Major Features of ConflictiIn Ten Post 1974 Amharic Short Stories
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Date
1993-06
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Addis Ababa Universiy
Abstract
A good fictional work is not a passive report but one
that captures the attention of its actd ier.ce. The attention
of the readers is captured usually when fictional \\Iork is
based on confli ct t hat empl oys najor fe atures such as un ity,
balance, plausibility and significance. The short story, which
is one type of fictional work, has not been studied so far in
this regard. The absence of the systematic study of conflict,
its types and features in relation to Aoharic short stories,
necessi tated the undertaking of this research vrork.
Conse~uently, ten post - 1974 Amharic short stories have
been selected according to the type and features of conflict
they are based on. An attempt has been made to present a
thorough technical analysis of t he major features.
The study reveals that t:~i ty of conflict is employed
satisfactorily in many of t he short stories. It is maintained
in the p'oduction of the ca'lse and effect relationship of
conflicts as well as in the cont ribution of different conflicts
for the purpose of the author.
"/hen compared t o the ot her f eatUC'e s of conflict, balance
is a f e e.ture 'h"hich is l east employed . Here too, the study
uncovers many points that just ify t he i mbalance of the conflicts,
especially as seen in " Tutun ", "" Aderaw " and " Damtew ".
'1owever, this doe s not mean that there are no short stories
t hat show balance of conflict; " Andualem" and " Dibibkosh II
can be cited as good ex a~ples.
'rne s ame i s true with pl ausi bili t y. Short stories such
as " Andualem "," Yemal ada Tila" 2n d " Di bibkosh" have employed
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this literary device quite beautifully. On the other hand,
short stories such as " Zinabu Nache Naw Yemizanbaw ?", " AleBiratu"
and " Yetasabara Lib" respectively lack plausibility
in the incidents where Etsegenet 's blood spilled, Alem failed
t o quarrel wi th his f ather and 3rihane dr ank much alcohol.
The conflicts in many of the short stories have significance.
Good examples occur in " Andualem" and " Zinabu Mache Naw
Yemizanbaw ?" where the main characters became mad and in
" Tutun" and " Adaraw" where the characters accepted the idea
of leaving their birthplace due to the significance of the
conflict.
Some of the authors of these short stories seem beginners
who perhaps think that only telling a story is what a short
story is. However, as the short story is becoming more and
more popular, and the competition of writing a short story is
becoming fiercer, there will be a quali tative change.
Jl'Joreover, taking into consideration the meri ts and demerits
of this literary device, future writers can enrich the
t echnique of short story \Yl'iting
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Amharic Short Stories