POINT OF VIEW Point of View Perspective Point

POINT OF VIEW

Point of View = Perspective ◦ Point of View: ◦ The perspective from which a story is narrated.

Point of View = Perspective ◦ Example: A story about a brother and sister fighting. Brother’s Point of View My sister is so selfish. She never lets me play along with her and her friends. Sister’s Point of View My brother is the biggest pain in the butt! He is always meddling in my private conversations with my friends. ◦ 1 story, 2 different points of view

Every story has a narrator. ◦ First Person Narrator: ◦ The narrator tells “my” story. ◦ Uses I, me, we, our ◦ Everything the reader knows is limited to this one character’s point of view. ◦ Ex: I went to the park and saw my friend Sally. We played on the swings. ◦ Second Person Narrator ◦ The narrator tells “your” story. ◦ Uses you, yours ◦ Everything the reader knows is limited to the perspective of “you. ” ◦ Ex: You were driving home from work and passed a Mc. Donald’s, so you stopped and got dinner. ◦ *Note: Second Person Narration is rare in literature. ◦ Third Person Narrator ◦ The narrator tells other people’s stories. ◦ Uses she, his, him, her, they, and character names ◦ There are 3 types of third person narration: third person point of view, third person limited, and third person omniscient.

Types of Third Person Narration ◦ Third Person Point of View ◦ The narrator is not a part of the story and cannot tell what the characters are feeling or thinking. ◦ Ex: Jacob went to the mall and met up with his friends. He smiled and waved as his mother pulled away. ◦ Third Person Omniscient ◦ “Omniscient” means all-knowing. ◦ The narrator is not a part of the story but knows the thoughts and feelings of the characters. ◦ Ex: Jacob was excited to go to the mall and meet up with his friends. His mother felt nervous about letting him go without parental supervision, but felt better when she saw Jacob smile as she pulled away. ◦ Third Person Limited ◦ The narrator is not a part of the story and only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character. ◦ Ex: Jacob went to the mall and met up with his friends. He smiled and waved as his mother pulled away, even though she was nervous about letting him go without parental supervision.

What kind of narrator is telling the story? ◦ I went to the store with my pal, Henry. The clerk asked us if we would like to try some chocolate. Henry was so excited that he started jumping up and down. I laughed at him and told the clerk, “Yes, we would love to try some. ”

First Person! ◦ How do you know this is first person narration? 1. We only hear the narrator’s point of view ◦ The reader does not know how Henry is feeling, just the first person narrator. 2. The pronouns used: I, we, us

First Person!

What kind of narrator is telling the story? ◦ You stayed up late last night and feel very tired this morning. Even though you don’t want to, you go to school because you need to take your math test. Your teacher will be proud if you do well.

Second Person! ◦ How do you know this is second person narration? 1. We only hear the point of view of “you. ” ◦ The reader does not know how the teacher is feeling, just the second person narrator or “you. ” 2. The pronouns used: you, your

Second Person! ◦ You stayed up late last night and feel very tired this morning. Even though you don’t want to, you go to school because you need to take your math test. Your teacher will be proud if you do well.

What kind of narrator is telling the story? ◦ Amy was going to her first sleepover ever! She couldn’t wait to stay up all night and watch movies with her school friends. She hoped they were as excited as she was.

Third Person Limited! ◦ How do you know this is third person limited? 1. The narrator is not a part of the story but knows how Amy is thinking and feeling. ◦ Note: the narrator does not know how Amy’s friends are thinking and feeling. 2. The pronouns used: she, they, her

Third Person Limited! ◦ Amy was going to her first sleepover ever! She couldn’t wait to stay up all night and watch movies with her school friends. She hoped they were as excited as she was.

What kind of narrator is telling the story? ◦ “Mike, you’re up!” Coach said. Mike wiped his sweaty palms on his baseball pants and grabbed his bat. He took two swings before finally hitting the ball on the third. Mike smiled as the ball soared out of the stadium.

Third Person Point of View! ◦ How do you know this is third person point of view? 1. The narrator is not a part of the story and does not know how Mike or Coach are thinking and feeling. 2. The pronouns used: he, his

Third Person Point of View! ◦ “Mike, you’re up!” Coach said. Mike wiped his sweaty palms on his baseball pants and grabbed his bat. He took two swings before finally hitting the ball on the third. Mike smiled as the ball soared out of the stadium.

What kind of narrator is telling the story? It was her first day on the job and Emily could not be more nervous. She lied about her job experience on her application, claiming to have waitressed before. Her boss, Joe, came over to greet her. “Hello, Emily!” Joe said. After firing three waitresses this weekend, Joe really hoped Emily was up for the challenge.

Third Person Omniscient! ◦ How do you know this is third person omniscient? 1. The narrator is not a part of the story but knows how all of the characters are feeling. 2. The pronouns used: he, her, she

Third Person Omniscient! It was her first day on the job and Emily could not be more nervous. She lied about her job experience on her application, claiming to have waitressed before. Her boss, Joe, came over to greet her. “Hello, Emily!” he said. After firing three waitresses this weekend, Joe really hoped Emily was up for the challenge.