Transcript Literary Element: CONFLICT

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 Subcategory
Man 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
Example: Mark Twain’s
Tom Sawyer is put against
Occurs when a character society in his adventures as
disagrees with societal
he tries to live outside of
values, laws, or beliefs. 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.