Encountering Conflict
- VCE Year 11-
Kent State University 1970
Definition:
Conflict:
verb (used without object)
1.
to come into collision or disagreement; be contradictory, at variance, or in opposition; clash: The account of
one eyewitness conflicted with that of the other. My class conflicts with my going to the concert.
2.
to fight or contend; do battle.
–noun
3.
a fight, battle, or struggle, esp. a prolonged struggle; strife.
4.
controversy; quarrel: conflicts between parties.
5.
discord of action, feeling, or effect; antagonism or opposition, as of interests or principles: a conflict of ideas.
6.
a striking together; collision.
7.
incompatibility or interference, as of one idea, desire, event, or activity with another: a conflict in the schedule.
8Psychiatry. a mental struggle arising from opposing demands or impulses
.
(conflict. (n.d.). The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Retrieved February 07, 2010, from Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/conflict)
What might be considered in the context Encountering conflict?








international conflict such as war, and conflict over resources or land
national conflict, such as civil unrest/war, for example in Sri Lanka, the Sudan or Egypt
socio-political conflict, for example, union protest against the Federal Government’s Industrial Relations legislation
cross-cultural conflict, for example the conflict at Cronulla beach
local community conflict, for example between developers and local residents
neighbourhood conflict, such as disputes over boundaries, pets, noise
family conflict, for example over decisions about migration, or adolescent and parent issues regarding money,
independence, homework
personal conflict, such as the decisions faced by adolescents each day in relation to peer groups, study and career
choices
‘Encountered’ suggests that students should also be thinking about the ways in which society and the individual is affected
by conflict: how people react to it, how they respond to it, how they cope with it, what they say about it. (VCE English Unit 3 &
4, VCAA 2007)
word ‘
Keywords:
Below are a few examples of novels that explore encountering conflict in different situations. There
are many more titles that are available for borrowing that can be searched in the library catalogue
via …..
To search for titles, simply use the following keywords;
Cultural
revolutions
e.g.
Chinese Revolution
Conflict + specific topic e.g.
Conflict- Afghanistan
Specific wars/revolutions e.g.
Vietnam, War on Terrorism, WW1,
WW2
Social conflict – fiction
Religious conflict
Racial Conflict/Racism
Civil Rights
Culture conflict
Acculturation (assimilation)
Social prejudice
Family conflict
Family relations
Riots
War
Battle
Factionalism
Personal conflict
Novels that explore ‘Encountering Conflict’
Gravity – Scott Gardner
 Family conflict
 Family relationships
 Anger
 Personal conflict
All that I Am – Anna Funder
 Cultural conflict
 Jews in Germany pre-WW1
Charles Dickens – all novels
North and South; Wives and Daughter - Elizabeth
Gaskell
 Social Life and customes
 Social conflicts
 Personal conflicts
 Social prejudice
 Change
 Challenges the role and expected
behaviours of women in 19th century England
Charles Dickens was one of the forefathers of demonstrating the
conflict between the social classes of England. Although his novels
are set in the late 1800’s, his themes are still relevant to today’s
society. David Copperfield and Bleak House are wonderful
examples of encountering conflict between family members and
socio economic groups.
North and South depicts the conflict that arose between the industrial
revolution of the North and the wealthy South and the birth of unionism.
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China – Jung
Chan
 Cultural revolution (China)
 Conflict of change
 Generational Conflict
The Crucible – Arthur Miller
 Beliefs – conflict
 Society conflict
 Witch hunts
Divided City – Theresa Breslin


Race relations
Religious conflict
The Slap – Christos Tsiolkas
 Family relations
 Conflict
 21st century social life and customs
*The language in this novel is very confronting
Jasper Jones – Craig Silvey
 Adolescents in Australia
 Racism
 Human relations
 Personal conflict
Burial Rites  Cultural conflict
 Social expectations
Two boys witness and experience conflict between Catholics,
Protestants and Muslims.
Where the Wild Things are – Maurice Sendak
(picture storybook)


Values – conflict
Human relations
Obernwytn Chronicles – Isobelle
Carmody
 Fantasy
 Human realtions
 Conflict of beliefs
 War
Winter Girls – Laurie Halse Anderson
 Personal conflict/Anorexa
 Friendships
 Self-discovery
1984; Chocolate War; I am the Cheese –
Robert Cormier
 Secret societies
 Personal conflict
 Self-perception
 Values- conflict
The Rabbits – John Marsden (picture storybook)
 Cultural conflict
 Environmental change
 Invasion
 Racial conflict (Aborigines/white
Australians)
All Quiet on the Western Front – Erich Maria
Remarqe
 World War 2
 Personal Conflict
Tomorrow Series – John Marsden
 Australian attitudes
 War
 Adolescents
 Survival
Malcolm X: A revolutionary voice –
Beatrice Gormley (Biography)
 Racial conflict
 Hatred
 Civil rights
Poetry & Song:
Below are some poets and poems that express their personal conflict within war and governments from World War 1 to
the current military conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Wilfred Owen http://www.world-war-pictures.com/war-poet-wilfred-owen.htm
Seigfried Sassoon http://www.radix.net/~bbrown/sassoon.html
War poets from ww1 to today. http://www.warpoetry.co.uk/.
Soldiers attack politicians An article worth reading. The poem appears at the bottom of the site
Songs
Sunday, Bloody Sunday (U2) http://www.macphisto.net/u2lyrics/Sunday_Bloody_Sunday.html
U2 contrast the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre with Easter Sunday, a peaceful day Protestants and Catholics both celebrate.
Jesus Walks (Kanye West) http://www.songlyrics.com/kanye-west/jesus-walks-lyrics/
To Her Door (Paul Kelly)
Talking About a Revolution (Tracy Chapman)
Another Brick in the Wall (Pink Floyd)
Killing in the Name (Rage against the Machine)
Where the Streets have no Name (U2)
Buffalo Soldier (Bob Marley)
Anna’s Song (Silver Chair)
I was Only Nineteen (Red Gum)
The Lonesome death of Hattie Caroll (Bob Dylan)
Movies:
American Beauty
Rabbit Proof Fence
Babel
East of Eden
Ordinary People
The Notebook
The Outsiders
State of Play
Blood Diamond
Parenthood
Real life conflicts:
Culture and conflict
http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/culture_conflict/
An excellent article defining what constitutes a culture and how conflict arises.
Cronulla Riots
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2006/s1588360.htm
On the right hand side are links to interview transcripts and video with government leaders and
participants.
Social conflict in China essay on the Chinese social revolution.
France burqa ban
(http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&q=france+burqa+ban&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=RiRqS_ZPMqIkAXg1Jy2DQ&sa=X&oi=news_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQsQQwAA)
Articles discussing the current ban of burqas in France.
Religion and war
http://www.religioustolerance.org/curr_war.htm
Thatcher and the garbage strikes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6729683.stm
This site contains firsthand accounts of people who experienced the Thatcher years; a decade of strikes,
electricity shortages and piles of rotting garbage left on the sidewalks as the unions revolted against
government policies. Included in the site is a link to the music scene of the 70s. Many of the bands (The
Clash, Sex Pistols) used music to express their anger against how the young working class were treated.
Conflict Word Wall