English
Conflict and Theme
About this Lesson
Students who are just beginning to understand the process of literary analysis sometimes
mistake paraphrase for analysis, focusing on what happens in the story rather than on why it
happens. Focusing on the conflict that occurs in a novel, play, or short story can be the key
to helping students determine the theme or the insight about the human condition that the
work conveys. Literary works move from the concrete to the abstract, taking the careful
reader from what happens in the text to the universal observations the writer makes about
the world and the human condition. (On AP* exams, this concept is often referred to as
“the meaning of the work as a whole.”)
This lesson is included in Module 8: Determining the Underlying Meaning.
Objectives
Students will
 complete a graphic organizer that links conflict with theme.
 write a thematic statement.
T E A C H E R
Level
Grades Six through Ten
Connection to Common Core Standards for English Language Arts
LTF® Foundation Lessons are designed to be used across grade levels and therefore are aligned
to the CCSS Anchor Standards. Teachers should consult their own grade-level-specific
Standards. The activities in this lesson allow teachers to address the following Common Core
Standards:
Explicitly addressed in this lesson
Code
Standard
R.1
R.2
R.3
W.9
Read closely to determine what the text says
explicitly and to make logical inferences from it.
Cite specific textual evidence when writing or
speaking to support conclusions drawn from the
text.
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and
analyze their development; summarize the key
supporting details and ideas.
Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas
develop and interact over the course of a text.
Draw evidence from literary or informational texts
to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Level of
Thinking
Understand
Depth of
Knowledge
III
Analyze
III
Analyze
III
Analyze
III
AP* is a trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board.
The College Entrance Examination Board was not involved in the production of this material.
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
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Teacher Overview—Conflict and Theme
Implicitly addressed in this lesson
Code
Standard
L.1
L.2
W.2
W.10
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English grammar and usage when writing
or speaking.
Demonstrate command of the conventions of
standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and
convey complex ideas and information clearly and
accurately through the effective selection,
organization, and analysis of content.
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for
research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time
frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range
of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Level of
Thinking
Understand
Depth of
Knowledge
I
Understand
I
Create
III
Apply
III
Remember
Understand
Close Reading
Levels of Thinking
Apply
Analyze
Grammar
Evaluate
Create
Composition
written, spoken, and visual texts
purposeful use of language for effect
written, spoken, and visual products
Reading Strategies
Determining Author’s
Purpose
Determining Main Idea
Generalization
Inference
Literary Elements
Plot
conflict
Theme
Types (modes)
Expository
analytical
The Process of Composition
PrewritingStructural
Elements
Body
incorporation of quotes
Connections to AP*
Question 3 on the AP Literature and Composition exam requires students to analyze a major
work of fiction (novel, drama, or epic poem) in reference to some specific element of the text
and how that element reveals the meaning of the work as a whole. Practice with connecting the
concrete events of the text with an abstract meaning can prepare students for this task.
*Advanced Placement and AP are registered trademarks of the College Entrance Examination Board. The College
Board was not involved in the production of this material.
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
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T E A C H E R
LTF Skill Focus
The foundation for LTF English lessons is the Skill Progression Chart that identifies key skills
for each domain, beginning with grade 6 and adding more complex skills at each subsequent
grade level while reinforcing skills introduced at previous grade levels. The Skill Focus for each
individual lesson identifies the skills actually addressed in that lesson.
Teacher Overview—Conflict and Theme
Materials and Resources
 copies of the graphic organizer
Assessments
The following kinds of formative assessments are embedded in this lesson:
 graphic organizer
 written thematic statements
Teaching Suggestions
Teachers should review the types of conflict that occur in fictional literature.
Teachers should thoroughly explain the link between conflict and theme as well as the
difference between a thematic idea and a thematic statement. (See the first page of the
student handout.)
Students should examine carefully the sample chart in which “Ozymandias” is used as an
example to demonstrate the link between the conflict that appears in a text, a thematic idea,
and a universal statement of theme (thematic statement).
T E A C H E R
Ask students, in groups or pairs, to examine a selection previously read and then complete
the chart. Remind students that stories can contain several different kinds of conflict; they
should choose one to examine for the purposes of the assignment. They should list major
events, determine conflicts drawn from those events, choose one conflict that reveals a
thematic idea, write a statement on the thematic idea, and then identify the universal
meaning of the work as a whole as it has been expressed in the thematic statement.
After completing the chart and participating in class discussions on the differences between
conflicts and thematic ideas and statements of universal meaning, students can move into
writing an essay of analysis on a text previously studied. The chart serves as a generator of
ideas and as a pre-writing activity.
Answers
Answers for this lesson are subjective and will vary. To obtain the maximum benefit of the
lesson, ask students to go beyond the expected responses.
Copyright © 2012 Laying the Foundation®, Inc., Dallas, TX. All rights reserved. Visit us online at www.ltftraining.org.
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English
Conflict and Theme
Theme, or the relationship between a text and the human experience, is often revealed through a
tension or conflict between two forces in a work of fiction. Basically, six types of conflict
dominate the world of fiction:






