WHAT IS CONFLICT??? A struggle between two opposing forces in a novel, short story, or play.

The main problem that gets the story underway.

Can you have a story without conflict?

WHAT ARE THE TWO TYPES OF CONFLICT?

Internal Conflictand

External Conflict

WHAT IS INTERNAL CONFLICT?

A problem that happens internally or within a single character; mentally or emotionally.

It can be an inner struggle to overcome fear, control anger, or to make a choice. All of which add tension within a character and within the story.

WHAT IS EXTERNAL CONFLICT? A physical struggle between a character and

an outside force.

Characters may face several types of outside forces. The outside force may be another character. It may be the character and the community. It may be the character and an illness. The outside force may also be forces of nature.

WHY IS CONFLICT IMPORTANT? Conflict is necessary to every story.

In short stories, there is usually one major conflict.

In longer stories, there could be several conflicts.

Conflict adds excitement and suspense to a story.

The conflict usually becomes clear at the beginning of a story. As the plot unfolds, the reader starts to

wonder what will happen next and how the characters will handle the situation.

EXAMPLES FROM LITERATURE

1) “The Three Little Pigs”

Pits characters against character – the pigs against the wolf

External Conflict

EXAMPLES FROM LITERATURE

2) Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

Pits character against fate – as Charlotte, the spider, saves Wilbur,

the pig, from slaughter.

External Conflict

EXAMPLES FROM LITERATURE

3) Hatchetby Gary Paulsen

Pits a 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

EXAMPLES FROM LITERATURE

4) Huckleberry Finnby Mark Twain

The character Tom Sawyer is pitted against society in his adventures as he tries to live outside of the rules of his

aunt and his community.

External Conflict

EXAMPLES FROM LITERATURE

5) Wrinkle in Timeby Madeleine L’Engle

One conflict the character Meg experiences is within herself when she has to decide what to believe about her

father, her adventures, and herself.

Internal Conflict

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

You will be numbered 1-8. Then you will rotate around the classroom to each of the conflicts. Groups will have 1-2 minutes to read and discuss their findings.

Classify them as one of the following:

A) Character vs. CharacterB) Character vs. Nature

C) Character vs. FateD) Character vs. Self (internal)

E) Character v. Society

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

Let’s grade your answer.

A) Character vs. CharacterB) Character vs. Nature

C) Character vs. FateD) Character vs. Self (internal)

E) Character v. Society

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

1) In Toy Story, Buzz and Woody experience a personality clash.

A. Character vs. Character

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

2) Mike and Sully go against the practices of the entire Monster race when they befriend a child in Monsters,Inc.

E. Character vs. Society

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

3) Chickens in Chicken Run attempt to escape from their farm so they will not be turned into chicken pot pies.

C. Character vs. Fate

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

4) A teenage boy in A Cry in the Wild crash-lands a plane in the Canadian wilderness.

B. Character vs. Nature

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

5) In Big Daddy, a young man must decide whether he can raise a child who appears on his doorstep.

D. Character vs. Self (internal conflict)

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

6) A team of Jamaican athletes must fight against an Olympic committee and a common belief held by their own people to become their country’s first bobsled team in Cool Runnings.

E. Character vs. Society

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

7) In Home Alone, a young boy takes on would-be robbers who enter his house.

A. Character vs. Character

CLASSIFYING CONFLICT ACTIVITY

8) A lawyer is conflicted about telling the truth in his business practices and personal life in the movie Liar Liar.

D. Character vs. Self (internal)

CREATING CONFLICTS ACTIVITY

Choose one or two characters and a setting from the list below. Then write a possible conflict to fit each conflict type.

Characters SettingsHorse Teacher Grocery Store FarmCow Student Campground StadiumParent Old Man Classroom Hawai’iChild Poor Woman Another Planet

City

Character Vs. Character

CREATING CONFLICTS ACTIVITY

Choose one or two characters and a setting from the list below. Then write a possible conflict to fit each conflict type.

Characters SettingsHorse Teacher Grocery Store FarmCow Student Campground StadiumParent Old Man Classroom Hawai’iChild Poor Woman Another Planet

City

Character Vs. Nature

CREATING CONFLICTS ACTIVITY

Choose one or two characters and a setting from the list below. Then write a possible conflict to fit each conflict type.

Characters SettingsHorse Teacher Grocery Store FarmCow Student Campground StadiumParent Old Man Classroom Hawai’iChild Poor Woman Another Planet

City

Character Vs. Fate

CREATING CONFLICTS ACTIVITY

Choose one or two characters and a setting from the list below. Then write a possible conflict to fit each conflict type.

Characters SettingsHorse Teacher Grocery Store FarmCow Student Campground StadiumParent Old Man Classroom Hawai’iChild Poor Woman Another Planet

City

Character Vs. Self

CREATING CONFLICTS ACTIVITY

Choose one or two characters and a setting from the list below. Then write a possible conflict to fit each conflict type.

Characters SettingsHorse Teacher Grocery Store FarmCow Student Campground StadiumParent Old Man Classroom Hawai’iChild Poor Woman Another Planet

City

Character Vs. Society