1. Conflicts in literature

2. Terms to Know
Conflict-the struggle, or problem, between two forces in a story
External conflict-in literature, a struggle between the protagonist and another character against nature or some outside force
Internal conflict-a struggle that a character has with him or herself
Protagonist-the main character in a story
Anti-hero-a type of protagonist who has negative character traits that keeps him or her from being a hero
Antagonist-the main character or force that is in conflict with the protagonist

3. Character vs. character
Conflicts
Internal Conflicts
External Conflicts
Character vs. character
Character vs. Society
Character vs. self
Character vs. Nature

4. (character or force in conflict
Characters
Protagonist
(main character)
Antagonist
(character or force in conflict
with main character)
Hero
Anti-Hero
Nature
Another character

5. Types of Conflicts Character vs. Character Character vs. Self
Character vs. Nature
Character vs. Society

6. Character vs. Character
Two characters within the story have a conflict, or problem
Protagonist vs. Antagonist
Example: In the book BANG!, Mann is in conflict with his father. Mann’s father wants him to attend school, but Mann skips school.

7. Character vs. Self
The main character, or protagonist, experiences some kind of internal conflict
Example: In the story BANG!, Mann has to decide if he will begin smoking cigarettes and marijuana. He knows it is wrong, but wants to do something to feel better about the death of Jason.

8. Character Vs. Nature
The main character, or protagonist, is in conflict with nature
Example: Shelly, a person who lives in Munster, IN, recently lost all of her belongings in the recent flood.

9. Character vs. Society
The main character, or protagonist, is in conflict with a larger group: a community, neighborhood, society, etc.
Example: Martin Luther King Jr. fought against society as he tried to obtain equal rights for all

10. Practice 1 Read each scenario and respond to the question(s) that follow. (You may click on each type of conflict to review the definition.)
Mrs. Miller went to the store to buy some chips. When she got to the store, she discovered that she did not have enough money, so she thought about stealing the chips. Which type of conflict is Mrs. Miller experiencing?
Character vs. Character
Character vs. self
Character vs. nature
Character vs. society
(Hit the spacebar to reveal the correct answer.)

11. Practice 2 Read each scenario and respond to the question(s) that follow. (You may click on each type of conflict to review the definition.)
Mrs. Jazyk is tired of paying so much money for gas, so she is trying to persuade the gas companies to lower gas prices. Which type of conflict is Mrs. Jazyk experiencing?
Character vs. Character
Character vs. self
Character vs. nature
Character vs. society

12. Practice 3 Read each scenario and respond to the question(s) that follow. (You may click on each type of conflict to review the definition.)
Ms. McMahon and Mr. Noel have an ongoing argument about who has the best homeroom class. They try to compete with one another to prove that their homeroom is the best. Which type of conflict is Ms. McMahon experiencing?
Character vs. Character
Character vs. self
Character vs. nature
Character vs. society

13. Practice 4 Read each scenario and respond to the question(s) that follow. (You may click on each type of conflict to review the definition.)
Mrs. Miller’s husband’s grandparents were living in Florida. One day, a hurricane passed through the state and they lost their home. Which type of conflict did they experience?
Character vs. Character
Character vs. self
Character vs. nature
Character vs. society