Conflict
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
Conflict
• External Conflicts:
– The main character struggles against an
outside force.
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•
•
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Nature
Person vs. Unknown
Person vs. Society
Man vs. Man
• An example of an External Conflict
– Two characters fighting against each other
Man vs. Man
• Dodge Ball:
– In this film, Peter Le
Flure owns a gym, and
his arch enemy, White
Goodman, threatens
to take over Peter’s
failing business.
– The entire plot is
centered around the
Peter vs. White
conflict.
Man vs. Man
• Other popular
examples include:
– Wyle Coyote vs. Road
Runner
– “A Visit to
Grandmother’s”
– 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
– 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.
– What other types of conflict
do contestants on Survivor
face?
Man vs. Nature
• Other popular
examples include:
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–
–
–
Bruce Almighty
Hatchet
Lost
“With All Flags Flying”
Person vs. Unknown
• Is considered an External Conflict but
usually prompts an Internal Conflict by
raising questions
– This conflict encompasses:
• Man vs. Supernatural
• Man vs. God
Man vs. The Unknown
• 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 Person 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 or society as a whole.
– Society: a group of individuals living together
as a community.
Man vs. Society
• Shrek:
– In this film the protagonist,
a very sweet but physically
unattractive ogre, fights to
change the kingdom’s mind
about ogres…he wants
humans to see that ogres
aren’t all bad!
Man vs. Society
• Other examples
include:
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–
–
–
The Wave
Borat
“Two Friends”
Schindler’s List
Conflict
• Internal Conflict
– Involves a character in conflict with himself or
herself.
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.
Man vs. Self
• Other Examples:
– “Through the Tunnel”
– Tommy Boy
– George in Of Mice and
Men.
– Rocky in Rocky
Balboa (all six movies
center around Rocky’s
internal struggle)