Story Conflict - BrainPop UK
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00:17Tough crowd, eh?
00:19🎵
00:20Well, if you want some feedback...
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00:23Fine.
00:24But the thing is, your story was just a recap of your nice day in the park.
00:30You had a nice walk, you ate a nice lunch...
00:33Where's the drama, man?
00:38Dear Nat and Moby,
00:40Our teacher told us that all good stories have conflict.
00:44Why?
00:45From Miss Siegel's class.
00:47How about that?
00:49I was just gonna give Moby the same advice.
00:52Stories are all about problems and how characters face them.
00:56A.K.A. conflict.
00:58It's often a challenge faced by the main character or protagonist.
01:04Conflict is a big part of what draws us into a story and holds our interest.
01:11It drives the action of the plot, the sequence of events.
01:16During the rising action, the conflict escalates, testing the protagonist.
01:22At the climax, the plot's turning point, the conflict peaks.
01:29After that, the story usually winds down to a resolution, when the conflict gets solved.
01:35We also get to see how the protagonist has changed from their experiences.
01:40There are a few main types of conflict, and...
01:47I was working the sportsbeat for the school paper when I got an anonymous tip.
01:52They told me something was fishy about our kickball team's win in the regional championship.
01:57It wouldn't say more over the phone, so we met someplace private.
02:01They had the goods all right, photos of a co-sponsor of the championship,
02:07They had the goods all right, photos of a cozy little dinner between our team's captain and the referee.
02:15This was a huge story, but did I dare report it out?
02:18The captain was my friend.
02:21But what about my responsibility to the truth?
02:26Oof, poor guy.
02:28Tim is dealing with an internal conflict, also known as person versus self.
02:34Because the struggle, to report the story or keep it quiet, is going on inside him.
02:40Lots of emotions are wrapped up in an internal conflict.
02:43Tim's obvious passion for journalism versus his loyalty to a friend.
02:48His excitement about breaking a big story versus his care for another person.
02:54I can totally relate, so I can't wait to hear what happens.
03:00Oops, I missed the resolution.
03:05First, you gotta understand.
03:08My sister steals everything from me.
03:11My clothes, my school stuff, my snacks.
03:14But the day she stole my BFF and my bike, I decided enough is enough.
03:21The time had come to kick my sister out of the family.
03:26So, Rita's dealing with an external conflict.
03:30It takes place outside of her.
03:33It's the person versus person type since, duh, it involves her and another person.
03:39Rita's sister's the antagonist.
03:41The person pitted against the protagonist.
03:44As the sisters duke it out, the tension rises and we wonder who will prevail.
03:50Shhh.
03:52Looks like I got myself an antagonist too.
04:00Rats, now we'll never know if she really banished her sister.
04:05I alone survived to tell the tale of woe and horror you're about to hear.
04:11For I had booked passage on the world's largest ocean liner.
04:15They said old King Neptune himself couldn't sink her.
04:20But on that calm, clear night in the North Atlantic, we faced a deadlier foe.
04:26An iceberg, cold and pitiless, tore through our starboard flank like a harpoon through jello.
04:33The love of my life and I hit the icy waters, suddenly staring death in the face.
04:39Rip off.
04:43I know, I've seen this movie too.
04:46Anyway, this is a type of external conflict called person versus nature.
04:51The protagonist is challenged to survive an animal or a force of nature.
04:56Say, a tornado or an iceberg.
04:59Uh, sure, a swarm of angry bees fits.
05:03Near, far, wherever you-
05:10Yeesh, Cassie stumbled into some serious conflict.
05:16The audience does not approve of her ripping off one of the most famous movies of all time.
05:22It's the external conflict known as person versus society.
05:27That's when someone takes an action that goes against a larger group.
05:32Often it sheds light on a societal problem or critiques a rule or expectation.
05:38Like, take the Hunger Games trilogy.
05:41Katniss, the protagonist, competes in a contest where kids fight to the death on live TV.
05:48She uses her fame to reveal the corruption and injustice of the system.
05:53This sparks a revolution to overthrow the government.
05:58True, there's also a person versus person conflict in the actual competition.
06:03And plenty of person versus self conflict as Katniss struggles with tough choices.
06:09Great stories often include more than one kind of conflict.
06:13Like, in Gary Paulsen's novel, Hatchet, there's a person versus nature conflict.
06:19After his plane crashes, Brian has to survive on his own in the wilderness.
06:24Plus, he has to deal with his mixed feelings over his parents' divorce.
06:29A person versus self conflict.
06:33Yeah, conflict is one story element.
06:36Others are plot, character, and setting.
06:40They're the threads writers use to knit stories together.
06:44In a great story, all the elements work together to communicate the theme.
06:49That's the central message.
06:51It connects the story's events to bigger ideas.
06:55The conflict plays a big role in helping us understand the theme.
06:59Like in Hatchet, Brian's struggle isn't only about surviving in nature.
07:04It's about finding inner strength and self-reliance.
07:08A story's theme can give us insight into our own experiences as well as others.
07:14Most of us haven't had to fend for ourselves in the wilderness.
07:18But we've all faced challenges in new settings.
07:22Times where we've had to draw on our own inner strength to endure.
07:27Totally.
07:28Conflict is a great place to start when you're writing your own stories.
07:32Think about what type or types of conflict your protagonist will face.
07:37And how you'll build a plot around that.
07:40And how it'll force the character to grow and change.
07:49Set out for a picnic.
07:52Not a cloud in the sky.
07:54Suddenly a swarm.
07:56What is it with you and angry bees?