Conflict

Mrs. Fisher

Conflict

• Conflict:– A struggle between opposing forces– Characters in conflict form the basis for

novels, short stories, and plays.• Two kinds of conflict:

– Internal– External

Every story worth reading has a conflict.

If there is no conflict, there is no tension.

Some stories has multiple conflicts.

Conflict

• External Conflicts:– The main character struggles against an

outside force.• Man vs. Man• Man vs. Nature• Man vs. Society• Man vs. Machine/Technology• Man vs. The Unknown/Supernatural

Man vs. Man

• An example of an External Conflict – Two characters fighting against each other or

a group of people

Examples

• Two girls compete for the same role in the school play.

• A ninja warrior fights a rival clan to avenge his master's death.

Man vs. Man

• Popular examples include:– Coyote vs. Road

Runner– Superman vs. Lex

Luther– Batman vs. Joker– Austin Powers vs. Dr.

Evil

Man vs. Nature

• Another example of an External Conflict– Individuals fighting against nature…

• The elements of nature– Weather– Wilderness– Flood– Hurricane/Tornado– Etc

• Illness• Aging

Man vs. Nature

• Survivor– On this popular television

show, individuals are forced to survive in the wilderness. Contestants are given the bare essentials for survival, and they must survive the weather, harsh conditions, and occasionally animals.

Man vs. Nature

• Other popular examples include:– Hatchet– Lost– The Cay– Cast Away

Man vs. Technology

• An example of an External Conflict – Places characters against machines or robotic

forces with artificial intelligence

Examples

• A group of strangers gets stuck in an elevator.

• A teenage boy is pursued by robots from space that transform into cars.

Man vs. Technology

• I Robot• Set in a future Earth (2035

A.D.) where robots are common assistants and workers for their human owners, this is the story of "robotophobic" Chicago Police Detective Del Spooner's investigation into the murder of Dr. Alfred Lanning, who works at U.S. Robotics, in which a robot, Sonny , appears to be implicated.

Man vs. Unknown/Supernatural

• Is considered an External Conflict but usually prompts an Internal Conflict by raising questions– This conflict encompasses:

• Man vs. Supernatural• Man vs. God

– Usually prompts Man vs. Self conflict of either fear or indecisiveness.

– In multiple cases it can produce joy– Can have devastating effects

Man vs. Unknown/Supernatural

Examples

•A boy wizard must use his powers to protect his community from evil monsters.

•A group of teenagers sleep in a haunted house and begin disappearing one by one.

Man vs. The Unknown/Supernatural

• Scooby Doo:– In this cartoon, Scooby and

the gang are always in conflict with a supernatural being of some sort (or so they think).

– After catching the “ghost”, the gang always finds out that the “ghost” is really a human.

• At the end of each episode, this Man vs. The Unkown conflict turns into what other type of conflict?

Man vs. Society

• A type of External Conflict that centers around a main character’s struggle with social traditions, laws, institutions or society as a whole.

Examples

• A student takes his fight against the school dress code all the way to the Supreme Court.

• A group of students protest in front of a university known for its unfair and racially motivated admission practices.

Man vs. Society

• Examples include:– The Wave– The Hunger Games– The Giver– Divergent

Conflict

• Internal Conflict– Involves a character in conflict with himself or

herself. The struggle takes place within the character’s mind often as the character chooses between two courses of action.

Examples

• A young man goes through hard times after losing his father in a car accident.

• An Olympic athlete pushes his performance to the limit despite his physical disability

Man vs. Self

• The Water Boy:– Bobby Bouche, a

sheltered “mama’s boy”, battles with himself over whether to disobey his mother and play football or obey his mother and remain the water boy for the team.

Overview of Conflict Types

1. Person vs. Person

2. Person vs. Self

3. Person vs. Society

4. Person vs. Nature

5. Person vs. Supernatural/Unknown

6. Person vs. Technology

Practice

Read each description, identify the type of conflict.

Example

An archeologist attempts to escape a hidden temple overrun by a vampire army.

Conflict Type: Person vs. Supernatural

1

An elderly man struggles to learn how to use his new phone.

2

Two boxers who were formerly friends compete for the championship belt.

3

A young woman fights to gain admittance in an elite prep school that was only for boys.

4

A group of colonists struggle to survive the winter in a strange land

5

A students struggles against the urge to procrastinate and play video games rather than to do his homework.

6

• A small group of human survivors resist a conquering robot army.

7

• Two former friends compete for the same scholarship.

8

• A young boy digs a hole in his backyard and finds a gateway to another dimension, one which is filled with monsters.

9

• A team of artic fisherman struggle to survive after they are shipwrecked.

10

• An African American man challenges the practices of racial profiling and police brutality in his community.