Circle Justice

by Elise Sison
Based on
Touching Spirt
Bear by Ben
Mikaelson

4th Quarter Project

Story Map
Plot:
Cole Matthews, a fifteen year old from
Minneapolis, Minnesota chooses Circle
Justice, a healing program that involves
criminals a banishment to Southwestern
Alaska for a year, over prison after he
brutally beats his classmate, Peter Driscal
against a sidewalk. Supported by Edwin and
Garvey, Cole is challenged to no longer be
consumed by hate and anger as he not only
learns from the animals from the island, but
by the mysterious, white Spirit Bear as well.
You dont have to be Native American or
First Nation. Anybody can love, forgive, and
heal. Nobody has a corner on that market.

Conflict:

Cole lived with an alcoholic and abusive father

and a complacent mother which deteriorated
his emotional health. Cole eventually beats up
Peter when he could no longer withstand his
pent up hate and anger. And to avoid his
imprisonment, he chose Circle Justice
without, at first, any intention to heal
whatsoever.
All my parents do is drink. They hate me.

The Power of Nature:

Cole:

He was clearly a juvenile

delinquent from the start and
gave the impression that he
abhorred every existenceespecially his parents. By the
end of the story, he still hasnt
completely drowned his
demons, but it is clear that he
s adamant to not succumb
into his old self again.
I whale migrates but it doesn
t have a home...I feel like the
whale.

Coles banishment was centered upon

the Native American culture and
personal healing. Animals like the
eagle taught him about strength and
freedom, the beaver taught him about
persistence and patience, and much,
much more. But the most significant
one was the Spirit Bear that not only
left him nearly dead, but had
effectively knocked down his morbid
pride that prevented him to heal in
the first place.
Whatever you do to the animals, you
do to yourself. Remember that.

Peter:

Setting:

Coles classmate who was left with

a speech problem after his head
was repeatedly smashed. He has
attempted suicide and went on his
own path to heal alongside Cole.

From Coles supposed home in

Minneapolis to where his year long
banishment will take place in an
isolated Southwestern Alaskan
island.

You cant wreck something thats

already wrecked!

Characters

Being invisible had nothing to do

with being seen. Being invisible
meant not being scene or felt.

Theme

Touching Spirit Bear

Plot Diagram
Cole burned down his cabin and all
necessary supplies upon his arrival to
the isolated Southwestern Alaska
island of his banishment for the
Circle. After all, he already planned to
swim away only to fail due to the cold
water. Them, he saw the Spirit Bear
who he planned to kill as he set
himself back to land, but gets beaten
instead. He was nearly killed which
was apparently worth it because his
views in life made a remarkable turn
for the good.
Cole Matthews, a fifteen
year old juvenile
delinquent who chose
Circle Justice over
imprisonment for having
repeatedly smashed Peter
Driscals head against a
sidewalk.

Climax
The bear sensed that Cole was no longer
mobile to kill anything and left. But Coles
mind was active with thoughts of things that
couldve made his life better as he laid on
the ground seemingly motionless for days in
pain. He then saw the beauty of life, but
through his suffering, he already expected
to die on the spot.

Cole was finally saved by Edwin

and Garvey and physically
recovered with a better
attitude towards the people
around him, especially to his
mother. He eventually had to
get sent back to finish his time
on the island to surprisingly
dance to the animals and carve
on totems and what not to
properly unwound his emotional
health.
Peters parents decided
that it mightve been best
to make Peter heal with
Cole on the island
accompanied by Garvey.
Despite Peters decision
to not communicate with
Cole whatsoever but went
as far as to write on the
totem, the two were able
to make the first step of
a possible friendship.

Character Analysis: Cole Matthews

People say:
He is a threat to everyone and is clarified to be untrustworthy after his
actions towards his right to continue his contract for Circle Justice.
That should be the last time this Circle needs to sit here and listen to
lies.
His attitude has definitely made an improvement after he was mauled
by
the Spirit Bear that mustve triggered something for him to act this way.
Think how much your arm and hip still hurt. Wounds of the spirit heal

Looks like:

A fifteen year old whos a bit muscular and always seems to have a
look of distaste.
Youre a dead man, he warned the skinny red-haired boy, giving him
a hard shove.
A fifteen year old boy who looks a bit lost and in desperate need of
emotional help.
It seemed a bizarre dream to be standing alone on this rocky hillside
in Alaska with a round stone at his feet, his mind filled with thoughts
so totally different from anything hed known running around on the
streets back on Minneapolis. He felt like a new and a different
person.

even slower.

