ENGLISH 8 Pre- Requisite Assignment

Transcription

1 ENGLISH 8 Pre- Requisite Assignment Name The first unit of 8 th 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 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

2 Conflict Definition Worksheet Name 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: Johnny is angry at his mother because she won t allow him to go to summer camp. 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. 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 their the culture or social systems they live 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 s parents want him to become a doctor, but he wants to become a video game designer. He wants to make his parents proud, but he also wants to pursue his own dreams. He isn t sure what he should do.

3 Conflict Definition Worksheet (cont d) 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. 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: Example: For 1 bonus point: Biblical example: External Conflict: (3 main types) Example: For 1 bonus point: Biblical example: Example: For 1 bonus point: Biblical example: Example: For 1 bonus point: Biblical example:

4 Conflict in The Outsiders After reading and annotating for conflict in The Outsiders, choose one example of each type of conflict that is especially meaningful or Fill in the chart below. Example Type of Conflict: Man vs. Man

5 Example Type of Conflict: Man vs. Society

6 Example Type of Conflict: Man vs. Nature

7 Example Type of Conflict: Man vs. Self