Literature Circle Extension

Project
Submitted by Rita Favata
Professor Susan Silverman
Language Arts and Technology

My understanding and appreciation of Touching

Spirit Bear, by Ben Mikaelsen, was greatly
enhanced through this extension project. It
provided me with countless opportunities to
revisit the story and dig deeper as I thoughtfully
sought and selected passages to achieve my goal.
My quest was to create a visually-engaging
PowerPoint version of the story, its characters,

I selected this slide design because it evoked feelings of turbulence

and disorder, symbolizing Coles pain, feelings of rejection, confusion
and loneliness. The sharp strokes and grey-blue hues are full of
emotion and are complex, like the literary piece itself. It is much like
an ocean storm, paradoxically offering a sense of hope . . . for there is
always a calm after a storm.

With upheaval comes opportunity for

Anger

Anger keeps you lost.

(Edwin, p 18)

Anger is a predominant driving force in this story. Cole is a victim of his

fathers violent anger and his mothers emotional abandonment. He
struggles with his own feelings of hurt, neglect and anger.

You drink until you cant

stand up, and youre gone
all the time. A devoted
parent doesnt whip his
kid until a shirt cant hide
all the bruises! (Cole, p 46)

Cole has will and courage, but he also has ugly anger. So
what do we do with him? Do any of us know what caused
that anger? And what if those same events had happened
to each of us? How would we have reacted? (Garvey, p 49)

Bullying and
Blame

Cole figured he wouldnt even be here if Peter Driscal had known how to
fight back. (p 8)

Coles vicious, heinous attack on Peter Driscal causes

irreparable brain damage. Untold
emotional trauma haunts Peter to
the point of two suicide attempts.

Cole felt no regret for having burned the

supplies and the shelter. Nor did he regret
hurting Peter. This was somebody elses fault.

Circle
s

Life is a circle. (Garvey, p 34)

Themes of circles resonate throughout the book . . .

Some are malevolent, cycling through untold generations . . .

Your father isnt a bad person, but when he was

younger, he had parents who beat him for everything
he did. Thats all he ever knew. (Mother, p 121)

Others are benevolent, like circles of

friends, who stand by you and support
you in your hour of need.

Why do you help

Because
were pfriends.
(Garvey,
me?
(Cole,
107)
p 107)

Still, other circles are lifeaffirming . . .

Coles gaze wandered in a big circle around

him. All of the landscape, the air, the trees, the
animals, the water, the rain, all seemed to be
part of something bigger. They moved in
harmony, bending and flowing, twisting and
breathing, as if connected. (p 70)

Defiance
and Death

A lifetime of hurt, a lifetime of proving himself, a

lifetime of anger controlled his muscles now . . . He flung
the spear with all his strength, fully intending to kill. (p
64, 65)

After Cole defiantly challenges the Spirit Bear

and is savagely mauled, he lays for some time
facing death. In his desperate thoughts and
aloneness, he finds clarity and experiences a
revelation . . .

It didnt matter who was at fault for

his dismal life. All that mattered was
living. Cole wanted to live and once
again make choices. (p 84)
In death there was no control, no
choices, no nothing. To be alive was to
have choice. The power to choose was
real power, not the fake power of making
others afraid. (p 83)

Emptiness and
Empathy

Stars glistened overhead like frozen fireworks. Curtains of northern

lights out over the bay danced wildly under the Big Dipper. Cole turned
his head and stared into the black nothingness of the shrouded woods.
That was how he felt inside empty. There was no beauty. (p 60)

The near-death experience and the storm were life-changing events for Cole:

As Cole stared at the tiny bodies, sadness flooded through him.

The sparrows were so frail,

helpless, and innocent. They
hadnt deserved to die. (p 82)

Forgive
ness

Forgiveness is
essential for
healing . . .
Being angry is giving
someone else control of my
feelings so they own me.
Forgiving gives me control
again. . . It isnt enough to
be sorry and forgive.
Somehow I have to figure out
a way to help Peter. (Cole, p
196)
Cole fought back
his own
tears. Im part of some big
circle that I dont understand.
And so are you. Life, death,
good and bad, everything is
part of that circle. When I hurt

Growth

People change two ways with slow persistent pressure, or with

a single and sudden traumatic experience. Thats why people
change so much when they have a near-death experience. I
believe something significant happened to Cole on the island.
(Edwin, p 128)

Edwin was wise. Coles near-death experience awakened

profound insights in him that helped him to begin to heal
and to grow.

