What is the conflict and resolution of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty?
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calendarEducator since 2014
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Black Beauty has more than one single conflict. A big part of the story is a coming of age story for Beauty, and he spends the first parts of his life living in near idyllic conditions. Despite that, Beauty and readers are frequently reminded that those conditions don't exist for all horses. This foreshadowing alerts readers to future horse vs. man conflicts. The Gordon family is forced to leave for warmer climates, and Beauty is then sold. From this point forward, the story follows Beauty's various struggles and conflicts with a series of ignorant, negligent, and/or brutal owners. The story also has a horse vs. self conflict that centers on Beauty's ability to mentally cope with his continually declining situation. What is interesting about the conflict in the story is that I don't believe that Beauty ever resolves the conflict. He is a horse after all, and he is subject to the decisions of the human owners. Fortunately, Beauty ends up back in the country under the ownership of solid...
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