ConflictA clash between opposing forces

Two main types: internal and external

Examples: man vs. man; man vs. nature, man vs. self

Internal Conflict

• A psychological conflict within the central character• The resolution of this conflict creates the plot’s suspense

External Conflict• The struggle between a character and an outside force (human or inhuman)• This conflict drives the dramatic action of the plot

Most news stories detail external forms of conflict

External Conflict

ConnotationThe interpretive level of a word based on its

associated images rather than its literal meaning

This pretty much explains it

Connotation

• A gradual switch is taking place; “Native American” is being replaced with “American Indian.”

• “Native” is associated with what connotations?

Convention

A traditional aspect of a literary work

Example: a soliloquy in a Shakespearean play or a tragic hero in a Greek tragedy