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The West side of the medicine wheel indicates forgiveness and peace. In the Marrow Thieves, Frenchie grew up thinking his dad had passed away but later in the book he was unexpectedly reunited with him. "I didn't understand until he said it that part of my ennui had been resentment. Resentment that my father was out here being all revolutionary while his kids were left with an unstable mother who eventually left us all alone. That I hated him for leaving Mitch to sacrifice himself for me. That I was angry about my childhood left to wither and starve in the woods," (Dimaline 188). This shows how although Frenchie loved his dad, he had a lot of built up bitterness towards him. Frenchie also felt anger towards himself for not being able to protect Riri, and killing someone. Throughout this conversation Frenchie was able to release the resentment he had towards his dad, while his dad helped him realized that they've all done things they regretted but it's what they felt they needed to do to survive. In the end, Frenchie was able to forgive both him and his dad, achieving peace within himself.

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The South side of the medicine wheel indicates youth and finding yourself. At the beginning of the Marrow thieves Frenchie was the baby of his family and had just lost his brother. "I didn't mean it. I looked at their round eyes, wet and watching but not nervous enough for the threat of a human. Their dad was there, after all, and they knew they were safe. I felt tears collecting behind my own eyes like sand in a windstorm. I opened my mouth... to say what? To apologize to a group of wild guinea pigs? To explain that I hadn't meant what I said? To let them know I just missed my family? A small sob escaped instead. I cupped a dirty handover my mouth to catch it, but not before the male smelled my fear and turned his back to me. I was no danger to them. I was no danger to anything. At best I was prey," (Dimaline 8-9). This shows how at the beginning of the book Frenchie felt helpless, he didn't feel strong or able to protect his family. Then as he was growing up that changed, "It didn't matter what was happening in the world, my job was to be Francis. That was all. Just remain myself. And now? Well, now I had a different family to take care of. My job was to hunt, and scout and nuild camp, and break camp, to protect others," (Dimaline 180). This shows how he developed a sense of protection. Through finding himself and the love he had for his new family, especially Rose, he knew he had to protect them. Along with having the need to destroy the marrow-harvesting schools, because it would mean that him and the people he cared about would no longer have to live in fear.

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New beginnings, dawn of a new day and birth

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The East side of the medicine wheel indicates new beginnings, dawn of a new day and birth. In the book the Marrow thieves, Frenchie had lost both his parents and then his brother, who was his only family left. He had just been through losing his whole family and had lost hope. Just when he had given up and came to terms with dying alone he was discovered by a new group of people. "The tears cleared away the dirt from my eyes, stinging as they crossed my split lips. Sobs rocked me, open and closed, until I was fetal. i was embarrassed to be so broken in front of all these new Indians. If they were embarrassed for me, no one made a motion or mouthed a reproach. They just let me be broken, because soon I wouldn't be anymore. Eventually, I wouldn't be alone, either. And maybe tomorrow I'd wake up and find myself closer to home," (Dimaline 17). This shows how Frenchie was feeling at the time the group came for him. He was mentally broken, as he had just lost his entire family and was all alone. When the group told him that he was joining them he had broken into tears and had realised that this was a new beginning for him. He wouldn't be alone anymore and there was hope.

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Time of reflection, death and acknowledging the elderly

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The North side of the medicine wheel indicates time of reflection, death and acknowledging the elderly. In the book the Marrow thieves, after Frenchie and his new family believe they've lost Minerva, their elderly, along with Riri, their youngest, they knew something had to change. "EVERYTHING WAS DIFFERENT. We were faster without our youngest and oldest, but now we were without deep roots, without the acute need to protect and make better. And I had taken up a spot that'd opened up in the middle of it all, somewhere between desperation and resolve," (Dimaline 154). This shows how after the passing of Riri and Minerva being taken away, Frenchie was reflecting about what they both brought to the family. Their family needed them, not only because they were the youngest and eldest but because of who they were as people. In addition, Minerva, being the eldest, taught them about their language and culture so they could know their roots. Without them the rest of the family knew that something had to change. They couldn't keep running and staying silent, they had to get Minerva back and put up a fight against the whites.

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Francisco Goya completed the painting of Charles IV and his family in the summer of 1801. The reason I decided to chose this painting instead of any other family painting was because of the size of this family. In the Marrow Thieves Francis' new family consists of 9 people who learned to trust and love each other, and before he joined the family was even bigger. Many of the characters blood and marital families had been broken up the family they created together is the only family most of them will ever have. It is difficult for Frenchie to come to terms with this, as he continuously dreams of his brother and parents. He learns to love and care for his chosen family and accept the situation for what it is. "The memories I carried from the days I'd had with my parents were kept in cradleboards in my mind, situated in complete safety, even the bad ones. In them, there is always this feeling, an understanding more than an emotion , of protection. It didn't matter what was happening in the world, my job was to be Francis. That was all. Just remain myself. And now? Well, now I had a different family to take care of. My job was to hunt and scout, and build camp, and break camp, to protect the others. I winced even thinking of it. My failure. I'd failed at protecting, and now, as a result, I failed at remaining myself," (Dimaline 179-180). This shows how Frenchie feels about his new family. He loves and cares about them enough to do everything in his power to protect them. Then if he's unable to protect any of them he feels like he didn't do his job, as if he failed. He realizes the importance in his new family and how much they meant to him and who he is as Frenchie, which is one of the themes the author tried to convey in this book.

