Literary Terms: Point-of-View!

Literary Terms Review First let’s review the literary terms we have learned so far… Setting (consists of two things) 1) Time 2) Place

Literary Terms Review Irony (3 types) 1) Situational: what happens is the opposite of what’s expected Ex: A vegetarian works in a meat-packing plant. 2) Verbal: what is said is the opposite of what is meant; sarcasm Ex: “Wow, you’re so funny.” 3) Dramatic: the audience knows something the characters do not Ex: Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet, horror movies where we see the killer, a man we see is going to slip on a banana peel, the “Maury Show” where we know the man is not here for a makeover

Literary Terms Review Plot (consists of four elements) 1) Rising Action: builds tension 2) Climax: turning point of the story 3) Falling Action: shows the effect of the climax on the story 4) Denouement: resolution; loose ends are tied up

Literary Terms Review Theme! (definition) –The life lesson or main message of a text 5 rules when identifying theme: 1) It’s not a single word 2) Avoid clichés 3) It is rarely directly stated 4) There can be more than one theme 5) Does not include character names or plot points

Literary Terms Review Foreshadowing –When the author provides clues about what will happen in the story Reader, earnestly following the clues Clues! Author Here little reader. Follow me, my pretty! And your little dog, too!

And now introducing… Point-of-View : perspective from which the story is told (narrator’s voice) 4 Types: 1) First person 2) Second person 3) Third person limited 4) Third person omniscient

First Person Point-of-View Story is told from one character’s perspective using the “I” voice Often used in narrative writing (stories about people’s lives) Associated pronouns: I, me, my, we, our, us, ours, mine

First person: Narrator is in the story! We see the story through his/her eyes only!

First Person Point-of-View Positives : –Can see inside the narrator’s head –More personal –More emotional We can see what they are thinking and feeling. Restrictions: –Vision is “tainted” by that person –Not always reliable –Not very objective (factual) –Can’t go outside of their head and see others’ perspectives – Avoid in formal writing (compositions)

Second Person Point-of-View Not used very often because it confuses the readers Author is talking to the reader “You” voice Associated Pronouns: you, your, yours

Second Person: Narrator is speaking directly to reader

Second Person Point-of-View Positives: –Can speak directly to your reader –Can be effective in persuasion (editorials, political pieces) Negatives: –Can confuse reader if used inappropriately – Avoid in formal writing (compositions)

Third Person Omniscient Point-of-View Person telling the story is outside of the action looking in –As if standing outside of an ant farm watching things unfold, but can also get in ants’ heads Narrator is all-knowing and can tell the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters “God-like” Applicable pronouns: he, she, it, they, them, his, hers, its, theirs

Third Person Omniscient: Narrator knows thoughts and feelings of everyone equally

Third Person Omniscient Point-of-View Positives: –Allows for objectivity Trustworthy since no one is favored and story is untainted by one person’s version –Gets into the heads of all the characters – Should be used formal writing Restrictions: –Loses the touch of the personal (textbook-ish) –More detached emotionally –Less mystery

Third Person Limited Point-of-View Person telling the story is outside of the action looking in Can see ONE person’s thoughts and feelings (“ limited ” to one character) As if standing on one character’s shoulder Applicable pronouns: he, she, it, they, them, his, hers, its, theirs

Third Person Limited: Narrator follows around one person only and knows all of their thoughts and feelings

Third Person Limited Point-of-View Positives: –More objective (factual) –Can see from one person’s perspective while still remaining outside of the story –More reliable Restrictions: –May not be as objective –Is “limited”; we can’t see the whole picture

Practice Analyzing Point-of-View! Let’s analyze how point-of-view can affect our understanding of a text. Authors choose it for a reason: So why?

The End! …or is it?