His words would become his only proof" (112). Cole is cynical, mistrusting, angry, and violent. ", all my parents do is drink. Even while still in the hospital, Edwin warns Cole that ''a person is never done being mad. It was a feast. He would get revenge, especially against those who had wanted him in jail. Antagonist: Cole's Dad; Anger Point of View: Third Person Extra Credit for Touching Spirit Bear Theres still something missing. He believes he is being abandoned, and the first thing he does is burn down the shelter that Edwin built for him to live in. "Edwin tapped Cole's shoulder with the broken stick. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. flashcard sets. quote from Touching Spirit Bear, Anger is a memory never forgotten. Instead of jail time or being send to a special home, Cole is offered Circle Justice: a system based on Native American traditions that attempts to provide healing for the criminal offender. LitCharts Teacher Editions. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. As stated on page 12 of the Touching Spirit Bear novel, Garvey quotes, "Everybody is part of the healing, including people from the community-anybody who cares. Based on the Justice Circles performed by the natives in Alaska, this story involves a young man named Cole. His pain gets worse, and unable to put it off any longer, he ashamedly allows himself to defecate. It turns out that Touching Spirit Bear was, in the most basic sense, those fears in paperback. Touching Spirit Bear study guide contains a biography of Ben Mikaelsen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The fearlessness of the bear is the final factor that makes Cole understand just how weak and vulnerable he is. All he could do was open his beak wide and raise it upward toward the sky, the action a simple admission that he was powerless. Did the birds insignificant little existences have any meaning at all? The novel also includes graphic descriptions of injuries. Garvey apologizes for getting Cole into this situation, and Cole responds by whispering, ''My fault. After rehab, he is given a second shot at the island. Almost every chapter includes mention of a different animal, which either teaches Cole a . He goes to court. 500 matching entries found. This detailed literature summary also contains Quotes and a Free Quiz on Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. The books sheds great light into the healing process of anger and finding the will to control one's self. there are only two things wrong with me-everything I do and everything I say. After he goes to the hospital he goes back to the island and everyone lived happily ever after the end. The explosion had shocked his mind awake. quote from Touching Spirit Bear, all my parents do is drink. Those who focus on anger will always be angry. It is about Cole Matthews, a juvenile delinquent, who smashes Peters head into the cement. The novel Touching Spirit Bear describes its main character, Cole Matthews, as ''an innocent-looking, baby-faced fifteen-year-old from Minneapolis who had been in trouble half his life.'' Through out the year almost all of my kids read it and usually in a day or two. 1. Frantic, Cole struggled to fly, but he couldnt escape the nest. I feel like its a lifeline. Touching Spirit Bear is the recipient of nine awards, including the Nevada Young Readers Award and the ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults Award. 'I wasn't lying.' Deliberately, he raised his hand and tossed the hair into the water. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. When forced to confront Peter during Circle Justice after the attack, Cole thinks, ''It wasn't like he had meant to hurt anyone. This quote by the third-person omniscient narrator gives us insight into Cole's own thought process in the aftermath of the Spirit Bear attack. I see a lot of myself in you. How much beauty had he missed in his lifetime? Ben Mikaelsen, Touching Spirit Bear 8 likes Like "Happiness, like anger, is also a habit. He even tries to escape the island, but fails. Coles gaze wandered in a big circle around him. All I know is I dont ever want to have a kid and beat him up., So, unless I go somewhere and freeze every morning, Ill keep getting mad, huh?, Edwin smiled but shook his head. People are just scared and do bad things. Though Cole is supposed to stay on the island for a year, he tries to escape almost immediately. I lived my early years here in Drake, but no one cared enough to take me through Circle Justice. He shook his head with a sad smile. He felt like a new and a different person.. With some initial resistance, Cole eagerly follows these steps, even doing a wolf dance, eagle dance, and beaver dance, among others. This story contains violence, graphic bloody scenes, but teaches about the human heart and how we are truly the captains of our emotions and heart. 'Do you deserve respect?' 