How Your Past Affects You

Author’s Note: I am writing this essay to explain the theme of the story Touching Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen.

Have you ever been angry at everything?  Or with just with life in general?  Well, Cole Matthews, a character in the book Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen,  is a troubled kid who bullies people around and is always angry.  He was abused by his parents during his childhood and was always left home alone. So whenever he was away or outside of the home he would act out his anger by bullying kids or mistreating and disrespecting everyone around him. This resulted in many people not wanting to play or hang out with him.  Everywhere Cole turned, he was alone. After the end of the story Cole overcame his violent past and learned to respect others, which is a major theme in the story.

At the beginning of the book a kid in Cole's  class named Peter had enough and reported his behavior to a teacher in confidence. Somehow the word got out that Peter was the one that told.  After finding this out, Cole was very angry and beat up Peter.  As time went on, his behavior became so uncontrollable he ended up spending months in a juvenile detention center. 

 As a consequence for beating up Peter, Cole was sent alone to an island as a part Circle of Justice.  This is a circle of people who try to help people who have problems turn their lives around in a positive direction. Circle Justice  has meetings where anyone can join, ranging from a victim to a random person.  
Soon after arriving at the island, Cole ran into a bear. Instead of being afraid, Cole was expecting the bear to be afraid of him! He always expected everyone and everything to be afraid of him.  So when the bear wasn’t afraid of him, Cole attempted to hurt the bear with a sharp knife. But instead the bear hurt Cole so bad that before he knew it, he was lying on the ground fighting for his life. 

Cole’s near death experience and his time at the island caused him to want to change.  He tried to mend all the hurt that he’s caused in the past.  He even cooked a big dinner and invited all the people that had been affected by his past behavior.  The main person that had a hard time forgiving him was Peter because he still didn’t trust him. Cole earned his trust by being positive toward Peter and inviting him to the island to help him heal. Peter overcame his past fears when Cole was being positive toward him.
  As hard as it was for him to accomplish forgiveness prior to his stay at the island, he is now committed to forgiving and forgetting the painful events of his past that have resulted in feelings of bitterness towards his life and the world. He will also find a better way to deal with his feelings when he feels hurt or upset in the future. 

 This theme was in another story. Naruto is one example, because characters like Sasuke were affected by their past. His brother Itachi killed every one in his family and clan, all for power. Sasuke was so caught up in revenge that he was trying to join an evil Guy called Orochimaru just to gain power to kill his brother. And so far Naruto s trying to get Sasuke out of the darkness. 

Overall, the theme of this story is to not let your past affect the way that you treat people. No matter what you have gone through in the past, learn to forgive and forget it, and continue to respect others.  We are all affected by our pasts one way or another.  It’s how you chose to deal with it that’s key.

Dear Peter

Authors note; I am writing this letter to tell how Cole’s behavior changed for Peter.

Dear Peter

I’ve been noticing that you don’t believe I’ve changed. But you should trust that I’ve changed. I just want us to end our problems. I apologize for my violent actions. My ferocity has gotten out of hand. I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I have done

in the past. All my life I’ve only trusted people who were scared of me. But when I approached a bear­; it not being scared of me and getting pulverized by the bear

made me change.

It is really hard to explain how I have changed but, I assure you that I sorry.

Before I thought that you deserved to get beat up. But that was when I was still a hothead. When I first arrived at the island from my transport I thought that this was

all a joke. Sometimes when thought to myself about the bad situations I got myself into

I would get angry at myself and blame everyone else instead of myself.

But from that one moment my ferocious mojo disappear and turn into non-ferocious

mojo. That mysterious bear almost killed me. I can’t believe it took an almost death

situation to make me realize that what I’ve done. So like I said before and will

again, with all my soul is am I sorry and to hope that you forgive me

Sincerely, Cole Matthews 

The Quote

                                                  

“Mind your own business” is what Cole said. This represents that he is rude, mean, short tempered, and angry. He’s always so short tempered. Cole blames everyone

for his actions. I think he gets himself into trouble because he does things to get himself

in trouble because of his anger. Then he blames other people for what he did to get himself in trouble.  

 The mean attitude that he has gets him in deep trouble. But when the legendary spirit

Bear attacks him he changes. This quote does not just mean “mind your own business”.

It means that he is angry with the world and himself. This quote makes him  seem angry

and mean. But he is just very troubled. Is this troubled teenager gets healing from a bear all though a close to death situation.

If this was different he would not have learned a lesson. He would have not been

Heal changed by a fascinating way from nature. If this was different Cole Matthews would have not learned a literal life or death experience.  

   

Why The Bulling And The Anger

                              

A boy named Cole Matthew bullies other student. He goes to far, he gets threatened to get sent to jail. All this happened because of his anger. No one really knows why he is so angry all the time. But, I think he gets angry and bullies all the time because

his parent never cared for him his dad whips his belt really hard and, his mom  just does not care. So that makes him feel angry and alone. And not just his parents cared about him everyone else didn’t care for him or liked him either. With this happening, this makes him bully everyone.

Island Of Danger

                                  

                           Author’s note: I am writing this essay to explain the setting in “Touching Bear Spirit”.

In “Touching Spirit Bear” a boy named Cole Matthews is a bully; he picks on kids in school and gets into trouble with the police. I am going to write about the setting in this amazing story. There are many important elements in the story but, setting is important

Because you should know where the setting is.

First of all the setting is going to revolve around a teenager named Cole Matthews.

It first starts in Minneapolis; Cole is at school causing the usual trouble . A boy named Peter “rats” on Cole. When Cole finds out and gets in trouble, first he finds out who the snitch is and beats the tar out for him on the sidewalk. A group of boys gets Cole off of Peter. When Cole and Peter removed off of the sidewalk, all there is left is red warm liquid.

Next comes the second setting. Cole ends up in silver bars with a rough bed, and a toilet with no walls. When Cole is threatened to be sentenced to jail, he finds an opportunity to get out of jail but, he finds the opportunity when he is told by a man

he could be healed by going and apply for “Circle Justice”. When he first told by

Garvey (the “Indian Parole officer”), Cole's first impression of Garvey was that he was a

fool, and could easily escape jail.

Then the third setting comes in. When Cole is accepted, he is transported to an island.

When Cole is left at the island, this is where the main setting comes in. A boy being left alone on a island to heal. He attends a meeting. Anyone who wants to support the meeting can if they want to. Peter attends, his parents, and peter’s lawyer, Cole’s lawyer, his parents, and a few citizens. When the meeting ends Cole is left with himself,

and his heated behavior. Later on Cole gets himself so angry that his only shelter burns

down on because of his anger and the accident that he caused. Not feeling bad at all

he tries to swim away in the cold h2o. With his numb body he sees a bear.

Finally the last setting. Cole provokes the colossal bear. When this happens Cole

gets shredded by the bear and is left seeing seagulls eating chunks of flesh near Cole’s body full of gashes and missing parts of his body. From this bear beating the tar Cole’s

and him half dying he changes.

All this these events conclude into the bad boy Cole getting transferred into the island.

Entering this island nearly dying he changes.