Discussion Topic This unit focuses on different types of conflicts in literary texts. In stories, characters can face internal conflict within themselves, or they can face external conflict with other people, nature, or society.

Think of a conflict in a story that you’ve read recently, either in class or on your own. What type of conflict—internal conflict or external conflict—did the protagonist (main character) face? What did the character learn from the conflict? Was the character able to overcome the conflict?

Discuss whether you think the conflict in the story is a situation that could happen in real life and if the solution would have worked in the real world.

Julius caesar. [brutus.] with this, she fell distraught, and, her attendants absent, swallowed fire. cassius. and died so? brutus. even so. cassius. o ye immortal gods! [enter lucius, with wine and taper] brutus. speak no more of her. give me a bowl of wine. in this i bury all unkindness, cassius. cassius. my heart is thirsty for that noble pledge. fill, lucius, till the wine o'erswell the cup; i cannot drink too much of brutus' love. [exit lucius. enter titinius, with messala] brutus. come in, titinius; welcome, good messala. now sit we close about this taper here, and call in question our necessities. cassius. portia, art thou gone? brutus. no more, i pray you. what moral dilemma does brutus confront in this excerpt? brutus lets go of his anger toward cassius and forgives him. brutus decides that he will not mourn portia and will stay loyal to cassius. brutus decides that he is too angry at cassius to remain friends with him. brutus questions whether cassius's life should be ended.