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Supporting
the Central Conflict
Learn
how character and plot development, point of view and tone
are used to support a central conflict or story line
Importance
of Central Conflict
Basically, all stories come down to the central conflict.
The central conflict is the problem with which the main character
is confronted EXAMPLE: In Toystory, Woody feels as though
Andy loves another toy (Buzz Lightyear) more than him.
Without
the central conflict, you have no story. You just have a few
characters talking to eachother or running around, but no
story. EXAMPLE: Imagine if Toystory had no central conflict,
you would just have a bunch of characters hanging out in a
little boy's bedroom--not a story.
In short,
the purpose of everything in a story (characters, setting,
plot, point of view, tone) is to support your central conflict.
If it doesn't move the story along towards a resolution of
the central conflict it shouldn't be in the story.
Character
Development
As we learn about the characters in Toystory, we begin to
understand the central conflict. Woody, an older toy who has
always been the little boy's favorite is motivated by his
jealously to win Andy's affection (the central conflict).
The more we learn about the character, the more we understand
the central conflict. The more we feel for his situation.
Supporting
Characters
But his motivation, being jealousy, also allows room in our
hearts for the other main characters (who also are there to
move the story along). The more we grow affectionate towards
his rival, the arrogant, but likeable and innocent Buzz Lightyear
and the growing boy, Andy. The supporting characters are there
to help move the story along, to support the central conflict,
to reach a resolution.
Point
of view
Simply who is telling the story, it may be a narrator or a
character, or even a series of characters. A point of view
can be 1st person or 3rd person.
- 1st
Person - The main character (or other characters) is
telling the story. Example: "I walked over the bridge."
- 3rd
Person - Narrator's Point of View. The all-knowing point
of view. "He walked over the bridge."
Toy story
is a 3rd person point of view. This point of view allows us
to see Woody from a more objective point of view. This supports
the central conflict, which is motivated in jealousy and fear,
by allowing us to feel for other characters and their motivations.
Exposition
This is the information a reader needs to understand the story
(or the central conflict). FOR EXAMPLE: We found out Andy
was moving during the toy meeting. This allowed us to get
some important information about what was happening in the
story.
Tone
The
tone is an author's attitude toward the subject.
It
could be excited, angry, sad, sympathetic, cynical. etc. Tone
is communicated through an author's choice of words and details
in describing the setting, the characters and events. FOR
EXAMPLE: In Toy Story, because of the author's choice of
words and actions, we feel both sympathy for
Woody's situation (the central conflict) and we wish he would
be more fair to Buzz Lighyear.
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