote Alaskan island where he gets mauled by a bear. This helps Cole realize that he has been taking the wrong path of life. Cole is already a very troubled kid with a lot of anger issues, attitude, and jail sentences, which, therefore, led him to beating up Peter Driscal and giving him a permanent injury. “Justice should heal not punish” is a quote by Garvey (Mikaelsen 13). Circle Justice is a wonderful opportunity for Cole to turn around and make his life better. If he goes to jail with love,

Throughout the novel, Brett’s point of view about the world is very small. This is true until the point that he was robbed. “He felt- (the same way the people he robbed did?) No, not that. (Liar).” This internal monologue reveals Brett’s revaluation of his actions as he is able to see things differently from the victim’s perspective. This juxtaposed with the attitudes of his early self where he was ‘raw’. This exemplifies the start of the transformation of the persona and leads him to the questioning of his inner conscience. However, it was up to the point that Brett remembers Sam’s word of how he truly is. “Just remember Brett: only you can change your life.” The significance of this statement made by Sam resonated the need to take initial personal responsibility of your own actions. For once, Brett was willing to take responsibility as he became honest with himself. Therefore, it enabled readers to see the persona’s maturity

This semester, we read two novels, (Touching Spirit Bear and The Game)The novels had one thing in common - the characters discovered something about themselves and someway improved their lives. I will compare and contrast the two novels and the common theme, self-discovery that both books share.

"I'm sorry." Neysa examines the floor mat. "I'm sorry," Leo mocks. "I'm sorry I'm always late. I'm sorry I'm a lying slut. I'm sorry I--" (Flinn 224) An example of verbal abuse that is shown as to how Nick verbally abuse Caitlyn, learning it from his father thinking that it's ok. For many people they don’t realize that they are doing such harm to their loved one or friend it is like a natural instinct growing up with it, most times they don’t know that they are being abusive. Also, to follow with natural moves they happen when least expected from being stressed out, arguing, being extremely tired and acting as if they weren’t intending to. “God, I just had to get her off me. Get her off me! Get off me! Get off! Next thing I knew, I was driving on land. I couldn't tell you whether it was minutes or hours later. Caitlin hung across the seat, head cradled in her fingers. My hand throbbed, and I knew I'd hit her. I'd hit her. I was tired. She'd worn me out, but the anger inside me dissolved, replaced by that regret. But I'd had to stop her. She'd been irrational, overwrought, shouldn't have touched the wheel. She could have killed us.” (Flinn 184-185) Here Nick is overly stressed as to how Caitlyn is acting and

Critchley believes that smacking a child is counterproductive to their development and it teaches the child that violence is the solution to any problem. Whilst Critchley believes this she still vouches that not all parents who use smacking as a form of discipline are child abusers. I agree with Critchley’s views on smacking children and will strive to keep them my whole life. But what’s more is that I believe the majority of people who smack their kids are not child abusers they just want to teach their child that it is seriously not ok to do what they were doing to provoke the parent to smack them. On the other hand though, there are the minority of parents that just use smacking to abuse their children so there is a time where we have to draw the line as to whether smacking is being used to abuse the child or if it’s being used to enforce good

In the novel Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen, Cole overcomes his anger and problems in many ways. Three ways that Cole manages to overcome his anger is through family and friends, through daily exercise, and through nature. These are just some of the ways that Cole has managed to overcome his anger and problems.

in the middle cole wants to leave the island he burns down his cabin be cause he is angry.”the shelter filled with supplies was a buyout something that his parents and everyone else to pretend they had helped him” (Mikaelsen,24).Cole felt like the shelter and the

Hip-hop is an influential form of music that displays an artist’s honest and revealing story that many of the general public can relate to. One of the many songs that I can relate to is “Love Yourz” written by J Cole. The song talks about how Cole reflects on the most important things in life such as love and happiness. He realizes that the money and fame didn’t bring him the happiness he desired. To gain true happiness, he needed to appreciate himself and those that love him. Finally, Cole talks about how he’s going to make something out of himself even though he grew up living a struggling lifestyle. “Love Yourz” is one of the songs I can relate to because the lyrics show that no matter how messed up your life is, you should learn to love the life you have. “Love Yourz” made me realize that there will always be someone there to support my decisions and accept the person I am, and who I am to become Even though I cannot relate to having the status of a successful rapper, it is important to reflect on the ideas that J Cole emphasizes on.