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Garvey(The Probation Officer)
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Cole Matthews(Protagonist)
Peter Driscal(The Victim)
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Cole: The Definition of Change
Topic Started: Dec 3 2012, 04:35 AM (87 Views)
Tanner

Looking at the book from the first page to the last page, you can see a major difference. In the beginning, Cole is bitter, greedy, hateful, and cruel. Towards the ending of the story you can see that Cole is now compassionate, helpful, caring, and almost like a counselor, acting and saying words with wisdom similar to Edwin and Garvey. Cole is the definition of transformation. Even though Cole can't take what he did back, I don't think he would want to. Cole is now stronger physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. If Cole wasn't isolated on that island in Alaska, he wouldn't be who he is now. Cole's transformation of who he is shows a lot about who he is deep down, and his bad relationships are now stronger than before! For someone wanting to do something different with their lives, Cole is a great example, which is why I chose him. I felt like I could connect to Cole, and the way he switched his life around is a great example of why restorative justice is the way that all disciplinary should be like.

Cole improved on many problems that he had, and resolved them only to become who he is today, a strong and intelligent being. For example, a change that you can see in Cole is that in the beginning of the story he inflicts pain to Peter Driscal, the victim, to where at the end he shows Peter how to become like himself, which Cole is FINALLY proud of himself and has high self-esteem. Peter implies that he is thankful for everything that Cole has taught him. On page 141, paragraph 1 of "Touching Spirit Bear" it says, "He thought about Edwin, about Garvey, and about Peter. He truly did hope Peter would be okay." Not once in the beginning of the book did Cole wish anything upon Peter but pain and suffering. Cole now realizes that his past is the past and that it was silly, but he can't change it and looks forward into what he can do to benefit the world.

Seeing Cole go through such a transformation is very inspiring to someone searching for the same thing. Every day about 3,000 people in the United States go to jail and don't get that chance like Cole did to witness restorative justice and the beauty that it can bring, with change for the better. Do people even learn their lesson in jail, or do they just behave insanely until they can get released? Regardless, putting people into jail is just a way of isolating them from humans, but that isn't beneficial to the juvenile. Not only Cole has been changed, however. Through Cole, Peter was able to find joy in going to the Circle of Justice program and being able to say to himself, "Yes, I have made mistakes, and I want to fix them." Restorative justice gives the juvenile hope in their futures and adds wisdom everywhere in their lives.
Edited by Tanner, Dec 3 2012, 05:30 AM.
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