Human beings in conflict with nature
Human beings in conflict with one another
Human beings in conflict with themselves
Human beings in conflict with society or the law
Human beings in conflict with fate
Two universal forces in conflict (good and evil, passion and reason, vengeance and
compassion, etc.)
Often fictional texts involve more than one of these conflicts. Just as in real life, conflict in a
work of imaginative literature can teach us truths about what it means to be human. If a reader
can determine at least one of the conflicts that a work contains, he or she can often find in it the
means to uncover a universal theme.
Below are definitions of terminology commonly used when discussing theme. Many students
confuse thematic ideas with thematic statements. Consistency will help students clarify the
concepts dealing with theme. The major idea that students need to come to understand is that
theme (which is an abstract idea) is created/revealed through the conflict (which is concrete—
what do the characters experience in the text?). When we discuss and write about theme, we are
examining the ways that every element of the text is linked to the insight about life that the work
reveals.
Definition of Terms:
 Conflict: the tension or struggle between forces

Specific Thematic Idea: an abstract idea (can be expressed in one or two words )the
author explores through the plot and characters. See the list of thematic ideas.

Thematic statement: a complete, declarative statement that reveals what the author is
trying to communicate about the human experience through his/her literary work. One
way to explain this to students is to ask the question: “What does this piece of literature
(the thematic idea).
have to say about
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Student Resource—Conflict and Theme
Determining Conflicts and Universal Theme Statement (Example)
As you can see by the chart, the major events of the plot remind us of the conflicts, and identifying one important conflict suggests a
thematic idea from which a thematic statement can be developed.
CONCRETE
ABSTRACT
Title
Major Events
List of Conflicts One Important
Specific
Thematic Statement
Conflict
Thematic Idea
(complete sentence)
(word or phrase)
“Ozymandias” The speaker
human beings in human beings
In his poem “Ozymandias,” Percy
the power of
recounts a
conflict with
in conflict with nature
Shelley explores the arrogance of the
conversation with nature
nature
ancient ruler Ozymandias in
someone who has
opposition to nature, revealing that.
seen the ruin of a human beings in
despite the power that man accrues
monumental
conflict with
throughout his life, it will never be
statue in “an
themselves
enough to outlast or defeat the power
ancient land.”
of nature, which is eternal and
invincible.
The pedestal of
the statue bears
the boastful words
of the ancient
king Ozymandias,
and the statue
itself shows him
to have been a
cruel, arrogant
ruler.
Example: From “Ozymandias”
Conflict: human beings in conflict with nature
Specific Thematic Idea: the power of nature
Thematic statement: Despite the power that man accrues throughout his life, it will never be enough to outlast or defeat the power of
nature, which is eternal and invincible
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Student Resource—Conflict and Theme
Applying Your Knowledge of Conflict and Theme
Choose a work of fiction or a poem that you have studied in class and, using the chart, follow these steps:
 List the major events or significant quotations.
 Identify the conflicts stemming from those major events.
 Choose one conflict.
 Write a specific thematic idea (word or phrase) linked to the conflict.
 Write a thematic statement.
Title
CONCRETE
Major Events
List of Conflicts
One Important
Conflict
ABSTRACT
Specific Thematic
Thematic Statement
Idea
(complete sentence)
(word or phrase)
Conflict:
Specific thematic idea:
Thematic statement:
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