Point of View
Transform each excerpt into the other two points of view. If you need to review the points of view,
refer to Part One of this assignment.
Changing Points of View Chart
Excerpt 1
First Person: I ran into my ex-girlfriend Lisa. I did not want to see her again. She always wants to
get back with me, and I just want to move on.
Third Person Limited:
Joe ran into his ex-girlfriend Lisa. He did not want to see her again. She always wants to get back
with him, and he just wants to move on.
Third Person Omniscient:
Joe ran into his ex-girlfriend Lisa. Joe did not want to see her again because he was already seeing
Marylou. Lisa always wants to get back with him, she doesn’t have a job and needs someone to live
with. Joe wants to move on. Lisa wants to get married.
Excerpt 2
First Person:
The city skyline covered the horizon. From the balcony of my high-priced apartment that I shared
with Jake, I looked out and wondered if I was happy. Something seemed to be missing. Jake
looked over to me and I looked away quickly hoping that I had not given away my private thoughts.
Third Person Limited: The city skyline covered the horizon. From the balcony of her high-priced
apartment that she shared with Jake, Sarah looked out and wondered if she was happy. Something
seemed to be missing. Jake looked over to her and Sarah looked away quickly hoping that she had
not given away her private thoughts.
Third Person Omniscient:
Sarah was lonely because Jake was never around. Jake wanted to start a family. Neither had the
secure jobs which would enable them to have financial security before starting a family. Sarah’s
unhappiness stems from Jake’s absence. She had began to wonder if Jake was cheating on her.
Excerpt 3
First Person:
I clutched my pocketbook with the memory of the last time I was robbed. It was a night like this
one. I was thinking to myself, “I can’t be robbed twice in one week.”
Third Person Limited:
He looked over his potential prey for the evening. They all seemed like easy marks to him. Who
would it be, he wondered. He saw a woman holding her pocketbook close to her body. Billy Bob
knew he would rob someone tonight, but he wasn’t sure who.
Third Person Omniscient:
The robber looked over his potential prey for the evening. They all seemed like easy marks to
him. Who would it be, he wondered.
Feeling someone’s eyes on her pocketbook, Jane held it closer to her body. She would not be
robbed again, after that last time.
Reflect: What are the benefits and limitations of each narration type?
First Person Point of View
Benefits:
-reader knows exactly how the
characters feels
Third Person Limited
Benefits:
-reader learns a lot about one
character
Third Person Omniscient
Benefits:
- reader gets to know everything
about all the characters
-personal –story is told from
-an easier writing style because
your point of view
- the
writer is more distant from the
character can become very
main subject
believable and trustworthy as
real person
- only one person
is involved
-content of the story includes
more explanations of the
situation
-author gets to
play God
Limitations:
Limitations:
-Reader may or may not know
the truth of each character’s
emotions, thoughts, etc.
Limitations:
-reader does not get to see into - reader only experiences the
the other characters
story from that one viewpoint
-reader feels left out of other
aspects of the story
-a more difficult writing
style
-story tends to be overrun with -the author has the power to
“he” and “she”
manipulate the characters to
appeal to many different
readers
- not a personal as 1st
POV