If you have read it for a school assignment and need a little touch up on the book, take this quiz. During his stay in the detention center he was asked to apply for circle justice. Garvey was a tlingit indian and a parole officer from minneapolis. Whatever you do to the animals, you do to yourself. I will not be updating this since it is basically a one shot. When cole showed anger towards the spirit bear or towards any other animal, it always impeded his own healing.
Instead of respecting spirit bear, though, cole tries to kill himwhich leads to the bear mauling him and leaving him bleeding and in pain. Cole replies by saying that if he saw a spirit bear, he would kill it. I might have questioned the report if one of the crew hadnt been bernie. Hes unrepentant and even though he is facing serious jail time, his kindly parole officer, a man named garvey, gets him into this native american justice program called. You know, the stuff you just told me makes more sense. They also mention the existence of a spirit bear an allwhite black bear that lives off the coast of british columbia. Cole defies edwin and has inflicted pain upon the bear. Cole matthews is a teenager with a troubled childhood. Fifteenyearold cole is cocky, embittered, and eaten up by anger at his abusive parents.
All in all, this was an amazing read and i recommend it to all. Book reporttouching spirit bear touching spirit bear. The first edition of the novel was published in june 25th 1997, and was written by ben mikaelsen. Everything i post is my works, just not the book touching spirit bear. Could this possibly be one of the spirit bears edwin had spoken of. Edwin, the tlingit elder who oversees coles sentence on the island, isnt exactly someone to mess with. Although hes old, he knows how to survive much better than cole does and refuses to take any nonsense from a disrespectful kid. Troubled teen meets totemic catalyst in mikaelsens petey, 1998, etc. Choose a theme that you think touching spirit bear has and explain why you think this theme can be found in the story. Touching spirit bear book report essays posted on july 23, 2018 during the supplies after that the only person that help arrange cole a match and three other characters were out of his clothes and threw it would be with so you have to fend for yourself. Edwin is a tlingit indian from drake, alaska who is brought in to help cole through his time of banishment on an island by the tlingit village of drake. Theres a book in with the supplies to study if you want to. At the beginning of the novel, cole matthews, a fifteenyearold juvenile delinquent from minneapolis, minnesota, arrives on a barren island near the city of drake in southeastern alaska in handcuffs.
What did cole matthews do to peter to be faced with this decision. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 289 pages and is available in paperback format. Ghost of spirit bear by ben mikaelsen chapter 4 duration. The main characters of this young adult, realistic fiction story are edwin, cole matthews. Kennedy quotes john lennon quotes mahatma gandhi quotes. You dont need to think about the truth, said edwin. Simile it was nearly the beginning of may, but still the icy water pierced coles skin like millions of tiny needles. Theme touching spirit bear book report there are many themes to this book. After he beats peter driscal, a classmate, he is awaiting trial when his parole officer, garvey, talks to him about circle justice. Some of the main themes are to treat others with respect, you always have redemption for your mistakes, and that you cant change the circle of life.
Honestly i chose the book because it sounded inkteresting but it was him on the ground half the book and. Cole got in trouble for beating up peter and nearly killing him. At the start of the novel, cole is a fifteenyear old convicted juvenile delinquent from minneapolis. They tell cole that the bear has more pride and honesty than most humans. He is accompanied by two men of tlingit indian origin, named edwin and garvey, who are instructing him on. Touching spirit bear reads like an intelligent adult novel. Ben mikaelsons book touching spirit bear was truly magnificent. Doctors reports warned he might suffer permanent damage. I saw a spirit bear, and i touched it, cole blurted out. He is the lifeline to the mainland while cole is in banishment on the island. After i read this book i really just wanted to read more.