'Yeah,' Dylan answered. This is a book that people with anger problems should read. Happiness, like anger, is also a habit. Wincing, he wiped at his mouth with his left hand, then stared at the glistening red on his knuckles. Cole is rescued and flown to a Minneapolis hospital. How could he have once wanted someone to feel that way? [Cole] couldnt stop wondering why he had been born and thinking about all the twisted events that had brought him to this moment. oh hey look its the WORST BOOK ON THE PLANET MS ROACH I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR MAKING US READ THIS IN GRADE 9. He didnt start school until age nine, when he was old enough to attend the boarding school where his siblings went. When Cole showed anger towards the Spirit Bear or towards any other animal, it always impeded his own healing. Drinking helped me ignore reality. She shook her head. The Question and Answer section for Touching Spirit Bear is a great Peter and Cole carve a circle into Coles totem pole to symbolize the circular nature and interconnectedness of life. the BookQuoters community. However, he does not believe Cole has changed and acts passive-aggressively towards Cole to try to push him into violence. This guide utilizes the 2002 Harper Collins ebook edition of the novel. It seemed a bizarre dream to be standing alone on this rocky hillside in Alaska with a round stone at his feet, his mind filled with thoughts so totally different from anything hed known running around on the streets back in Minneapolis. Cole plays along with the sentence. And so are you. He nearly freezes to death in the Alaskan waters and retreatsthe first of several mistakes that result in him nearly dying. Full Title: Touching Spirit Bear When Written: 2000 Where Written: Montana When Published: 2001 Literary Period: Contemporary Genre: Young Adult Novel Setting: Minneapolis, Minnesota; a remote Alaskan island Climax: Cole and Peter see the Spirit Bear. In the novel, Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews is a teenager from Minneapolis who needs to learn how to control his anger. Everybody carries anger inside. The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. We learn that Cole is suffering from the abuse of his father and neglect of his mother, and we learn that his anger is, at least partially, a result of his relationship with his parents. This insight is also deeply psychological and represents a sort of self-therapy that Cole had been conducted to understand better his own feelings and to cast out those that are negative. This book was very slow at the start. Take my word for it, jail scars the soul. This desire to help Peter, to attempt to fix the damage he caused another human being, is the final step in Cole's transformation. As soon as Edwin, a Tlingit elder, and Garvey leave, Cole sets fire to his constructed shelter and supplies, and jumps into the ocean to swim to freedom. more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become memorable and interesting quotes from great books. When Peter does finally arrive on the island, Cole attempts to respect that Peter wants nothing to do with him, as he is still very afraid of Cole. All of the landscape, the air, the trees, the animals, the water, the rain, all seemed to be part of something bigger. Theres a lot you can learn from it. What are two instances in chapter 18 where cole puts his pride ahead og practicality? Larry Niven, quote from Lucifer's Hammer. This time, though, Cole is prepared for change. He agrees to attend Healing Circle with Garvey to avoid jail, but he does not take the healing process seriously at first. This time he caught Peter Driscal in the parking lot and smashed his head against the sidewalk. Cole has frequent flashbacks to his experiences at the Healing Circle that influence his thoughts and actions. This quote illustrates the connection between nature's lessons and personal growth that is present throughout the novel. The novel begins as a teenage boy named Cole is on a skiff with two Tlingit men, Garvey and Edwin, traveling to a remote Alaskan island. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000 "all my parents do is drink. The hair was white. All rights reserved. Nevertheless, the Healing Circle proved pivotal in keeping Cole out of jail. | 2 Ben Mikaelsen, Touching Spirit Bear, 6. I read this book with my students during reading class and they really enjoyed it. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Circle Justice sends Cole to live on an Alaskan island for a year, and he fails the first time; the second time, Cole learns to heal and forgive, as well as to accept his place as part of nature. He forgives himself, his father, and his mother. Now, Peter may have permanent brain damage and Cole is in the biggest trouble of his life. Everybody carries anger inside. Cole stared. "Animals can teach us more about ourselves than any teacher. This time he truly changes. Cole tells him that he understands and that he'll do everything he can to help him and . However, Garvey knows better. 1. Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides. Being invisible had nothing to do with being seen. Even his inability to avoid being tried as an adult after attacking Peter is somebody else's fault. But habits change hard." Ben Mikaelsen, Touching Spirit Bear 5 likes Like "Animals can teach us more about ourselves than any teacher." He" Ben Mikaelsen, Touching Spirit Bear 4 likes Like 'It's true,' he whispered. The book is intense and a bit graphic in Chapter 8 when he encounters a spirit bear. I recommend this to any troubled youth who might be looking for understanding and wanting to change their life for the better. there are only two things wrong with me-everything I do and everything I say. He is mauled by the Bear after Cole attempts to kill it, and lies on the island alone until some members of Circle Justice come to check on him. Until then, Ill never be able to carve anything in the blank space. and gets a few visits from a huge white grizzly bear, which is the Spirit Bear mentioned in the title. 