Life, Death and Change

Cole Matthews is the main character in Touching Spirit Bear. Before his life alters completly, he is a savage person. He wants everyone to be afraid of him. "I wanted to kill it because it wasn't scared of me." If there not afraid, he wants to make them afraid. He feels like nobody loves him, especially his parents and that they are always trying to get rid of him. "Cole's father turned and glared at him, "this is all going to end now."" Cole wants to have control of everybody, and feels afraid when he isn't in control. Cole blames everyone besides himself for his problems and why he always fights.

After Cole gets mauled by the Spirit Bear, he feels like he has changed. He appreciates life more than he ever has. "Cole made a decision, he wanted to live!" He starts to appreciate the world around him, and know that everything is there for a reason. "He called into the darkness. Are you okay? To the baby sparrows" While he was healing from his major injuries, him and his mom connected on a new level, she had also changed. "I realized that i couldn't change your father, but I could change me." She sent her husband to prison for physically abusing Cole, and is not so scared of everything now. Cole will never be completely healed, or loose all of his anger but he has changed and he wants to be a better person. He is not a liar anymore.

I view the attack on Cole a positive thing that happened. Even though he may never heal, he will always be reminded of his past. If he never would have gotten mauled he would never feel like he wanted to live, he would have left the island the same person, maybe angrier. Since then, he tries to not lie, respects others and learnt how to control his anger. Over all, his anger problems go him in trouble, and now he has to deal with his choices.

Circle Justice

In the book Touching Spirit Bear, Cole Matthews attends "Circle Justice Meetings." Circle Justice(also called Restorative Justice) is when the community comes together to help sentence the offenders and lead them to better lives. Instead of punishing, the offender and victim will seek how to heal. The Tlingit Tribes use this form of justice for their offenders. It seeks to restore and repair relationships and situations withen the community. Anyone can attend these meetings. When there, there is a special item(ie.Feather) that passes amongst the people. You may only speak when you have this item.
Here is an example of Circle Justice:
Jeremy Boyd, 24 years, opted for Circle Jusice instead of jail, because he strangled his sisters cat. He pleaded guilty to cruelty of animals after he got mad at his sister and got back at her by killing her cat. It took around 18 months to finish his sentence. He has to build and install 14 geese nesting boxes on Lake Mille Lacs attended an anger support group and fasted. Eventually, all charges were dropped. He now participated in circles for other offenders. It was effected, he was a different person when his sentence was done.
http://freenet.msp.mn.us/~fholson/circles-mn/circ-stb.htm (halfway down)

Larissa.Yayyaa<3