Sounds like:

He has a sharp and irritable tone to almost everything he says.

Im no Indian!
The sharpness of his tone seemed to have died down along with his
composure that showed a much more relaxed version of himself.
I know it doesnt make any sense, but I realized I was dying and I had
never really lived.

Acts like:

He thinks hes the toughest person out there and wont hesitate to
show off about it.
He liked watching his parents, especially his Dad squirm and get
frustrated. Some days his dad got so mad he turned beet red and
twitched but he couldnt lay a finger on him because the guards were
watching.
He now knows how to finally relax and unwind his troubles to others
without violence or any act of defiance.
Unlike the first night, Cole had no trouble falling asleep.

Simile
Simile(noun)- a part
of speech that
compares two things
of a different kind
by using like or as.

He was built like a

bulldog with lazy
eyes. pg. 3
Garvey is big and
buff with droopy
eyes that stands
out.

The bear dropped

him to the ground
and pawed at his
chest as if raking
leaves. pg. 66
The Spirit Bear
heavily dropped Cole
onto the ground and
used its paws to
tear out Coles skin
on his chest.

Metaphor
Metaphor(noun) - a
part of speech in
which a word of
phrase is resembled
to another thing of
a different kind

Life is a circle
pg. 52
Garvey was
trying to teach
Cole that
whatever goes
around comes
around.

Cole felt his

smoldering anger
ignite. pg. 64
Cole felt his
suppressed and
almost dissipated
anger make a
return in a way
that he might no
longer control.

Hyperbole
Hyperbole(noun) - an
exaggerated statement
He was spitting at
more than the
Spirit Bear, he was
spitting at his life.
pg. 92
Cole felt that for
every time he spits
or ridicules the
Spirit Bear,
fragments of his
life would be
tarnished.

Hed eat anything

if it helped him
off this island pg.
57
Cole was trying to
eat as much food
as he can so hell
have the energy to
escape the island
by swimming
through the icy
water.
For an eternity, the bear
remained standing over Cole
in the chilling rain. pg. 69
Cole was in agony after the
Spirit Bear mauled him out
of self defense. The pain
felt so unbearable that it
felt like everything else
that was happening to him
lasted way too long .

Personification
Personification(noun)
- a part of speech
that represents an
inanimate object with
human characteristics
If death stares you
straight in the face,
believe me, son, youll
get scared. pg. 30
Edwin tried to explain
how frightening death
or maybe even a near
death experience can
be to Cole who
boasted about how
fearless he was
towards it.

Lightning flashed
closer, stabbing down
with long, probing
fingers. pg. 103
The lightning bolts
dangerously struck
through the clouds as
it flashed closer and
closer with in a
certain angle would
look like split ends
shaped like fingers.

The acid electrical smell

burned his nose and mixed
with the smell of wet vomit
on the ground. pg. 104
The electrical smell of
lightning and his own vomit
stung his nose from the
intensity of the stench.

Conflict
Person vs Self
Internal conflict with
the struggle between
the character and his
conscience.
Cole had a very deep
self hatred towards
himself. And when his
pent up anger felt like
it was too hard to
bare, he violently took
it out on others (ex.
Peter) or did reckless
things (ex. attempt to
kill the Spirit Bear).
He was so consumed
by his own conflict
that it affected his
views on life.

Person vs Person
External conflict with
struggle between two
characters.
Cole and Peter have shown
acts of defiance when the
time came for them to
come into terms with one
another. For example,
Cole tried to secretly
glare at Peter during the
Circle Justice meeting and
Peter had the audacity to
be spiteful towards Cole
immediately after he was
sent to the island to heal
as well.

Person vs Society
The external conflict with
struggle between the
character and the rules or
laws of a place in which
he/she lives in.
Cole had shown his hatred
towards authority when he
had to choose between
Circle Justice or his
imprisonment that was
highly recommended by
others. He had no
intention to heal at all but
still chose Circle Justice
because he expected it to
be the easy way out of his
predicament.

