Comprehension Toolkit
Point of view
Comprehension Toolkit
Comprehension means understanding.
The best way to
understand a text is to
ask yourself questions
as you read it.
The answers to some
questions are easy to find,
while the answers to others
are more difficult to work out.
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Point of view is a way of looking at things.
It’s having an opinion about something or someone.
Two people can have different points
of view about the same thing.
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In writing, we use clues in the text to work out
what the author or character’s point of view is.
The forest loomed before me, a dark, forbidding place.
In Tom’s point of view, is the forest boring, happy,
unwelcoming or a bright place?
Which words tell the reader that Tom finds the
forest unwelcoming?
These words have negative connotations and suggest
there is something frightening about the forest.
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What about Finn’s point of view?
The forest, with its promise of peace and rest,
came into view.
In Finn’s view, is the forest colourful, sad,
welcoming or a dull place?
Which words tell the reader that Finn finds the
forest welcoming?
These words have positive connotations and suggest
that the forest is a place where people can relax.
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In fiction, a story is told from the point
of view of a first person narrator (I) or a
third person narrator (he or she).
First person narration usually gives a greater sense
of reality and involvement. The I who tells the story takes
part in the action, even though he or she may
not be a main character.
Third person narration usually creates more distance
between the narrator and the story, although the
he or she who tells the story might be more sympathetic
to one character than another.
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Read this point of view from the story of Cinderella.
My stepmother and stepsisters treat me like a
servant. I’m so tired at night that I fall asleep
immediately. Sometimes I dream that I am happy
again, but when I wake in the morning, nothing
has changed. Then my dream seems cruel,
offering me hope where there is none.
Who is the narrator? Cinderella (first person)
What is her point of view? She believes she is being treated badly.
Who does the text encourage us to Cinderella
sympathise with?
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Read this different point of view
from the story of Cinderella.
The stepsisters took an immediate dislike to Cinderella.
She was undeniably beautiful, and thus a threat to their
chances of snaring the prince. But she was also rather
full of herself, and what better way to bring her down a
peg or two than by passing on the worst chores to her!
Who is the narrator?
A third person narrator, who isn’t directly involved in the situation.
What is the narrator’s point of view?
The narrator gives a balanced view by showing another side to
Cinderella’s character, which gives a reason for the stepsisters’ cruelty.
Who does the text encourage us to sympathise with?
Both Cinderella and her stepsisters
Comprehension Toolkit