It is a problem or struggle.
While you can have conflicts in your
own life, there are conflicts in
literature as well.
What are some conflicts in your own
life?
In literature there are five main
ways we identify conflicts:
Man vs. Man
Man vs. self
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Machine (Technology)
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Man
 Man
vs. man is a conflict between two
different characters in a book
Example: In A Matter of Trust, Darcy
Wills has a conflict with Brisana
Meeks over Darcy’s new friends
Tara and Cooper.
Man vs. Self
 Man
vs. Himself is a conflict inside a
character’s mind. They are struggling to
make a decision. This is sometimes called
an internal conflict.
Example: In The Gun, Tyray Hobbs wants
revenge and has an internal conflict about
whether or not to use the gun.
Man vs. Nature
 Man
vs. Nature is a conflict between a
character and the world around them. This
can include hurricanes and other natural
disasters.
Example: In Touching Spirit Bear, Cole
Matthews has a struggle with nature
when he has to live in isolation from
people.
Man vs. Technology
 Man
vs. Technology is a conflict between a
character and man-made objects.
Technology can include robots, bombs, and
computers.
Example: In The Diary of Anne Frank,
Anne is living in hiding. While there are
many conflicts she encounters, one of
them is the bombings of the war that
threaten to expose her family every day.
Man vs. Society
 Man
vs. Society is a conflict between a
character and the world he/she lives in.
 Many true stories about human rights
struggles are man vs. society conflicts.
Example: Martin Luther King Jr. became
a great leader in the fight against
society’s belief that all men were not
created equal.
Let’s Review!
How many types of conflict in
literature did we learn today?
What are they?
Identify the conflicts in the following examples.
Man vs. Man
 Jim
and Mac disagreed about where they
should take the dog they found.
Man vs. Nature
 Carly
struggled to walk through the hot,
blowing sand.
Man vs. Technology
 Mrs.
Tucker was upset that her lesson was
ruined when the projector would not work.
Man. Vs. Self
 Sarah
couldn't decide what to do that
night. Should she study or should she go
out?
Man vs. Nature
 In
the high winds, the crew was barely
able to keep the ship from tilting sideways.
Man vs. Society
 Helen
Keller had to prove that she was
intelligent in spite of her disabilities. She
was deaf and blind, but still went to
college.
Man vs. Self
 Hector
thought, "Why did I ever agree to
be in this play? I'll never have the nerve to
act in front of an audience."
Man vs. Man
 After
MaryAnne's brother had teased her
about being afraid, she had decided to
climb the cliff.
Man vs. Technology
 On
the way to Grandma’s house, the
Martin family car got a flat tire, and
everyone had to get out and walk.
Man vs. Technology
 Mrs.
Peterson, the secretary, was getting
frustrated with the copy machine when it
started shooting out blank copies.
Man vs. Self
 All
the way home, Jeffrey felt angry with
himself. "Why couldn't he open his mouth
at a party? Why was he always so shy?"
Man vs. Nature
 The
Earthquake in Italy killed 1500 people
and left 10,000 homeless.
Man vs. Society
 Nelson
Mandela fought to end apartheid in
South Africa.
The End