The storm raged on as Cole lay

trembling . . . Never in his life had
he felt so exposed, so vulnerable,
so helpless. He had no control . . .
Cole blinked in stunned realization.
He had always been this weak.
How could he have ever thought he
truly controlled anything? (p 78)

Helping and
Healing

There is nothing nobler or

more rewarding than giving
of yourself to help others . . .

Why live if you cant help

others and make the world a
better place? (Rosey, p 107)
Cole, . . . In a few months your body
will heal, but time wont heal your
mind as easily. Helping others can
help heal your wounds of the spirit.
(Rosey, p 107)

Give me something to take away the monsters.

(Cole, p 108)

Only you can do that.

(Rosey, p 108)

It will be up to Cole to fight

his inner demons and make
right with the world, and
with Peter.

Isolated on the
Island

Nobodys going to babysit you here. If you eat youll live. If not,
youll die. This land can provide for you or kill you . . . up here you
live and die by your actions (Edwin, p 17, 18)

Time alone to reflect, live amongst Gods creatures and find meaning in life . . .

Life is up to you now . . . This is a good place to find yourself.

(Edwin, p 18)

Justic
e

Justice often fails because it seeks to

punish, not to heal. Jails and fines harden
people. (Circle Keeper, p 38)

Cole is a rebellious juvenile delinquent. For

his crime against Peter he is given the
opportunity to choose between prison and
the Native American Circle Justice. Cole
chooses Circle Justice and is banished to a
remote island for one year.

Justice should heal, not punish. If you kill

my cat, you need to become more sensitive
to animals. You and I need to be friends, and
I need to forgive you to get over my anger.
Thats Circle Justice . . . But healing is much

Karma
Karma is not fate. All of us, on our
journey through life, act with free will,
creating our own destinies. We are
responsible for our actions. Our choices
can bring forth goodness or they can
bring forth suffering.

You arent the only creature here. Youre part

of a much bigger circle . . .
Whatever you do to the animals, you do to

Lonelin
ess

Nobody cared about him.

Nobody understood him.
Nobody knew what it was like
living with parents who wished
he wasnt alive. (p 26)

Then he became aware of another feeling. Stronger than any

burning in his arms and belly, more haunting than the darkness
that surrounded him, was the realization that he was alone with
himself. And it scared him. (p 43)

A bitter loneliness swept over Cole as

tears clouded his vision. He felt so small
here, puked up on a remote forgotten
shore and left to die. Was this how the
world was going to get rid of him? (p 73)

Meani
ng

All of his life he had squandered his choices, wallowing in revenge and selfpity, keeping himself down. Now, as he lay near death, those he hated were safe
and warm. Those he blamed were still alive and well. He had hurt himself the
most. Life was empty and meaningless unless he found some meaning. (p 84)

This is a story of an evolution of self: Coles self, yet not unlike

many of our own. We are all seeking to find our place in the world
and understand our significance. Without meaning, we are lost.

We can find
meaning by
helping one
another on our
journeys
though life and
by
appreciating

Nature
Yes the world was beautiful . . . Staring at the delicate
patterns, he wondered why he had never noticed this
all before. How much beauty had he missed in his
lifetime? How much beauty had he destroyed? (p 97)

Through nature
we can find
serenity and
wisdom. Nature
holds so many
secrets, if only

OpeningUp

Edwin understands what it is like for

Cole and teaches him a lot about life . . .
A person is never done being mad. Anger is a
memory never forgotten.
You only tame it.
(Edwin, p 110)

Cole learns to trust Edwin and opens

up toand
him
. quit.
. . Like its chewing on tough meat. It
My mind gets to thinking
wont
wont swallow a thought, and it wont spit it out. It just keeps chewing it
over and over. (Cole, p 110)

Edwin explains to Cole that anger will

always exist, it is not something you
can rid yourself of. But, we do have a
choice of what to do with it. We can
focus on it and remain angry. Or we
can choose to focus on more positive
emotions.

Its what you make of it.

What you focus on becomes
reality. . . I [can] focus on
the sunrise or the dark
clouds. It [is] my choice.

Pain

Pain pervades our story and haunts our characters . . .

You dont know what its

like being hit over and over
until youre so numb you
dont feel anything! (Cole, p
28)

When I saw him start doing it to you, I

kept telling myself things would get
better. Drinking helped me ignore reality .
. . Can you ever forgive me? (Mother, p 121)

How scared
must
someone be
to actually go
searching for

Quietude

If animals existed in a world of

instincts and senses beyond the
conscious thoughts of the mind, what
happened to people in their frantic
worlds of noise and hectic rushing?
How much of the world did people miss
because they were not calm enough,
empty enough, to experience it? (Cole, p
189)

Ritual and
Reflection

Were going swimming, said Edwin.

