Point of View: The perspective from which a story is told. It allows the reader to get inside the character’s head. Three points of view: 1.First person 2.Second Person 3.Third Person
First Person Point of View: The character tells the story. Uses pronouns: I, me, mine, ours, and us “I checked into a hotel called the Olympia, which is right on the main street of town. I was hanging around and I got to talking to the guy at the desk. I asked him if this wasn’t the town where that kid named Maneri played ball.”
Second Person Point of View: Rarely used in novels. Most TV commercials use this viewpoint. Uses pronouns: you, yours “You walk down 5 th Avenue everyday on your way to work. Today on a whim you stop at the flower stall and buy a red carnation. The saleslady helps you pin it to your lapel. You pay her and merge back into the crowd.”
Third Person Point of View: Told from a narrator’s viewpoint. Uses pronouns: he, she, him, her, it, them, its, theirs, his, and hers Three types of third person: 1. Objective 2. Limited 3. Omniscient (all knowing)
There are 3 types of third person narrators. Omniscient Limited Objective
Third Person Objective The narrator is not a character in the story. Third person pronouns such as he, his, she, hers, it, its, they, and them are used in telling the story. The narrator is an observer who can only tell what is said and done. The narrator cannot see into the minds of any of the characters. We find out only what the characters say and do.
Objective: The girl walked up the quiet hillside. In the top of the maple tree, the cardinal tipped his head back and drew breath to sing. A dead branch cracked on the ground below the bird's perch. The man stepped on the branch and rattled the blades of grass as he moved behind the tree. He watched the girl come up the hillside toward him. Her gaze shifted quickly and warily from one shadowy area high on the slope to another, and she shuddered.
Limited: The narrator tells the inner thoughts and feelings of only one character. “Angela felt cold as she waited on the corner for the bus. After about ten minutes, the bus came to the corner where she stood. She got on the bus and then realized that she had no coins to put in the fare box.”
Omniscient: Tells what any character in a story thinks, feels, or does at any time. Kurt was thinking about tomorrow’s costume party. He had come up with an idea of what to wear. “Kurt, are you going tomorrow?” asked Claire. She had a prize-winning idea that she would not tell anyone. She smiled to herself as she thought of the large box and blue tissue paper waiting at home.
Guess the Point of View: Third Person Objective Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient
Guess the Narrator Lilly shivered and sobbed while sitting alone under the tree. Jacob felt a pang of pity for her, and though he worried what the others might say, he walked to her, sat beside her, and offered her his jacket. Omniscient Limited Objective
The Answer Is Limited
Guess the Narrator Lilly shivered and sobbed while sitting alone under the tree. Jacob gazed at her with a stare suggestive of pity, and his lips tightened as though he debated something of importance. He gave one timid glance back at the others, and then walked boldly over to Lilly and sat beside her and offered her his Jacket. Omniscient Limited Objective
The Answer Is Objective
Guess the Narrator Lilly shivered and tried unsuccessfully not to sob while sitting alone under the tree. She was more embarrassed and miserable than she had ever been. Jacob felt a pang of pity for her, and though he worried what the others might say, he walked to her, sat beside her, and offered her his jacket. Omniscient Limited Objective
The Answer Is Omniscient
Guess the Narrator Lilly shivered and sobbed while sitting alone under the tree. Jacob felt a pang of pity for her. He gave one timid look back to the others. They were playing keep-away with the small boy’s wallet. He could not tell if any of them were paying attention to him now. Regardless, he went to Lilly, sat beside her, and offered her his Jacket. Omniscient Limited Objective
The Answer Is Limited
The End