63 lessons Nature is a pervasive theme in Touching Spirit Bear. The responsibility for these actions, for Cole, always lies with others. This quote unites many of the book's themes. Somehow this gets him shipped out to a remote island in Southeast Alaska to be outdoorsy for a year, mostly alone but occasionally visited by Tlingit mentors who disgorge a steady stream of tough love and folksy wisdom. Edwin turned to Cole. He is routinely abused by his father and the abuse leads to a deep, constant anger that Cole can't control. It can be seen as the opposite of traditional criminal justice, which looks only at where an offender went wrong legally and how to administer punishment. Cole is anxious to begin his healing process through Circle Justice, but the members of the circle disagree, saying that he already gave up his chance and that he should be tried in the adult court system. During this fight Cole smashes Peter's head into the sidewalk and causes permanent brain damage. Do you know what it's like waking up every morning knowing you're not good enough? You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. In fact, even after Cole has moved into the cabin, Peter finds ways to exact revenge on Cole, from minor things such as walking across his sleeping bag with muddy boots or knocking his jacket to the ground, to the more major event of destroying one of Cole's totem carvings. He tries to kill Spirit Bear, which is why it lashes out at him, almost killing him. Nobody is, he said. I think this book was amazing and life changing. Barely escaping death and badly injured, he's given a second chance and in short order is disgorging his own folksy wisdom, indistinguishable in tone from the previous folksy wisdom. Quotes From Touching Spirit Bear 1114 Words | 5 Pages "There in the palm of his hand was a wad of hair. quote from Touching Spirit Bear, Animals can teach us more about ourselves than any teacher. He Caught by the rising tide, he is unable to escape the island. As he is able to control his emotions, he is able to control himself, and once he controls himself, he is able to take responsibility for his actions. Again, after burning his supplies on the island, Cole feels ''no regret for having burned the supplies and the shelter. As Cole changes, he begins to feel remorse and responsibility for hurting not only Peter but himself. Remember that.. Never in his life had he felt so exposed, so vulnerable, so helpless. Black(ish) Bears. Not now.'' GradeSaver, 10 June 2011 Web. The narrator gives us this insight into Cole's thoughts as he lies on the floor just after the Spirit Bear attacked him. Cole wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. Touching Spirit Bear Chapter 28. I used to be like that., Garvey shook his head. Cole initially frightens Peter, and later Peter is emboldened by Coles passivity, even punching and shoving Cole on several occasions. "He turned to Edwin. quote from Touching Spirit Bear, Why live if you cant help others and make the world a better place? When they get there, though, Peter starts to shove Cole and to tell him that they'll never be friendsnot after what Cole did to him. - After years of violence and trouble with the law, Cole took his criminal streak a step too far when he viciously beat a classmate of his named Peter Driscal onto the floor of his school sidewalk. Coles mother discusses how his father was beaten as a child, and she says this was a reason for him abusing Cole. Peter tires out, and the first thing Cole says to him is ''Are you okay?'' To avoid jail after brutally assaulting a boy, he joins Circle Justice, a group dedicated to helping criminals repent and change. After reaching a sort of internal emotional equilibrium, Cole realizes that to really, truly heal, he must find a way to help Peter do the same. Six months later, Cole leaves the hospital with a limp and countless scars. I never told him he was worthless, Cole argued. 'I wasn't lying.' Deliberately, he raised his hand and tossed the hair into the water. Ben Mikaelsens novel Touching Spirit Bear is about a 15 year old boy named Cole. These vices certainly continue to trouble Cole in the second half of the book, but this quote gives an insight into his process of learning and growth through Circle Justice. After beating a kid close to death he is sent to live on an island by himself for a year trying to heal his anger. Chapter-by-chapter summaries and multiple sections of expert analysis, The ultimate resource for assignments, engaging lessons, and lively book discussions. philosophy by which we live. Almost beating a kid to death after a boy named Peter told on him for robbing a hardware store. But also happiness. They'll never be happy until I'm dead" Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 Vols, Reminiscences Of A Seeker: Dark Face Of The White World (True Story), Paramahansa Yogananda, quote from Autobiography of a Yogi, Sophie Kinsella, quote from I've Got Your Number, Christopher Pike, quote from Thirst No. I highly recommend you use this site! It is from this position of vulnerability that he understands the wonder of nature. character, His latest crime? This thought drifted about in his head but failed to gain meaning. Do you know what it's like waking up every morning knowing you're not good enough? Unless Peter forgives you, he won't heal." Related Themes: Page Number and Citation 33 Cite this Quote Buffy the bear lived with Mikaelsen until his death in 2012; Buffy inspired. The first day he burns down the shelter. Coles mother discusses how his father was beaten as a child, and she says this was a reason for him abusing Cole. 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