Conflict is at the heart of all good writing
“Conflict is at the heart of all good writing; without conflict, stories would go nowhere and they would not teach us anything.”
I believe that, as conflict in stories reflects the ever-present conflict in everyday life, a story without conflict would show an unrealistic portrayal of life, making it unrelatable and therefore difficult to apply its lessons into our lives and learn from them. There are two types of conflict: external and internal. In To Kill a Mockingbird, these conflicts teach the reader about the world around him, and himself. These are important lessons, and therefore I completely agree with this statement.
Firstly, conflict can teach us about society and the world around us. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a prominent theme of discrimination, and therefore constant conflict. The main event in the book, Tom Robinson’s trial, shows this discrimination when he is convicted of a crime when it is evident that he is innocent: “... they couldn’t be fair if they tried. When it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.” Here, Atticus is saying that the jury is so prejudiced that, regardless of a man’s innocence or guilt, the black man will always be in the wrong. There are also many instances before the trial itself where racial conflict is shown. “Nigger-lover” is regularly used as an insult, by both adults and children, and Atticus is at one point described as “... no better than the black trash he works for.” Calpurnia is another example, as one of the many black women who served as housekeepers to white American families in this time period. She is obviously considered to be of a lower social standing than the Finches, and she is seen as a bad influence on Scout by Aunt Alexandra, who, in an attempt to have Calpurnia fired, says, “Atticus, it’s all right to be soft hearted, you’re an easy man, but you have a daughter to think of. A daughter who’s growing up.” We also discover that the majority of the coloured
I believe that, as conflict in stories reflects the ever-present conflict in everyday life, a story without conflict would show an unrealistic portrayal of life, making it unrelatable and therefore difficult to apply its lessons into our lives and learn from them. There are two types of conflict: external and internal. In To Kill a Mockingbird, these conflicts teach the reader about the world around him, and himself. These are important lessons, and therefore I completely agree with this statement.
Firstly, conflict can teach us about society and the world around us. In To Kill a Mockingbird, there is a prominent theme of discrimination, and therefore constant conflict. The main event in the book, Tom Robinson’s trial, shows this discrimination when he is convicted of a crime when it is evident that he is innocent: “... they couldn’t be fair if they tried. When it’s a white man’s word against a black man’s, the white man always wins.” Here, Atticus is saying that the jury is so prejudiced that, regardless of a man’s innocence or guilt, the black man will always be in the wrong. There are also many instances before the trial itself where racial conflict is shown. “Nigger-lover” is regularly used as an insult, by both adults and children, and Atticus is at one point described as “... no better than the black trash he works for.” Calpurnia is another example, as one of the many black women who served as housekeepers to white American families in this time period. She is obviously considered to be of a lower social standing than the Finches, and she is seen as a bad influence on Scout by Aunt Alexandra, who, in an attempt to have Calpurnia fired, says, “Atticus, it’s all right to be soft hearted, you’re an easy man, but you have a daughter to think of. A daughter who’s growing up.” We also discover that the majority of the coloured