Are you nuts?exclaimed Cole. Its freezing!
Trust me, said Edwin. Half of being trusted is to trust.
143)

(p

How long do we sit here? Cole asked impatiently.

Unitil your mind is clear and you have a choice between anger
and happiness. (,p 154)

Almost every morning

thereafter, Cole came to
this icy pond. In fact, this
soaking ritual helps save
Cole. Here he learns to
clear his mind and reflect
on the choices in his life.
This meditative practice
helps him to focus his

Spirit
Bear

The Spirit Bear

saves Coles soul .

Off the coast of British Columbia,

there is a special black bear called
the Spirit Bear. Its pure white and
has pride, dignity, and honor. More
than most people. (Edwin, p 18)
. . Coles fingers sank into the
bushy white hair until he touched
solid body. With his fingertips, he
felt warmth. He felt the bears
breath and heartbeat. And he felt
one more thing. He felt trust. (p
95)

He felt content. Before the

end of life he had seen
beauty. He had trusted and
been trusted. (p 97)

Totem Pole

What are totems for? They tell ancestry,

Edwin explained. And they tell stories. . .
Your totem is your story, your search, and
your past. Everybody has their own. Thats
why you carve. Thats why you dance the
dances. Thats why you live life to discover
and create your own story. (Edwin, p 183)

Uphill with the

Ancestral Rock

Pretend that rock is your ancestors,

said Edwin. Climbing this hill is your life.
With each step, you carry your ancestors
with you, in your mind, in your heart, and
in your soul. If you listen, your ancestors
reach out from the rock and teach you
the lessons of their struggles. Hear your
ancestors. Someday, youll pass those
lessons on to others. (p 155)

Every day after Coles icy soak, he carries the ancestral rock up the hill
thinking on all of the things Edwin told him and reflecting on his life. Once
Cole reaches the top and sets the rock down, its meaning changes. It
becomes his anger. He then symbollically rolls the rock and his anger down
the hill. He learns valuable lessons:

When I was carrying the rock this morning, I

realized that I wont ever get over my anger unless
I quit blaming others for everything. (p 167)

Violence
Mom said his parents beat him
up, too. I dont know where the
anger all started. All I know is I
dont ever want to have a kid
and beat him up. (Cole, p 132)

I know that my dads not going to

ever come back to say hes sorry.
Even if he did, he couldnt change
what he did. He couldnt take away
the memories. (Cole, p 132)

Wisdom

All around us there are powers. There are

animals like the whale, the bear, the wolf, and
the
eagle
. . much
. We can
feel all
of these
and
Cole
gains
wisdom
from
the animal
dance
to and
them.
Theyabout
all have
muchintothe
teach to
dances
learns
himself
A
whale
migrates
but
us.
(Edwin,
process
.p.150)
.
it doesnt have a
home. . . I feel like the
whales. (Cole, p 152)

. . . you
need the help
of others, like
gentleness, strength, honesty. Animals
aPatience,
wolf
pack.
can teach us more about ourselves than any other
(Cole,
p 162)
teacher. (Edwin, p 17)

He wished
that somehow
he could always
stay part eagle
in his mind.
How could he
remember to

eXperiencing
Invisibility

To be invisible he had to clear his

mind. That was the secret. . .
Being invisible had nothing to do
with being seen. Being invisible
meant not being sensed or felt. (p
189)

. . . Even the present, ceased to exist. He no longer thought

of himself as Cole Matthews, a juvenile delinquent from
Minneapolis, Minnesota. Instead he was part of the landscape,
without a beginning or end. Rain dripped off the rocks that
lined the shore the same way it dripped from his forehead and
flowed down across his cheeks and lips. (p 191)

. . . Being invisible was being part of

DiscoverYourself
Discover
yourself, Edwin
said. Celebrate
being alive! (p
139)

Ze
n

Coles experiences on the island, his

relationships, and his reflective and
meditational practices help him heal
and grow and eventually lead to his
spiritual growth and transformation.

Let go of self to fi

. . . he breathed more deeply, feeling the rhythm of the world

around him, an endless rhythm where time disappeared. As the past,
present, and future become one, the droplets on Coles cheeks
dripped to the ground, melting into the landscape to which they
belonged. (p 190)

Resources
Touching Spirit Bear, Ben
Mikaelsen, Harper Collins
Publishers, New York, 2001.
Book images:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/038080560X/r
ef=sib_dp_pt/102-3133015-3048115#reader-link

Unless hyperlinked to its source,

all images are royalty free from:
http://creative.gettyimages.com/source/frontdoor/
DefaultRfLanding.aspx

The End