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