War stories - activity or situation domain?

questions
#1

I’m having an internal debate about this, and it seems to me that war stories, as an example, can be placed in either situation or activity. The difference will be in which events are focused on.

So, for example…take a story that is about the run-up to a war breaking out. This story would be focused on the events leading up to war, hence Activity. Or, if it’s about a specific event within a war story, that would fall into Activity.

However, one could argue that if the Situation of the story is so dire that a war could break out, Situation could be the focus.

what do you think?

#2

Come to think of it, war stories could also fall within OS Fixed Attitudes quite easily as in, for example, if the story is about The Troubles in Ireland…because it was a historical event about ideological differences in conflict.

But then, it could also be OS Situation since most people in Ireland at that time were stuck in that historical event and therefore were forced into specific actions.

hmmmm

#3

Check the Dramatica Comic (page 20f).
There you can see war stories in different domains.

#4

Dramatica Comic? Not sure what you mean.

#5

The Dramatica Comic, which you can find here (The Dramatica Comic Book).

#6

Brilliant!

Thank you.

#7

(Twenty character limit)

#8

Here’s the thing. 1. War is a topic, not a problem. 2. Nothing is a problem until you make it a problem. And 3. Dramatica is best used when looked at as describing the SOURCE of the problem, NOT the problem itself.

So as a topic, ‘war’ is not a problem. You can make it a problem by having it be the result of a problematic Activity, Situation, Psychology, or Mind. You’ve been given that advice above. But the thing is, war as a topic can also be made the source of the problem rather than what we’ve made to be the problem. Look at @LunarDynasty’s example. Did the war lead to famine, or did the famine lead to war?

My point is that when you are trying to determine which throughline something falls in, it’s important to know whether you are asking about the problem or the source of the problem. The difference is that stories that show how war leads to what those characters see as a problem probably fall under one of the external quads (assuming war is referring to multiple parties engaged in combat and not somehow referring to some kind of internal war). But stories that show how something leads to the war that the characters see as a problem can fall into any quad. Without knowing what that something that leads to war is, there’s not enough information to know.

#9

Thanks @Gregolas and @LunarDynasty.

Speaking of war films, I watched the film Rwanda last night. Looking at that as an example, I’d say the OS is Situation and the MC is Activity.

Not sure if the film has been group analysed (will have a look later) but the civil war breaks out in Rwanda, which is the cause of all the strife that everyone in the country experiences that the film emphasises. The title also gives a clue as to it being OS Situation -stuck in Rwanda. The theme of being stuck or leaving the country was also illustrated regularly.

The MC/Protag is quite likely OS Activity, but he also plays different roles depending on who he is dealing with. Overall, though, he’s the primary activity driver in the film.

#10

@jhull created an analysis for Hotel Rwanda, but didn’t delve into any of the story points. The movie hasn’t been group analyzed, but there is a storyform for it on the Dramatica site. The OS is in indeed in Universe, but the MC, Paul Rusesabagina, is actually in Psychology.

Sources: https://narrativefirst.com/analysis/hotel-rwanda
http://dramatica.com/analysis/hotel-rwanda

#11

Thanks for that @RailwayAdventurer.

I can see why MC could be Manipulation because he was constantly negotiating his way through the story but it’s not the thing that causes his conflict. He was like this even before the war broke out. Indeed, his adaptable character and willingness to manipulate helps him a lot.

What causes him conflict is all his running around getting things to happen with various people.

I’ll consider the other through lines as they may shed further light on why the MC was chosen as Manipulation instead of Activity in the official Dramatica analysis.

Anyway, thanks for the links! The link to NarrativeFirst seems to be a paid subscription so I won’t be able to see the written argument/ analysis from that link.

Still, thanks!

#12

I’ll have to see if I can watch it again. Can you give examples of how activities are problematic for the MC?

#13

There are two scenes - side by side - that illustrate the activity is the conflict for him whereas his manipulation works out fine ( as it tends to).

(Manipulation) There is a scene where the MC has manipulated the leader of the opposition to give him the wine and beer he needs for the hotel. In that scene, machetes fall out of a box but he still manages to get out safely.

(Activity) On his way back to the hotel, the van he’s riding in is bumping around all over the place - they can barely drive the van at all. They have to stop and find out what is obstructing the road. That’s when they discover all the dead bodies on the road - and this is what makes him throw up. In this action scene he has severe conflict.