Lesson 26 — Activity 1: Chapters 1 and 2


Before proceeding with this activity, please read the first two chapters of the novel. Remember to think about the strategies you can use as you read.



In this lesson, you will focus on plot, conflict, and setting.
 

In Lesson 24 — A3, you learned the basics about the elements of a novel: plot, setting, characters, point of view, and theme of the story.

Now that you have read the first two chapters of the story, let’s take a closer look at the elements of plot and setting.


PLOT:


Depending on the length of a story, within the first few pages, the reader has been introduced to the main character and the problem with which he or she is faced.

Can you identify the main character and the issue he or she is facing in Freak the Mighty? Remember, though, your ideas may change as you read further. The diagram below illustrates how a plot is developed. You will examine the plot in more depth after you have finished the novel.

This is how a plot of a story is developed.

Do you remember reading or listening to the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” when you were younger?
In that fairy tale, the plot diagram could look like this:

           This is the plot for Little Red Riding Hood.
                       


CONFLICT:


A story always presents a character who is involved in a conflict that must be resolved. Remember the main character is called the protagonist, and the person, environment, or force with which the main character is in conflict, is called the antagonist.

There are different types of conflict:

Man versus Man:
  • involves the main character battling with another character. In “Little Red Riding Hood,” Red had to battle the wolf.
  • This does not always have to be good versus evil. It could be a situation where two athletes compete with each other to win a race. It could be two young men in love with the same woman. Sometimes the main character may even be an animal.


Man versus Society:
  • involves the struggle between characters and the outside world in which they live. This could be a character who does not fit in, or a character who goes against the beliefs, rules, or traditions of others.

Man versus the Environment:
  • involves a character in conflict with his or her surroundings. This could be on a mountainside, in a war-torn country, within an urban community, or even within one’s own home.

Man versus Self:
  • usually means that a character has to overcome something within him- or herself. It may be facing a fear, accepting responsibility for one’s actions, or understanding the importance of healthy relationships, just to identify a few.



Conflicts can be external or internal:

  • Man versus Man, Man versus the Environment, and Man versus Society involve external conflicts.
  • Man versus Self involves an internal conflict in which a character changes due to learning something about him- or herself. Remember, this may actually occur as a result of one of the external conflicts.
  • Here’s an example:
A boy who is lost in the wild will be involved in a conflict with his environment. If the story is just how he survives his ordeal, then the conflict is an external one. This would change, however, if before his ordeal, he had been in a conflict with his parents and had left home. If, as a result of his experience in the wilderness, he came to a new appreciation of family, then the conflict is an internal one.


SETTING:


Where the story is taking place and when was revealed in the first two chapters. As you read further, you will come to realize whether or not setting is important to this story or whether it is universal.

As well, as you continue reading, you will discover if the setting changes and if this is important to the story taking place.


Are the natural elements going to be important in your story?
Images courtesy of www.imagesgoogle.com


Now continue and read Chapters 3 and 4 of the novel.


While reading, begin the Vocabulary Activity:


  • As you read the first half of the novel (Chapters 1 to 13), list words that are unfamiliar to you but are interesting and worth learning. Look for at least 10 words and remember to note their page number. You may use the Vocabulary Log to record your words.

  • You will complete an assignment on these words in a later activity.