Point of View

What is point of view? Point of View is the physical or mental relationship someone might have to an object. Physical example: I may physically have a different point of view from roaming around the class and standing while students sit at desks. Mental example: I cannot read someone’s thoughts or know exactly what they mean for sure, unless I am that individual or an omniscient narrator (in stories).

What Types of Point of View are There? First Person One common way to write narratives is to utilize an individual’s perspective. This limits the reader’s knowledge but lets them see the world according to person A, B, etc. Second Person The point of view that’s most rare out of the three perspectives. In this point of view, the reader is referred to as “you.” Many instructional materials are written in second person. Third Person One of the more common ways to write narratives. With this narrative, the narrator is considered separate from the story.

Examples of First Person “When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman--- he looks tough and I don't--- but I guess my own looks aren't so bad." (S.E. Hinton, opening sentences of “The Outsiders," 1967) "One summer, along about 1904, my father rented a camp on a lake in Maine and took us all there for the month of August. We all got ringworm from some kittens and had to rub Pond's Extract on our arms and legs night and morning, and my father rolled over in a canoe with all his clothes on; but outside of that the vacation was a success and from then on none of us ever thought there was any place in the world like that lake in Maine." (E.B. White, opening sentences of "Once More to the Lake," 1941)

Examples of a Second-Person "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go." (Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! Random House, 1990) "When you yourself put words on paper, remember that the most damning revelation you can make about yourself is that you do not know what is interesting and what is not. Don’t you yourself like or dislike writers mainly for what they choose to show you or make you think about? Did you ever admire an empty-headed writer for his or her mastery of the language? No. So your own winning literary style must begin with interesting ideas in your head. Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about." (Kurt Vonnegut, "How to Write With Style," 1982)

Examples of Third Person "Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people someone would expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense." (J.K. Rowling, opening sentences of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone," 1997) "Tally had no idea what would happen if she got caught. This wasn’t like being busted for “forgetting” her ring, skipping classes, or tricking the house into playing her music louder than allowed. Everyone did that kind of stuff, and everyone got busted for it. But she and Peris had always been very careful about not getting caught on these expeditions. Crossing the river was serious business." (Scott Westerfeld, excerpt from "Uglies," 2005)

Test Yourself! What point-of-view is this narrative written in? It started that simply. At the courthouse or the library there was a large bulletin board, and for a dollar you could sign the board and write down your guess to win the car-through-the-ice raffle. Of course, you never met anyone who had won, but only those who knew somebody who had won, and therein, in the winning, the simplicity was lost. (Excerpted from Father Water, Mother Woods by Gary Paulsen)

Test Yourself! What point-of-view is this narrative written in? 1. One of the soldiers, the taller one, moved toward her. Annemarie recognized him as the one she and Ellen always called, in whispers, “the Giraffe” because of his height and the long neck that extended from his stiff collar. He and his partner were always on this corner. He prodded the corner of her backpack with the stock of his rifle. Annemarie trembled. “What is in here?” he asked loudly. “Schoolbooks,” she answered truthfully. (Excerpted from Number the Stars by Lois Lowry)

Test Yourself! What point-of-view is this narrative written in? 3. When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers stretch out, seeking Prim’s warmth but finding only the rough canvas cover of the mattress. She must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping. (Excerpted from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)

So Then...What Does This Have to DO With Pronouns? Subject (completes action) Object (action happens to them) Singular 1st Singular 2nd Singular 3rd Plural 1st Plural 2nd Plural 3rd Pronouns: Words that take the place of a noun I Me You You We were born with a curse. She / He / It Her / Him / It We Us I am born with a curse. You You They Them

Example in Cinema https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfM2NfL0Wng