conflict and theme
TRANSCRIPT
Of Mice and MenLiterary Terms and Concepts
ConflictConflictExternal and Internal
◦External conflict happens outside of a person
◦Internal conflict happens inside of a person
Internal ConflictInternal ConflictMan vs. Self
◦An individual struggles with a decision Example: A student has access to the
answers on an important final exam. She knows she would get away with it if she were to cheat, however, she would also have to deal with feelings of regret if she stole the answers.
External ConflictExternal ConflictMan vs. Man
◦A character has an argument or disagreement with someone else Example: During lunch today, a fight
broke out in the cafeteria.
External ConflictExternal ConflictMan vs. Nature
◦A character has a problem with outside forces Example: The tornado destroyed the
small town in a matter of minutes.
External ConflictExternal ConflictMan vs. Society
◦A character disagrees with societal values, laws, or beliefs Example: During the Civil Rights
movement, blacks were often not allowed the same rights as whites.
ThemeThemeThe view about life and how
people behaveMust be inferredExamples: Honesty, Family, etc…
MoodMoodThe atmosphere created by the
writer◦Example: The party scene at the
beginning of the book brought out an energetic and cheerful mood.
ToneToneThe feeling the author has
toward the subject matterExample: If we were to read a
description of a date that included words like dreaded we would assume the author had a pessimistic tone.