Change Is

Inevitable

By: Nyah-Kimani Chamberlain

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Cole face his p l. On the had bea
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mau ing his a ck the Sp of him an elf.
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dying y the ttack, Co irit Bea d
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, Col
e rea ear. On is instan
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begin es is sel e verge y
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hang ishness an f
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T a
Cole Matthew, a 15 year old
juvenile delinquent is sent
away for banishment on Ketchikan I
sland by Circle Justice for bashing Peter
Driscals head into a sidewalk There he comes
to face with The Spirit Bear. AFter their third
encounter, Cole decides to try and attack the bear,
instead he is mauled. Cole begins to change. 6 months
after being mauled COle is sent back to the island.
There he finds his inner peace and also earns the
forgiveness of Peter.

He &
ss
e
n
e
v
gi
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Fo

Cole is mauled by the Spirit Bear. On the verge

of death, Cole notices many beautiful things
about the world.

Cole spots the Spirit

Bear more than once.
He then advances to
attack it

Cole returns to the

island. This time he
has a better attitude
Cole is sent to Ketchikan, Alaska
for banishment by Circle Justice
after he had bashed Peter Driscals
skull into the sidewalk..

After two attempts at

suicide, Peter comes to
the island. Cole helps
Peter see the better
side of life.

Looks Like:

Garvey

Built Tough
Buff
Lazy Eyes

Sounds Like:
Raspy Voice
Thick
accent

Acts Like:

Optimistic
Calm
Wise

People Say:
Forgiving
Undoubtful
Determined

Simile
Stars glistened
overhead like frozen
fireworks. (60)
This meant that the
stars were bright and
beautiful, but did not
move.

...thousands of smooth
worn rocks lined the
timeless shoreline like a
ghost highway that
disappeared into the mist.
(190)
The path made of rocks
seemed to be endless
because the fog covered the
end.

Metaphor
He drinks until he turns into a monster.
This meant that when Coles father drinks, he
doesnt stop until the alcohol takes over him and
he does something that may harm him or others.

All of life is a hotdog. Make of it what you

will. 166
What Garvey meant by this is that life can be
anything you want. Its you who runs the show.

Hyperbole
... and paid
the bail
before the ink
dried on the
warrant.(161)
COles father
had not
wasted any
time paying
his bail.

For an
eternity the
bear
remained
standing over
Cole. (67)
The bear
hovered over
Cole for a
long time.

Cole
wanted to
punch
Garveys
teeth into
the next
county. (22)
Cole wished
to punch
Garvey right
in the face.

Personification
Curtains of
northern lights
out over the bay
danced wildly
under the Big
Dipper. (60)
This signifies
the northern
nights moving in
the night sky.

Actions
speak
louder
than
words.
(51)
Things are
easier said
than done.

A sharp
cramp
gripped Cole
s leg. (12)
Coles leg
had been
cramping up
bad.

Conflict:

Person vs.
Self:
Person vs.
Nature:
Person vs.
Person:
Person vs.
Society:

an internal conflict between character

and conscience.
external struggle between character
and elements of nature
external struggle, physical or mental,
between two characters.
external struggle between characters
and the law.

Person vs. Self

Coles parents fail to show him
love. As a result, Cole feels as
if everything would be better
without him. His self-hatred
causes him to hurt others.

Person vs. Nature

Cole attacks the Spirit Bear
because of its defiance. The
Spirit Bear mauled Cole before
Cole had the chance to fight. As
Cole laid on the ground, lightning
had struck a near by tree, which
almost fell on Cole.

Person vs. Person

Cole beats up Peter because Peter
ratted Cole out.
Later on the island Peter begins
picking on Cole because he knows
that if Cole fights back Cole would
be sent to jail. Both boys develop
forgiveness in the book.

Person vs. Society

Cole was arrested for
beating up Peter and sending
him to the hospital. He then
faced Circle Justice which
sent him away for a year of
banishment.

Vocabulary
Timidly: Lacking in courage or self-confidence
Deceit: dishonesty
Vague: not clear
Skepticism: one who is critical or doubting
Omen: sign or warning of the future.

These four sentences had impacted the way I look at my life.

It showed me that we often are upset with or blame other
people for everything that is wrong in our lives. When in
reality, we have ourselves to blame. We are the only ones in
control of our lives. When we realize this, it is often too late.

Now, as he lay near death those he had

hated were safe and warm. Those whom
he had blamed were still alive and well. He
had hurt himself most. Life was empty and
meaningless unless he found some meaning.

Spirit Animal
The sea turtle is both
beautiful and strong.
Seeing how the sea
turtle catches a current
to take them to a
beach where they will
lay their eggs teaches
me that sometimes even
the strongest people
need help to achieve
their goals.

I would start my dance by crawling towards the fire as if the fire was the
moon guiding me towards the ocean. .As i get closer to the fire, I will begin
rising to my feet which signifies growth. When i am inches away from the
fire I will back up a few feet and begin running around the fire. This will
show me going through a current. Finally I will lay to rest as if I have
reached the beach.

Dear Dad,
You may or may not believe it, but Ive
changed. After being mauled by that bear,
I finally understand that the world doesnt
revolve around me.
It may sound silly, but my friend Edwin had
told me that life is a stick. The right side
is all your happiness whereas, the left is
your anger. Even after breaking off the
left side, the stick will still have a right
and left. Instead of trying to break off
the left side, look at the stick as if
there is only a right side. In other words,
look at the world without anger and only
then shall you see happiness.

Chapter
23Invisibility

The above image is so much more than an almost transparent woman. There is a whole
story behind this image. I chose this image because when I thought of Cole becoming invisible,
I imagined him blending in with the environment.
In chapter 23 Cole believes the way to become invisible is to clear his mind. He remembered
how the beaver and fish had come close when his mind was completely cleared. Only when
he thought of hurting them did they swim away. When he touched the Spirit Bear he
was on the verge of dying and thought of nothing else. He wasnt thinking of his anger
or pain when all the animals came close. Later that day Cole cleared his mind and finally got
to see the Spirit Bear again. That night he danced the dance of anger.

Restorative Justice
Schools who use Restorative Justice are more likely to get better results with
their students than schools who has no such program. SInce the
establishment of restorative justice, Ed White Middle school in San Antonio,
Texas have seen an increase of students passing the state math and reading
test. Similarly, Oakland, California schools have had a 56% decline in dropouts and a 60% increase in the four-year high school graduation rate.A study
from a Kentucky school district revealed that students math and reading
tests dropped in schools who have high suspension rates. This tells us that
school suspension not only harms the defendant, but also the other
students.
I believe restorative justice would work in BMS because it will help students
get to the core of the problem. Suspension doesnt help students come face
to face with the conflict. Suspension is more admitting to doing wrong than
it is facing the consequence.
Bezahler, Lori. Suspension, Restorative Justice and Productive Schools. The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones and Company, 8 April
2015. Web. 6 May 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/suspension-restorative-justice-and-productive-schools-letters-to-the-editor1428524841>

Conclusion
I really enjoyed this novel. It had so
many life lessons and it was easy to
relate to many situations. The author
made this novel very vivid and included
many small details. It made me feel as
if I was the one who was the main
character in the story. I would
recommend this novel to many people,
but this novel is best for the people who
just cant overcome their anger.