POINT OF VIEW

WHAT WORD DO YOU SEE?

OPTICAL ILLUSION Do you see two old people or two young people? Do you see a third young person? Do you see a guitar? What do you see in the middle of the picture?

OPTICAL ILLUSION Do you see a young woman in the picture or an old woman? Do you see the young woman’s ear? Do you see the old woman’s nose?

DOES IT LOOK DIFFERENT TO YOU IN BLACK AND WHITE?

How many umpires are on the field? Why not only use one?

Who is telling the story? POINT OF VIEW Who is telling the story?

NARRATOR The narrator is the “voice” that tells the story. The “voice” may be a character in the story. The “voice” may be an observer who tells the reader what he sees and hears.

POINT OF VIEW This is the narrator through whose eyes the reader “sees” the story happen. The narrator “controls” all of the information that the reader is told.

FIRST PERSON NARRATOR “I never had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while, and that’s the truth, the whole truth.” (page 1) Max in Freak the Mighty “If my cousin Duffy had the brains of a turnip it never would have happened. But as far as I’m concerned, Duffy makes a turnip look bright.” Andrew in “Duffy’s Jacket

FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW The narrator of the story is also ONE of the characters in the story. This point of view uses the following pronouns: I, me, my, mine, we, us, our. The reader only knows what the ONE character knows. (disadvantage) The reader feels very connected to the story. (advantage)

Examples of stories for first person point of view “Priscilla and the Wimps” (student) “Duffy’s Jacket” (Duffy’s cousin Andrew) “User Friendly” (Kevin Neal) “Charles” (Laurie’s mother)

MULTIPLE FIRST PERSON NARRATORS The reader or movie viewer sees the story from the point of view of MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER.

Books with Multiple First Person Narrators

THIRD PERSON The narrator is NOT a character in the story. The narrator is an observer who tells the reader about someone else. The narrator uses the third person pronouns. (he, she, him, her, they, them, their)

THIRD PERSON LIMITED The narrator tells the reader the thoughts and feelings of ONE character in the story. “The enemy on the opposite roof covered his escape. He must kill that enemy and he could not use his rifle. He had only a revolver to do it. Then he thought of a plan.” (“The Sniper” by Liam O’ Flaherty)

THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT The word “omniscient” means all-knowing. In these stories, the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of many characters in the story. “Amigo Brothers” is an example of an “omniscient” narrator. We know the feelings of both Antonio and Felix.

Short Stories with a Third Person Point of View “Amigo Brothers” “Antonio Cruz and Felix Vargas were both seventeen years old. They had known each other since childhood. . . .” “After Twenty Years” “The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively.” “The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar.”

The author has TWO choices for point of view. FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW The narrator is a character in the story. The reader only knows what the narrator knows. THIRD PERSON POINT OF VIEW The narrator is NOT part of the story. The narrator is an observer who tells us about the characters and the events.

Why might an author choose a specific point of view? This novel uses third person point of view. This novel uses first person point of view.

IS THERE A SECOND PERSON POINT OF VIEW? In non-fiction, it would be a “HOW TO” book. This tells the reader “HOW TO” do something. In fiction, it would be a “Choose Your Own Adventure” story.

WHAT DO YOU SEE? Is this a musician or a girl’s face? It all depends on your POINT OF VIEW.

Do you see a duck or do you see a bunny? WHAT DO YOU SEE? Do you see a duck or do you see a bunny? It all depends on your POINT OF VIEW.

Do you see a mountain stream? WHAT DO YOU SEE? Do you see a mountain stream? OR Do you see many people and buildings with windows? ?

SAY THE COLOR, NOT THE WORD

POINT OF VIEW WHO IS TELLING THE STORY?