Red Midnight, Chapter 12: Why Authors Create Conflicts

In class today, we talked about how good readers think about why authors create conflicts for their characters.  Here are some possible reasons:

• To add suspense

• To make the story interesting

• To reveal new things about the setting

• To reveal new things about the character

You're going to read through Chapter 12 tonight, find one conflict, then write about why you think Ben Mikaelsen chose to create that particular conflict.  You might use this starter:  When Mikaelsen writes about _____________, he wants to ____________________.

Here's my example from class:

     When Mikaelsen writes about Santiago fearing death, he wants us to see how vulnerable Santiago is.  We picture Santiago and Angelina in the big open ocean and imagine him to be so small.  Because he's so small, he seems to be at the mercy of the ocean.  This also shows us that although he is mostly brave, he is also scared inside.  He has to "fake" his bravery so he doesn't scare Angelina.