ISALC: ESL 382: Computer Applications - Fall 2000
Hatchet: Student Survival Guide

This is what I knew about black bear before reading Hatchet:

I have never seen a real bear in my life, but I have a good image about bears. Teddy bear is popular among us. For example, the teddy bear is symbol of a bear and you can see them at the store. Today people buy products of bear character because they are so cute. However a real bear is huge. There are many different kinds of bears. The black bears are the smallest bear in North America and they are herbivores, eating only plants. I haven't seen black bear's face. I just had a image of teddy bear. I think it is very different from real bear.

This is why black bear was important in Hatchet:

In Hatchet, Brian met a bear. When he first met the bear, he was very scared, but he tried to understand the bear. He thought this way that if the bear wanted to eat him, the bear would have, but the bear just wanted berries. He thought there was no fear because there was no reason to fight with the bear. In this situation Brian shared nature with other animals, so he thought it is not a big deal to see the bear. If he didn't do anything, the bear was not going to hurt him. By understanding the bear and the situation, he was fine.

After reading Hatchet and completing my Internet research, this is what I have learned about black bear:

There are seven kinds of bears which are black bear, brown bear, polar bear, Asiatic black bear, sloth bear, spectacled bear,and sun bear. The black bear is the smallest bear in North America. The largest black bear's weight is about 802.5 pounds, and can live to be 30 years old. They originated in Asia, and migrated to North America. There is a web site about bears in North America. Today people say "black bear", but actually their body color is different. In fact, there are brown, cinnamon, and black with white patches on their chest. Also, they have different shapes and sizes.

Most bears like honey and they often attack a bee hive to eat honey. They eat all the honey, including the bees! In fact, a black bear has been found with two quarts of bees in its stomach. The black bear sometimes eats inedible things. For example, they eat gasoline, candles, and grease. I think people have to be careful because these things are made and used by us. The black bear can smell food from far distances, and they try to eat food. When you go camping, you have to be careful because the bear might find food and eat it. However, most black bears eat termites, beetles, larvae, honey, fruit, nuts, and berries.

The black bears have poor eyesight, but they have good hearing and a wonderful sense of smell. In Hatchet the bear found Brian's berries and ate them. I think the bear knew that Brian had food. This situation shows the bear can find food by smelling.

The black bear sometimes attack humans. If you see a bear, you shouldn't be scared. You should keep watching the bear's eye, and draw away. If you scare the bear, the bear might kill you. In Hatchet the bear didn't attack Brian because Brian didn't do anything to the bear.

I am not sure if the bear is a dangerous animal or not. I hear many people are killed by bears. It is hard for humans and animals to share the same places. I think we must understand what we should do for animals and how we should treat them.

Created by: krauss@lclark.edu
Updated: 10/20/00