Student Name:
Due Date: August 11, 2015
The first unit of 8th grade English will be a study of The Outsiders. In order to be prepared for
this first unit and the assignments and assessments that accompany it, you will need to have
completed this pre-requisite assignment.
Please purchase a copy of The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, ISBN 978-0142407332. This will need to
be a physical copy that you own so that you can write in the book and turn it in as part of your
grade.
Step 1: Read and complete the Conflict Definition Worksheet.
Step 2: Read The Outsiders and annotate for conflict in your book. Here’s what I mean by
“annotate”: As you read, you will underline and label all the examples you find of the 4 main
types of conflict. Use these abbreviations:
MvM
= Man vs. Man
MvSoc
= Man vs. Society
MvN
= Man vs. Nature
MvSelf
= Internal conflict/Man vs. self
* Please make sure you do a good job of marking these types of conflict in your
book and bring your book to school every day for the first two weeks of school.
You will be graded on your annotations, and the quality of annotations will also
impact how well you can complete the assignments during our first unit.
Step 3: Complete the Conflict in The Outsiders Worksheet
1
Read and highlight the following definitions. Use this information to help you fill in the
blanks on the next page.
Conflict- The struggle between opposing forces in a story or play.
Types of conflict:
1. External conflict occurs when a character struggles against some outside force. There are three main types of
external conflict:
a. Man vs. Man- A character struggles against another character. Man vs. Man conflict is the typical
protagonist vs. antagonist conflict and is present in the classic “good guy” vs. “bad guy” plots.
Example: Carrie and her sister are fighting over who gets to sit in the front seat.
b. Man vs. Nature- A character (or group of characters) struggles against a force of nature, which would
include natural disasters, problems living in the wilderness, and animal attacks. It can also include things like
injury or illness. Often in Man vs. Nature conflicts, the character is struggling to survive.
Example: Polly is stranded in the scorching hot desert and only has a bottle of water and seven raisins.
c. Man vs. Society- a character (or group of characters) struggles against the the culture or social systems he
or she lives in. In this type of conflict, the society becomes its own character in a way. The protagonist may
be violating social norms or the values of his/her society. Often this character is fighting for rights, wants to
change the society, or is passionate about a social cause. The author often uses this kind of conflict to
criticize the flaws of his or her actual society.
Example: Mary lives in a society that doesn’t allow girls to receive an education. She creates a secret school
for girls that meets in the basement of her house.
d. Other types- Sometimes readers may find other types of external conflict that are less common: Man vs.
Supernatural Beings (where the character is in opposition to God/gods, ghosts, aliens, etc), Man vs. Fate
(where the character fights against his destiny) or Man vs. Technology (where the character is in conflict
with some type of machine)
2. Internal Conflict: This type of conflict is also called Man vs. Self. The character struggles with himself/herself.
The conflict takes place within the mind of the character, and it’s usually related to uncertainty about a decision
or having mixed feelings about a topic. The character may WANT to act one way, but acts in the opposite way.
Or she may not be sure of what she wants.
Example: Donald loves playing basketball, but being on the travel team means he won’t have as much time to
spend with his friends. He’s not sure which decision to make.
2
Use the previous page to help you fill in the blanks below with the different types of conflict. Then give an example of
that type of conflict from your life, a book you’ve read, or a movie or TV show you’ve watched. Do not use examples
from The Outsiders on this page.
Write in complete sentences and make sure it is clear how your answer is an example of that type of conflict. For a
bonus point, you may also give an example from the Bible.
Internal Conflict:
Man vs. ____________
Source of example: (write “my life” or the name of the book/movie/show)
For 1 bonus point: Biblical example:
External Conflict: (3 main types)
Man vs. ____________
Source of example: (write “my life” or the name of the book/movie/show)
Example:
For 1 bonus point: Biblical example:
Man vs. ____________
Source of example: (write “my life” or the name of the book/movie/show)
Example:
For 1 bonus point: Biblical example:
Man vs. ____________
Source of example: (write “my life” or the name of the book/movie/show)
Example:
For 1 bonus point: Biblical example:
3
After reading and annotating for conflict in The Outsiders, choose one example of each type of conflict that is especially
meaningful or interesting to you. Fill in the chart below.
Type of Conflict: Man vs. Man
Example
Choose one example of this type of
conflict that is especially meaningful or
interesting to you.
This conflict is between ______________
and __________________. (name the
specific characters/forces that are struggling)
Context: What is going on in the book just
before this quote?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
Quote: Copy the quote word for word.
You may use ellipses (…) to skip parts of
the quote that are not important to your
example.
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
page #_________
Explanation
Please write in complete sentences and include specific details from
the book. You should respond with at least 2 strong, detailed
sentences per question.
Explain how this quote is an example of this type of conflict.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Why is this conflict important in the book?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
What does it reveal about the character(s) involved in the conflict?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
4
Type of Conflict: Man vs. Society
Example
Choose one example of this type of
conflict that is especially meaningful or
interesting to you.
This conflict is between ______________
and __________________. (name the
Explanation
Please write in complete sentences and include specific details from
the book. You should respond with at least 2 strong, detailed
sentences per question.
Explain how this quote is an example of this type of conflict.
specific characters/forces that are struggling)
Context: What is going on in the book just
before this quote?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________ Why is this conflict important in the book?
Quote: Copy the quote word for word.
You may use ellipses (…) to skip parts of
the quote that are not important to your
example.
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________ What does it reveal about the character(s) involved in the conflict?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
page #_________
5
Type of Conflict: Man vs. Nature
Example
Choose one example of this type of
conflict that is especially meaningful or
interesting to you.
This conflict is between ______________
and __________________. (name the
Explanation
Please write in complete sentences and include specific details from
the book. You should respond with at least 2 strong, detailed
sentences per question.
Explain how this quote is an example of this type of conflict.
specific characters/forces that are struggling)
Context: What is going on in the book just
before this quote?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________ Why is this conflict important in the book?
Quote: Copy the quote word for word.
You may use ellipses (…) to skip parts of
the quote that are not important to your
example.
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________ What does it reveal about the character(s) involved in the conflict?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
page #_________
6
Type of Conflict: Man vs. Self
Example
Choose one example of this type of
conflict that is especially meaningful or
interesting to you.
This conflict is between ______________
and __________________. (name the
Explanation
Please write in complete sentences and include specific details from
the book. You should respond with at least 2 strong, detailed
sentences per question.
Explain how this quote is an example of this type of conflict.
specific characters/forces that are struggling)
Context: What is going on in the book just
before this quote?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________ Why is this conflict important in the book?
___________________________________
Quote: Copy the quote word for word.
You may use ellipses (…) to skip parts of
the quote that are not important to your
example.
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________ What does it reveal about the character(s) involved in the conflict?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
page #_________
7