Conflicts
in
Literature
What is “conflict” in a story?
*problem*good vs. evil
Why is CONFLICT important? Without conflict, there is no plot!
The plot is created around the conflict…
The conflict is introduced in rising action…
Is faced head-on during climax…
Begins to work itself out during falling
action…
Is resolved during resolution.
EXTERNAL CONFLICT An external conflict is between a
character and an outside force.
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Man
The character has an issue, disagreement, or
problem with another character in the story.
The character does not see “eye to eye”
with the other character.
Often the character will try and solve the
problem during the story.
Example of
Man vs. Man Conflict
Little Red Riding Hood vs. the Big Bad Wolf
Man vs. SOCIETY
The character has an issue or problem with
something that is happening in the world.
This may be rules, laws, cultural values,
traditions, politics, or groups of people.
An example may be a character
disagreeing with a certain law that is
passed.
Example of Man vs. Society Conflict:
Anne in The Diary of Anne Frank against
the Nazis.
Man vs. NATURE
The character has an issue or problem
with something that is happening in
nature.
An example may be a natural disaster
such as an earthquake or forest fire.
Another example could be a snowstorm
that is causing problems for the
character.
Example of
Man Versus Nature Conflict
Dorothy being swept up by tornado in
Wizard of Oz
INTERNAL CONFLICT
An internal conflict is between a
character and his/her self.
Man vs. Self
Man vs. SELF The character has an issue or problem
with themselves personally.
This could be a goal they are having
trouble accomplishing or something they
are trying to work on.
Often the character will find strategies to
solve their problem.
Example of Man vs. Self Conflict:
Deciding whether you want to cheat or not to cheat on a test.
Let's Practice.....
Read each passage.
Think about the conflict.
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Self
Support your answer with evidence.
Angela is having the time of her life on a
cruise ship with food and fun all around
her. Just as she is preparing for the limbo
competition, the ship crashes into an
iceberg, which punctures the hull and
causes the ship to sink. Now she and a
group of strangers must fight for survival
on a life raft deep in the ice-cold ocean
waters with limited supplies. Can she stay
alive until a rescue team arrives?
Man vs. Self, Man, Society, Nature?
Man vs. Nature Conflict
Ronny has won second place in the science fair
for the last two years, and Henry Wallace has
taken first. Ronny hated how Henry bragged
about how smart he was and how Henry always
told everyone that he would win first place every
year. This year, Ronny will stop at nothing to beat
Henry. He has even enlisted the help of his
neighbor who is a well known scientist at the local
university. Can Ronny and his scientist friend win
against the undefeated Henry at this year's
science fair?
Man vs. Self, Man, Society, Nature?
Man vs. Man Conflict
Beth wanted to look just like the famous pop star
Lady Goo-goo, so she went to the hair stylist and
requested a drastic new haircut, one that
required her shaving half of her head. When she
left the hair stylist, it looked pretty good, but now
it is the morning of a school day and she finds
that she cannot recreate the look. Can Beth pull
off the Lady Goo-goo look? Will she be able to
muster the courage to go to school if she
cannot?
Man vs. Self, Man, Society, Nature?
Man vs. Self Conflict
Jason has moved to the Oklahoma territory in
hopes of starting a new and better life for his family
as a farmer. There's just one problem: Jason can't
get any crops to grow on his land. He's tried using
fertilizers, rotating crops, and praying, but the land
remains barren. Just as Jason's dream is about to
end, he is assisted by a Native American medicine
man who teaches Jason how to properly nurture
his crops on this land, but is it too late?
Character vs. Self, Man, Society, Nature?
Character vs. Nature Conflict