1. Unit #3
Point of View

2. Ways of telling a story
Point of View: The perceptive in which a story is told.
Modern fiction writers have become more artistically self-conscious
Many ways of telling a story
Before or during writing but eventually stick with a plan
Point of View: the vantage point from which a writer tells a story
Who tells the story (character/grammatical person)
Look for pronouns!!! (I, me, he, she, you etc.)
Why is it important
Tells us who is in charge of narration
If this changes during story it is usually substantial and purposeful
However, if it changes to much it can affect depth of character development
Tells us how much characters know
Tells us how much bias characters may have
Can/should we believe him/her

3. 3rd Person Omniscient
POV with unlimited knowledge of thoughts/feelings of characters
Allows the events to be interpreted by several different voices, but always maintaining godlike - distance.
“God Lens”
Can tell readers as much or as little as they please
Omnipresent and go wherever they please
Usually direct presentations
What might this POV do for a reader?
Helps readers interpret plot easier
Helps readers create an objective interpretation
Helps engage readers more as action and suspense is easier to create

4. 3rd Person Omniscient: Little Women
“Margaret, the eldest of the four, was sixteen, and very pretty, being plump and fair, with large eyes, plenty of soft brown hair, a sweet mouth, and white hands, of which she was rather vain. Fifteen-year-old Jo was very tall, thin, and brown, and reminded one of a colt…Elizabeth, or Beth, as everyone called her, was a rosy, smooth-haired, bright-eyed girl of thirteen, with a shy manner, a timid voice, and a peaceful expression, which was seldom disturbed…”

5. 3rd Limited
POV with limited knowledge of thoughts/feelings of a character
All characters are described using pronouns such as (he/she/they) yet one character (usually protagonist) is generally followed closely throughout story
“Video Game Lens”
More detailed and indirect characterization usually
Reliant upon dialogue of others to discover new information
Stream of Consciousness is another unique form of this POV
What might this POV do for a reader
Helps reader build a stronger bond with character
Helps reader agree with whatever view/bias main character holds
Helps reader ease of understanding
Less POV jumps

6. 3rd Limited: Harry Potter
'Harry had taken up his place at wizard school, where he and his scar were famous … but now the school year was over, and he was back with the Dursleys for the summer, back to being treated like a dog that had rolled in something smelly. The Dursleys hadn't even remembered that today happened to be Harry's twelfth birthday. Of course, his hopes hadn't been high'

7. 3rd Person Objective
POV where facts of story are conveyed by a seemingly neutral, impersonal observer or recorder.
Purest form is all dialogue
Extremely reliant upon indirect characterization
Also known as dramatic POV as well
Only description is what is visible.
Only POV that doesn’t contain thoughts!!!
Readers are spectators in a movie or play
“Roving Lens” because it shows what a character
would not necessarily see
What might this POV do for a reader?
Helps readers draw own inferences making any opinions of characters up to audience
Forces the “Show-not-tell” model
Helps ease of comprehension as most is dialogue and can be accomplished quickly
Helps create more somber or eerie moods as silence becomes accentuated

8. 3rd Person Objective: The Lottery
First sentences of first 5 paragraphs
The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full- summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green
The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play.
Soon the men began to gather. surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes.
The lottery was conducted--as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr. Summers.
The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born.

9. 1st Person
POV told from a single person’s perspective while first person pronouns are used, me, my, us, we, our)
Interpretation of most material is done so indirectly
A persona is created
Issues with credibility and reliability
Keeps consistent style and tone
What might this POV do for reader?
Helps create more emotional bias
Create more empathy in readers
Helps create a unique bond with character
Could help reveal a bit of narrators relationship to author more
Helps “dump” info on readers when needed

10. 1st Person: The Great Gatsby
In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since.
And, after boasting this way of my tolerance, I come to the admission that it has a limit. Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes but after a certain point I don’t care what it’s founded on. When I came back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart.

11. Captionary: POV Practice
For each image that you see please create correct narration and dialogue based on the required POV. Try to use notes when you need help determining if what you have in mind aligns with POV. For example:

12. Captionary: 1st Person Obama
As I searched for ways to connect with the students I realized I needed to become a child myself. The goofier I became, the more they warmed up to me. I thought to myself, “I wish this type of appeal would work with the Republican Party.”

13. Captionary: 3rd Person Limited Young Boy
When Tim saw Obama acting
So silly, he thought to himself,
“Maybe if I act like a weirdo
I can be President one day.”
Tim felt very strange as he
mimicked the presidents
every move but continually
told himself that his dignity
was a small price to pay for
ruling the world one day.

14. Captionary: 3rd Person Omniscient AMAYA
The children looked on as this stranger with a tie infiltrated their classroom for the day. Linda became frightened as he glared at her through the magnifying glass. Toby whispered to his neighbor, “I wonder if they call him PresiDENT because of the “present dents” he must have in his head.” Meanwhile, Tim would Not stop copying this man’s every move. The stranger did not know whether to take this as flattery or become completely annoyed.

15. Captionary: 3rd Objective Roving
“Have you ever been able to see into Someone else's mind,” he asked nonchalantly and almost in a Patronizing tone. Little Tiffany responded with a nervous and quakey, “No sir.” “Well did you know that this thing here can read minds if you stare at someone long enough through it.” The trembling student looked up in awe as the man began to peer through the magnifying glass at Tiffany. Meanwhile, little Tim was imitating his every move and Toby could not stop giggling, while pointing and whispering.

16. POV Practice: Hopelessly Devoted Boy

17. POV Practice: Harambe and Child

18. POV Practice: Akward Family Photo

19. POV Practice: Girl and Camel

20. POV Activity: Comic Strip
Fold paper into16 congruent squares so there are four identical rows horizontally and vertically.
Determine which direction you want your comic strip to go then label the first square in each row with these POVS’s
First Person
3rd Limited
3rd Omniscient
3rd Objective
Create a setting, protagonist and conflict in your mind that could possibly be misinterpreted depending on which perspective it is seen from.
This may change as you go but so don’t feel the need to come up with every perspective right now
Begin with your first person POV and create narration that accurately coincides with each POV. Refer back to notes to make sure each row contains the correct criteria.
The goal is to accurately depict the same event within 4 scenes, but with a completely different POV each time.

21. Example of Third Limited