Point of View NARRATOR Who is the narrator

Point of View

NARRATOR �Who is the narrator? �Why would the narrator be important to understanding point of view?

Points of View �First person (I) �Second person (you) �Third person (him/her) � Omniscient � Limited

First (1 st) Person � [uses “I”] � I (the narrator) am telling you what I am doing and thinking. � However, everything I tell you is just my opinion.

Second (2 nd) Person �[uses “you”] �I am telling you what you are doing and thinking. �And you just have to go along with it.

Example of 2 nd person � From a teen writer (http: //joeduncko. com/haunted- dreams-a-second-person-horror-short-story/ ) � “Haunted Dreams” by Joe Duncko There is darkness everywhere. A small amount of light is radiating from the halfmoon floating in the sky overhead. There are no stars. It is cold and humid. You look around you and find your friends gone. You are completely alone. You make your way down the empty street, the only artificial light coming from a lone street lamp, which blinks out as you walk past. You come to a dead end; a lonely house resides there. You have never seen it before. The cold wind blows, shaking the two unkempt trees in the front of the house. A broken window is on the right half of the house, as well as two others in seemingly random places. A light is on in one of the rooms with a window. You decide that you have no choice but to ask the owner of the house for directions.

Third (3 rd) Person: Omniscient �[uses “he and she and them”] �I can tell you what any of the characters is thinking and what any of them is doing at any given moment.

Third (3 rd) Person: Limited �[uses “he and she and them”] �I tell the story through a particular character’s eyes. I only know that one character’s thoughts. �I can only tell you other characters’ actions, if that one character sees them.

Figure It Out �What is the point of view in the book you are reading? �How can you tell?

Did you get it down? �First person: [uses “I”]; I (the narrator) am telling you what I am doing and thinking. �Second person: [uses “you”]; I am telling you what you are doing and thinking. �Third Person: [uses “he and she and them”] � Omniscient: I can tell you what any of the characters is thinking and what any of them is doing at any given moment. � Limited: I tell the story through a particular character’s eyes. I only know that one character’s thoughts. I can only tell you other characters’ actions, if that one character sees them.