Touching Spirit Bear Theme

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Recently during class, we read the book Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen was read. In the book, there was many themes that related to how nature provided healing, and the affects of becoming one with nature. However, one theme was most prominent. This theme can also answer the essential question: "In what ways can nature offer enlightenment?" Spending time, and getting closer with nature, can make it easier to forgive, as well as making it a truer form of forgiving. In the book Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen, a boy named Cole is constantly blaming everyone for his problems. He is arrogant, has no respect for anything, and he gets in serious trouble often. For most of his offenses, he was able to smooth talk his way out of having consequences. Until one day, he beats a kid named Peter, who received intense wounds to his head and body. Cole was sent to be held in a prison cell until his …show more content…
Conor got in a heavy argument with his girlfriend, and shot and killed her. He immediately regretted what he had done, and turned himself in. The parents of the deceased daughter was extremely upset with Conor, but yet her father could hear her thoughts, saying forgive him. "Ann’s face was covered in bandages, and she was intubated and unconscious, but Andy felt her say, “Forgive him.” His response was immediate. “No,” he said out loud. “No way. It’s impossible.” But Andy kept hearing his daughter’s voice: “Forgive him. Forgive him.”" (Tullis). They were a family of faith, so forgiving is what is supposed to be done, as commanded by God. Because of both Conor, and his girlfriend's parents forgiving him, his sentence that was not going to be shorter than 40 years was reduced to 20 years with probation. Obviously Conor is not cheering, but he is able to make a difference in this world because of his actions, and that he can teach others about the dangers of certain

Theme Of Touching Spirit Bear

happened in the past, as an example of what may answer questions, explanations of character motivation, character’s fears, and the character’s daily life was like. While Touching Spirit Bear and The Devil’s Arithmetic have similar types of conflict and use of flashback, the themes are clearly different. Touching Spirit Bear Cole Matthews is the main protagonist and antagonist has problems that lead him to harm a fellow student Peter…

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Touching Spirit Bear Literary Analysis

Cole and Hannah do. In the book, Touching Spirit Bear, Cole has a hard time controlling his anger. After beating up Peter, Cole gets sent to a remote island for a year so he can heal mentally. On the other hand, in the book, Devil’s Arithmetic, Hannah gets stuck in the past and becomes Chaya. She gets placed in a concentration camp because she's jewish ad has to try to remember her Hannah life to know what is happening. While the protagonist in Touching Spirit Bear and Devil’s Arithmetic come to similar…

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Ghost Of Spirit Bear Summary

Review of Ghost of Spirit Bear/TSB My writing portion of the Assessment of Learning is reviewing the first and second books of the TSB series. In Touching Spirit Bear, themes come and go, but the most important is the power of nature. This is supported by in which spirit bear “ripped his flesh”(Touching 66) and how Cole had “changed a lot being in nature”(Touching 236). This theme helps to figure out the theme in the following book, Ghost of Spirit Bear. When Cole goes against his previous ways…

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Touching Spirit Bear Literary Analysis

Literary Analysis of Touching Spirit Bear and The Devil’s Arithmetic Devil’s Arithmetic and Touching Spirit Bear are very similar and different because of characters, setting, conflict, and theme.Touching Spirit Bear and Devil's Arithmetic are two books that have many different similars and differences. While Touching Spirit Bear and Devil's Arithmetic share the same theme of survival they still so very different. because of their characters, and plots.…

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Comparing Touching Spirit Bear And Devil's Arithmetic

future. Another book called Touching Spirit Bear is about a stereotypical teenager by the name of Cole Matthews, who disrespects adults and kids. He finds himself going to Circle Justice after an attack on a kid. He goes to an island off the Alaskan Coast. He fights for survival and hopes he gets off the island. While Touching Spirit Bear and The Devil’s Arithmetic have different themes, the motivation to change characters are surely similar. In Touching Spirit Bear and Devil’s…

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Essay On Touching Spirit Bear

Ghost of Spirit Bear & Touching Spirit Bear I have never been to Minneapolis, Minnesota or have never beat a kid up on the sidewalk, but the detail in Ben Mikaelsen’s writing made me feel like I was standing next to him watching the book unfold and Come to life. This book has a lot of similarities to its prequel, Touching Spirit Bear, and mentions the connections a lot throughout the book. The story is told from a 3rd person narrator (limited) that follows everyone around and sometimes adds…

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Analysis Of Touching Spirit Bear

The sequel of Touching Spirit Bear is The Ghost of Spirit Bear and it has a theme that is different it's predecessor, has similar concepts of the original book, has differences to it as well, and is within a competition with its creator for which book I enjoyed more. The theme of Touching Spirit Bear to be able to forgive yourself. For example on page 194 in Touching Spirit Bear Cole shouted “I forgive you, I forgive you”. Also Cole was alone when he was shouting these words so he must have been…

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Touching Spirit Bear Literary Analysis

Countless pieces of literature have been encompassed around the idea of satisfaction of helping others. This theme shown directly in the novel Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen. This concept of satisfaction of helping others can be counted many times throughout the book, but many of it is prevalent within the first few chapters and can be seen inside the characters during the novel. Cole Matthews, the troubled law-sickened boy, has had his life altered through circle justice. Garvey and everyone…

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Touching Spirit Bear Analysis

Many people around the world believe in karma. Karma is another way of saying what goes around comes around. The theme in Touching Spirit Bear is also karma. Throughout the book, there are several scenarios that prove karma exists. The first piece of evidence is when Cole is mauled by the Spirit Bear. Cole is a fifteen year old, juvenile delinquent who has created a raucous in Minneapolis. Cole trashed and robbed a hardware store. A kid named Peter Driscal told on Cole. Cole was outraged by this…

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Touching Spirit Bear Analysis

A variety of major events in the book Touching Spirit Bear relate back to the hardships in dealing with what you’ve done and then healing and learning from your mistakes. In the book, Cole starts out as an angry teenage boy. All his life he was beaten by his dad and as a result, Cole beats up Peter causing him to suffer permanent damage. Shortly after the event occured, Cole feels no remorse, but after being mauled by a bear and living alone on a deserted island for almost a year, he starts to realize…

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