The story, touching spirit bear, has different possible themes. Through edwins patient tutoring, cole gradually masters his rage, but realizes that he needs to. Touching spirit bear is a comingofage novel by bolivianamerican author ben. The plot was amazing and the events were very interesting. In the end, cole even remarks that edwin has been more helpful to him than lots of the professionals that hes been to. Hetaughtmetobegentleand thati,too,ampartof thecircle. Touching spirit bear book report essays free essays network. Touching spirit bear is a book about a very angry and abused fifteen year old who is facing a prison sentence for attacking and injuring a fellow ninethgrder. Book report 2, touching spirit bear ashleypandas weblog. Hes got friends in the area and as soon as edwin and garvey leave theyll come and get him. Edwin guides cole through rituals like soaking in the cold pond and carrying the ancestor rock in order to get more in touch with himself and the world around him. We will be sharing and comparing our themes in small discussion groups. Dedication thisbookisdedicatedtobuffy, asevenhundredpoundblackbearwho hasbecomemyownspiritbear. The three other characters were garvey, edwin and peter driscal.
In revenge, cole beats him up so badly he leaves peter with permanent brain damage. Touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen in fb2, rtf, txt download ebook. In the book touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen, a boy named cole who beats up this kid name peter because he told on him for robbing a hardware store. Pdf touching spirit bear book by ben mikaelsen free.
At the end, garvey finds peter helping cole with his totem pole, carving a spot to. Our book report was on touching spirit bear and we had to write a chapter about what we think would happen in the next book. Edwin says this to cole in order for him to appreciate the importance of nature in general but also to understand its importance for his own healing. The novel ends with peter and cole carving a circle into the last empty space. When cole gout mauled by the spirit bear what animal did. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of touching spirit bear by ben mikaelsen. According to edwin, in order to survive, cole will. He most recently has been put in detention for violently hitting and assaulting a classmate named peter driscal who had turned cole in for robbing a store. His mother witnesses the abuse but generally does nothing to stop it, leading cole to. Some people have read the spirit bear book, and some have not. Edwin is a wise spiritual teacher who also bestows upon cole survival skills. Quotes from touching spirit bear book edwin touching spirit bear quotes abraham lincoln quotes albert einstein quotes bill gates quotes bob marley quotes bruce lee quotes buddha quotes confucius quotes john f.
So they sent cole to circle justice to have them decide what they are going to do with him. Just at that moment, both boys see spirit bear and share a magical moment. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. And often cole takes it out on other kids, like peter driscal. Before he can try escaping again, cole runs into spirit beara huge, allwhite bear that edwin told him was a spiritual being. Cole matthews knew what he did was wrong but the anger deep inside him kept him on this path.
Touching spirit bear study guide contains a biography of ben mikaelsen, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. In his napra nautilus awardwinning novel touching spirit bear, author ben mikaelson delivers a poignant comingofage story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life after severely injuring peter driscal in an empty parking lot, mischiefmaker cole matthews is. Touching spirit bear study guide contains a biography of ben. When i received my package in the mail i was exited to start reading. In ben mikaelsens touching spirit bear, edwin is a tlingit elder. Cole thinks that if someone garvey is scared of him, he can trust them. The three other characters were garvey, edwin and p. While waiting for the courts decision cole, the boy, was kept in a detention center. Now, peter may have permanent brain damage and cole is in the biggest. He is routinely abused by his father and the abuse leads to a deep, constant anger that cole cant control. Because cole treated peter with respect towards the. After repeated skirmishes with the law, he finally faces jail time when he viciously beats a classmate.
Touching spirit bear is an excellent thriller with a twisted edge. He gets sent to an island for a year all by himself edwin and garvey came every once in a while to see how he. The main character, cole is a fifteen year old boy who lived in minneapolis and he got in trouble with the law most of his life. Touching spirit bear chapter 1 cole matthews knelt defiantly in the bow of the aluminum chapter 2 the heavy load of supplies caused the skiff to wallow chapter 3 cole stared sullenly into the fire, then let his gaze chapter 4 by the time cole paused to catch his breath, he chapter 5 once clear of the bay, cole swam even harder. The cover of touching spirit bear does not look all that interesting. Coles parole officer offers him an alternativecircle justice, an. William matthews is the father of cole and he has a problem with drinking and he is very cruel old man who beats his son for no apperent good reason. Quiz about the ben michaelsen book, touching spirit bear. Touching spirit bear book report essays in this chapter, the main character and three other characters were introduced. Cole mathews often gets beaten by his drunken father. Cole matthews is a teenage delinquent whos in big trouble for beating up a kid named peter driscal.