Literary conflicts are another major element often taught during ELA units. Building on prior knowledge to achieve mastery level with our students is important. An excellent way to focus on the various types of literary conflict is through storyboarding. Having students choose an example of each literary conflict and depict it using the storyboard creator is a great way to reinforce your lesson!
In The Outsiders, conflict is not only present, but it is also a major recurring element. Much of the conflict that arises stems from the conflicts between gangs.
Ponyboy's inability to understand the violence around him, and his struggle to find strength in the face of adversity.
Even when Johnny and Ponyboy save the children from the church fire, they are not accepted by society. As Mr. Wood rides with them to the hospital, he judges and condemns them because of their gang affiliation. His prejudice upsets Ponyboy and sets him against traditional society.
Socs vs. Greasers!
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that shows at least three forms of literary conflict in The Outsiders.
The first thing you should do is to give some whole class instruction on the types of conflicts found in literature and how they work. Students will need this firm understanding as they begin their own analysis of literary conflict.
As a class, model the process of finding a conflict in the story and giving examples. For instance, you might explain the Person vs. Self conflict of Ponyboy trying to decide if he should run away with Johnny or not. This will give students the skills they need to find conflicts in the story themselves.
Allow students to find and explain their own conflict in the story. There are many to choose from. They will find an example, draw it out, create speech bubbles, and write a brief description. The act of creation will cement their learning.
There are several conflicts in literature that keep coming to the forefront: Person vs. Person, Person vs. Self, Person vs. Society, Person vs. Nature, and Person vs. Technology are all typical conflicts found int adolescent literature.
The literary conflict in a story is extremely important, as it moves the action of the story along. When a character has an altercation with another character, or is fighting to find her place in society, then the story unfolds to help her find a solution to the conflict.
Because of the way the gangs struggle against each other in this story, Person vs. Society is a prominent conflict as both the Socials and the Greasers struggle to find their way in the world.