Study guide: Conflict, Motivation and Narrative Time
Apply distinguish conflict dimensions, trace a motivation change, analyze presentation of time, interpret a literary comparison using supplied texts and original responses.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- A conflict can occur within a character or between a character and another person, environment or rule. Complex stories may contain several, but classify the particular conflict supplied.
- Motivation is what prompts an action. A shift should be supported by stated choices or reflections, rather than inferred merely from a new setting or event.
- Authors can follow time, return to an earlier scene, hint ahead or alternate timelines. Presentation order affects suspense and interpretation without changing the event chronology itself.
- Literary comparisons create associations that should be tied to surrounding details. The same image can have different meanings in different scenes, so context supplies the interpretation.
Useful vocabulary
- Distinguish conflict dimensions
- A conflict can occur within a character or between a character and another person, environment or rule. Complex stories may contain several, but classify the particular conflict supplied.
- Trace a motivation change
- Motivation is what prompts an action. A shift should be supported by stated choices or reflections, rather than inferred merely from a new setting or event.
- Analyze presentation of time
- Authors can follow time, return to an earlier scene, hint ahead or alternate timelines. Presentation order affects suspense and interpretation without changing the event chronology itself.
- Interpret a literary comparison
- Literary comparisons create associations that should be tied to surrounding details. The same image can have different meanings in different scenes, so context supplies the interpretation.
Watch your reasoning
- A storm and a policy are different obstacles.
- Do not invent private motives absent from the text.
- Past tense alone is not a flashback.
- Do not assign a universal symbol meaning independent of context.
A worked review example
Excerpt A: Jo wants the prize but also wants to report the torn hinge honestly; hiding it would serve one goal and betray the other. Excerpt B: At first Jo rehearsed a speech about winning. After Lea struggled, Jo put away the prize speech and offered to explain beside her. Excerpt C: Jo arrives at noon, tests at one and reports at two; events follow their actual time order. Excerpt D: Lea’s question was a bridge from Jo’s silence to the waiting group. Distinguish conflict dimensions: Evidence: Jo wants the prize but also wants to report the torn hinge honestly; hiding it would serve one goal and betray the other. Reasoning: internal competing goals is supported because one character has two stated goals that cannot both be served by the available choice. A storm and a policy are different obstacles. Trace a motivation change: Evidence: At first Jo rehearsed a speech about winning. After Lea struggled, Jo put away the prize speech and offered to explain beside her. Reasoning: from recognition to helping is supported because prize-seeking gives way to helping a person in need. Do not invent private motives absent from the text. Analyze presentation of time: Evidence: Jo arrives at noon, tests at one and reports at two; events follow their actual time order. Reasoning: chronological progression is supported because events occur and are presented in their stated time order. Past tense alone is not a flashback. Interpret a literary comparison: Evidence: Lea’s question was a bridge from Jo’s silence to the waiting group. Reasoning: emphasizes connection is supported because a bridge image connects silence and conversation or two builders. Do not assign a universal symbol meaning independent of context.
Make a practice plan
- Practice distinguish conflict dimensions: Identify what opposes the character’s goal in the stated event. Explain both sides rather than labeling every difficulty internal.
- Practice trace a motivation change: Compare the character’s stated earlier and later priorities. Explain what now drives the action.
- Practice analyze presentation of time: Distinguish when events happened from when the text reveals them. Identify the actual technique.
- Practice interpret a literary comparison: Use the supplied image and its supporting detail. State the emphasized idea rather than treating the image as a literal description.
- Use the new review case without consulting its answer first. Return to the specific lesson if your explanation misses the distinction.