Person vs Nature
External conflict with
struggle between the
character and nature
beyond control.
The symbolism that lies
within the island was
something that Cole
desperately needed to
heal, yet he ignored it.
Even when he started to
change his way, he
struggled to see nature
in a new light at first.

New Vocabulary

Reverently(adj.)
- affectionately

Gusty(adj.) - a
remark given to
a sudden
outburst of
emotion

Moss(n) - a
small
flowerless
plant that
grows in shady
areas.

Trowel(n) - a
flat blade with
a handle used
commonly used
for gardening

Skiff(n) - a
small light
boat

Favorite Quote

Yours [the hotdog] was simply food because that

is all you chose for it to be. All of life is a
hotdog. Make of it what you will. I suggest you
make your time here on the island a celebration.
- Garvey to Cole, pg. 166
Garvey said this to Cole because he wanted him to
understand that his time on the island should be seen
as a reward rather than a punishment and should spent
with a positive attitude.
This is my favorite quote because first, I have never
heard of something like this before. How Garvey
rephrased to Cole how he should maintain his now
positive outlook on life seemed much more meaningful
rather than the usual, Keep it up, or anything of the
like. And because I also found it quite silly.

Spirit Animal
My spirit animal is . the wolf
The teaches me that by maintaining a good relationship with those
dear to me as well as preserving my intelligence will make me a
much stronger individual. And if I were to ever become a leader or
be able to work in a team, communication and adaptability is the
key to succeed.
The movements of a wolf are quick and full of stealth. Their heads
would be held high in an authoritative mean as their claws pierce
the ground when ready to attack. But if their tails wag, you got
yourself a relaxed wolf.
I dance the wolf dance with my hands and toes outstretched onto
the ground as I seemingly trudge through my first few steps until I
break out into speed towards the light with a low growl.

Restorative Justice
the repairment of the behavior within a victim or a criminal without imprisonment.
The approach [Restorative Justice] is now taking root in 21 Oakland schools, and in
Chicago, Denver and Portland, Ore.,tries to nip violence and the bud by forging closer,
franker relationships among students, teachers and administrators. It encourages young
people to come up with meaningful reparations for their wrongdoing while challenging
them to develop empathy for one another through taking circles led by facilitators
like Mr. Butler.
This practice was a success and continued to spread amongst the schools in the area mentioned above.
I think this program could be useful for BMS because itll build a better understanding of what the victim is really going
through and how the offender could break the habit of what they did. This practice could also allow both parties to
express themselves to one another.

Leigh Brown, Patricia. Opening Up, Students Transform a Vicious Circle. The New York
Times 3 April 2013. Web.

Dear Dad
Dear Dad,
I really dont want to think that its too late for you, Mom, and me to have a better understanding for each
other. I still dont expect it to happen anytime soon and neither do I expect it to be as normal as any other
family, but Ive been wanting to say that I forgave you for every shout or hit youve done to me and that I
wish to have a better communication with you in the future.
Your son,
Cole

The New Cole

It was to be expected from the start that Cole would change his ways one way or another. But
how he transformed from a teenager who would harbor such bad thoughts about himself, his
family, and maybe almost everything to someone who had the determination to heal and truly be
happy was important. Garvey and Edwin taught some really good lessons that was beneficial to
the readers as well.
Coles transformation wasnt exactly abrupt. He remarkably changed after he was rescued from
the mauling of the Spirit Bear, but he did lash out a bit from time to time. But as that time went
on, he started dancing to animals that each symbolized something for him, carved on totems, and
other things that proved he has grown to be responsible in the duration of his banishment.

Conclusion
Since I was in elementary school, I developed the interest of
the behaviors of people whove gone through events that led
them to become self destructive or have risky behaviors. But
I really liked this story because it presented a different
approach of healing to someone who was a juvenile
delinquent and a victim of child abuse and was also around
my age. Therefore, I didnt dislike Cole as the main character
as much as I should have even when I knew that I wont
completely understand him either. It made me happy with
how he changed in the end especially when Peter came to
the island. Besides Coles character development, Garvey and
Edwins life lessons really intrigued me.
I recommend this book to pre-teens and teenagers
especially to those who are struggling to become happy with
themselves and their surroundings. The life lessons could
really help them and the way Cole spends his time on the
island can give them some creative ideas of how to relax.