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Painting Guernica was Picasso's immediate reaction to the Nazi's bombing practice on the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil war. This art piece became an anti-war symbol and an embodiment of peace because it shows the tragedies of war and how it affects individuals and innocent civilians. Picasso stated that the bull represented brutality and darkness, while the horse represented the towns people. "'I said no. I'm not going North". The rest of my family looked at me with curiosity. Something had changed. Whether it was this second huge loss or the life I'd taken with all the speed of vengeance back at the cliff, I wasn't sure. But there was no more North in my heart. And I wasn't sure what I'd meant to do until I said it out loud. 'I'm going after Minerva'," (Dimaline 153). This is the turning point in the story where French had had enough and decided it was time to stop running and fight back, and the rest of his new family had followed. I relate this to the painting because in the painting Picasso had had enough of the Spanish Civil war and did what he was best at to do his part in aiding them. Painting the Guernica was his way of fighting back, which is what French and his family needed to do, fight back.

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Take Care by Rihanna and Drake is conversation between the two of them where they tell each other how they know they've both been hurt in the past but they'll love and care for each other no matter what. "I loved her. The certainty of the feeling was clear and bright and brown and lean and it hit me in my throat so that breathing became weeping. And then she screamed from the other side of the trees. My pace doubled, eyes stinging. I jumped through the bush where she'd disappeared. I was ready to fight, fists already heavy," (Dimaline 157). This passage makes it evident how French felt about Rose, he really cared for her, despite knowing everything about her past he still loved her. Throughout the book it's shown how Rose and French's love for each other grows and never stops. Even though, both French and Rose have done things they regret they still love each other no matter what.

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Crooked Smile by J.Cole was dedicated to a little girl, Aiyana Stanley-Jones. Aiyana was a 7 year old girl who was slaughtered in a police raid of her home, in Detroit 2010. This little girl was killed while she was sleeping in her grandmother's arms. This tragedy reminds me of when Riri, the little girl in the book, was kidnapped and died because of her kidnapper and how all the characters in the book experienced immediate heartbreak. "I ran full out almost tripping over the huddled shape of Minerva where she sat, crouched on the ground, rocking back and forth and muttering words I couldn't pick up... Wab was on the ground. She looked like she was sleeping, but her eyes were wide open. Rose was bent over, throwing up between her feet, hysterical in between retches. It was Miig who leaned over the edge. I grabbed him first, taking his forearm into my grip. It's a good thing, too, because his hand let go seconds later, too shaky to hold on. I pulled him back hard, and he fell on top of my legs on the grass," (Dimaline 134). This shows the characters immediate response was to the incident. How all of them had lost someone they cared about. For Frenchie, Rose and Wab, she was their little sister. For Miig, a daughter, and Minerva her grandaughter. They lost their baby which is something horrible for a family to go through, which is exactly what the family J.Cole's song's dedicated to went through.

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Window Pain by J.Cole demonstrates many of his memories and emotional disturbances. In this song it starts off with a little girl telling her story about how she almost lost her cousin to gun violence right outside of her house. This leads J.cole onto a path of mindful reflection. On this path he is reminded of his painful memories and regret. He speaks about how he wants to see his grandmother who has passed. Along with how he wanted to kill the man who hurt his mother. On the end of his path he asks for forgiveness for how he was in the times where he was at his lowest and confused. I can relate this to Frenchie, because he had also suffered a great loss, like J.Cole with his grandmother, and he was so overwhelmed with anger he wanted to hurt the other kidnapper, Travis, just like J.Cole with his mom. Later on J.Cole came to regret his decisions as did Frenchie, "Riri was dead. I had killed a man. And there was no taking either of those things back. For the first time in years I missed my parents as physical pain at the bottom of my stomach and under each kneecap. That's where the loss lived, in those strangely normal spots on my body. I didn't think I deserved to rub them , so I fell into dreamless sleep witha throb and a pull in my body," (Dimaline 139). Frenchie felt something after killing that man, he felt guilty. He felt as if it were something he could never come back from, it changed him.

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The song 'Wavin' Flag', by K'NAAN, was written for Somalia and the desire to have freedom for them. One of the lines in the song is, "When I get older, I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag," K'NAAN wrote this line because it helped him when he was younger. It helped him get through living in a war, moving to another country, and then having to learn a new language. I relate this to 'The Marrow Thieves' because in the book every character is growing up in an era where they have to continuously fight and move to survive. Each character had been through trauma which made them who they were, "'Minerva was feeding her new grandson when the Recruiters busted into her home. They took the baby, raped her and left her for dead,' ... 'Both Riri and Slopper first came to us with a parent each. Both of them lost them to the schools later on,' ... Tree and Zheegwon, they were held by a colony of townspeople who tried different ways to extract their dream... We found them tied up in a barn dangling like scarecrows from a rope thrown over a beam,' ... 'I lost my husband in the schools. We were taken there together,'" (Dimaline 98-99). Wab had also been sexually assaulted by all the men her mom was continuously bringing home. Then when Wab ran away and found a job she really enjoyed, but there were people who did not like how successful she was and sliced her eye. Frenchie had to go through separating from his mom and then losing his brother, who was the only family he had left. This passage along with the other examples show how every character had experienced so much pain from losing their parents and other loved ones, to being tortured. To survive they created a new family and found strength within each other to get by, but more importantly within themselves. K'naan also had to find the strength in himself to overcome everything he was going through.