The plot of a story is the action. The plot revolves around a conflict or problem. There are five main types of conflicts:
- Person vs. person (problem with another character)
- Person vs. society (problem with the laws or beliefs of a group)
- Person vs. nature (problem with force of nature such as a blizzard)
- Person vs. self (problem with deciding what to do or think)
- Person vs. fate (problem that seems to be uncontrollable)
That struggle builds until it reaches a crisis or a turning point. That moment is the climax.
- Describe one conflict in the novel.
- How would you have reacted if you were facing that same conflict?
- Respond to a classmate's comment about the conflict.
Example:
I think that the main conflict in The Summer of the Swans is that Charlie wanders off and Sara has to go find him. This is a a person vs. person conflict because she is having a problem with another person. I also think it might be a person vs. self because she had to decide what to do about it. I think I would have done the same thing. I would have felt too guilty if something had happened to him and I didn't do anything about it.
I think hillari and stargirl are enimiess. Hillarii thinks shes all perfict but shes not.Stargirl does'nt care what anyone thinks about her. Everyone thought she was fake in the beginning. But shes not fake.At one point she becomes popular and leo and stargirl go out(by that I mean there dating).
ReplyDeleteI think one conflict would be between hillari and stargirl because stargirl is pretty much taking her thounder.If this was happening to me i would try something new like being in a club instead of making up stuff about stargirl.:) -Annemarie g.
ReplyDeletei also think stargirl and hillari are enimiees :) -Annemarie g.
ReplyDeleteRead this nice review I found at Amazon.com about Stargirl:
ReplyDeleteI could only wish I was as brave and as overwhelmingly generous as the magical girl the book is named after. Told from the perspective of sixteen year old Leo, who falls under her charms like the rest of Mica High School, it is a wistful, heartfelt, and bittersweet narrative that ultimately packs a gentle but firm emotional punch.
This book should be required reading for adults young and old for it's ringing endorsement of individualism.It reminds us that like Stargirl it's okay to be different, that sameness is boring, and that we should all, as Will Shakespeare once said,"To thine own self be true."
At just under two hundred pages it can almost be tackled in one sitting. A perfect gift for someone who may not feel that they totally belong, or that their being different is a bad thing, or simply to be gently reminded that acceptance starts from within.
Here is another review from Amazon.com. This one with a good summary which may help you discuss the conflict:
ReplyDeleteOriginally I borrowed this from the library. Halfway through it I bought my own copy, and one for my niece.
This is a story about a girl called Stargirl. She has been home tutored for most of her life and has no idea of conformity. She is herself, through and through. She wears pioneer type dresses, no make up, meditates, knows peoples birthdays, makes people feel good about themselves.
At the start the majority of the school applauds her individuality and even flatters her when they copy her odd ways. But slowly they see her individuality as a hindrance and begin to turn on her. Leo, the 16 year old narrator of the book finds himself as her boyfriend, and as such is completely alienated from the rest of the school. It dawns on him that he has to choose, Stargirl or his friends and respect.
This is probably one of the best books I have read for an awful long time, and I read a lot of books! I am keeping my copy on my bookshelf for my children to read, to teach them to applaud individuality, not discourage.
Okay... One more from Amazon.com. This one specifically discusses the conflict:
ReplyDeletePerson versus society is the obvious conflict in this novel.
Both Stargirl and Leo are in conflict with society and the option to conform or not conform.
Although they handle the conflict in different ways, both feel the need to conform. While Stargirl chooses the road of nonconformity, Leo eventually chooses to conform after a long struggle with the situation.
The theme of the novel surrounds the topic of conformity and individuality versus nonconformity. To be an individual in today's society and show your individuality sometimes means not conforming to the dynamics of the conventional group and the consequences that goes with nonconformity. Because Stargirl chose not to conform, the rest of the group eventually made her an outcast; this is a fear many teens experience.
I think it is person vs person.Stargirl and Hilari dont like each other Hilari thinks she is so cool and that she is all that. But she isnt. And stargirl doesnt care what people think about her. Everyone thought she was fake. but how could she be fake if she is there. But then later Stargirl has a lot of friends and she gets a boyfriend. And it is Leo!
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
Allison O.
i think one of the conflicts are beetween leo and himself because in the second quarter leo is deciding if he should like stargirl or not because leo is getting made fun of because he likes stargirl so it is a person vs. self
ReplyDeletemeghan b.
period 3
(person vs. person)stargirl doesnt sing whatever her name is a b-day song.
ReplyDelete(person vs.socitety)evryone thinks she is werid\nucase.
p.s. hi people who r reading this.
eat it.
i think its person vs person...because its stargirl vs hillari...because hillari thinkg shes all that but shes not..so i like stargirl better than hillari
ReplyDelete~nikki k:)~
Be careful. The conflict is introduced in the beginning. It is an over arching problem that the main character deals with through most of the book. It is not just one plot event.
ReplyDeleteI think the conflict of the book Stargirl is Leo's struggle with conformity. He doesn't know if he should celebrate Stargirl's individuality or persuade her to be like everyone else. He struggles with this for most of the book.
The climax of a story is the big action packed or emotional scene. It is the turning point that causes some type of change. I think the climax of the book is the bunny hop scene at the dance.
The falling action is where the conflict is resolved. At the end Leo sees he was wrong to persuade Stargirl to change and be like everyone else. He accepts her for who she is and appreciates the difference she has made in his life.