LITERARY ELEMENT:CONFLICT

October 4th, 2010

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

identify conflict as it appears in literature

distinguish between Internal conflict and External conflict

place conflict in one of three subcategories

What is Conflict?

A struggle between two opposing forces in a novel, short story, or play.

Essence of drama

Conflict Continued…

Conflict is necessary for every story

Conflict adds suspense and excitement

Before Climax: All of the events that lead up to the conflict

After the Climax: Events that occur to resolve the conflict

Internal Conflict

Definition: A struggle that takes place in a character’s mind or heart is called internal conflict.

A strong internal conflict can make a good story great

Internal Conflict is…..

a character dealing with his or her own mixed feelings or emotions

Example: a character may have to decide between right and wrong or between two solutions to a problem.

Internal Conflict SubcategoryMan vs. Self

The struggle is inside one’s head/ the struggle is between the character and his/her conscience

External Conflict

Definition:A struggle between a character and an outside force is an external conflict.

Examples of External Conflict

Characters may face several types of outside forces.

The outside force may be another character. It may be the character and the community.

The outside force may also be forces of nature. For example, a story might be the main character struggling against the arctic cold.

External Conflict Subcategories: Man vs. Man

Two characters against each other. Can be represented by a group of people. It does not have to be a physical confrontation; it can be a battle between two ideas. Example: “The Three Little Pigs”=pigs vs. wolf

External Conflict Subcategories: Man vs. Nature

Anything surrounding a person.Weather, objects, activities, time, geography, etc.Basically anything external EXCEPT people.Example: Gary Paulsen’s Hatchet puts the young boy against nature when he finds himself to be the sole survivor of a plane crash that lands him in the wilderness

External Conflict Subcategories: Man vs. Society

Main source of conflict is social traditions or concepts with the protagonist and the society of which the protagonist are included

Occurs when a character disagrees with societal values, laws, or beliefs.

Example: Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer is put against society in his adventures as he tries to live outside of the rules of his aunt and his community.

Children’s Literature The Three Little Pigs by David Wiesner The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss Lily’s Cupboard by Shulamith Levey

Oppenheim King of the Playground by Phyllis

Reynolds Naylor

Finding Conflict in Current Book

Identify the conflict in the current book you are reading

Fill out the Finding Conflict sheet Circle what type of conflict it is

and what sub category of conflict it is as well

Conflict in Movies Twilight Remember

the Titans Mean Girls Harry Potter The Blind Side Finding Nemo

Sisterhood of Traveling Pants

Up 17 Again Shrek High School

Musical Toy Story

Conflict Skit A teenager is torn between ditching

school with her friends and staying to take a test in a class she is failing.

A man is chased by a wild animal in the forest.

A husband and wife disagree about how their money should be spent.

A woman is in a hurry and runs a red light. A teenager breaks the curfew set by

his/her parents.