Point of View: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Person
Point of View refers to the way a story is told, the perspective or angle of vision, or the
position from which the events are narrated for the reader. Sometimes the author "tells"
the story; sometimes one of the characters does so. Sometimes this narrator knows all
about everything; sometimes the narrator is limited in her or his knowledge and outlook.
These methods of storytelling and the examples of point of view are detailed below.
1st Person:
uses I or we. First person is the character telling the story. It is also
often used when someone is stating an opinion or sharing a feeling.
(Often subjective, meaning having personal feeling toward the
events in the story)
Example: The warm sand did feel good on my feet, and now I was
almost glad that we wouldn’t have to spend another night
on the hard, wet boards of the raft. (From The Cay by T.
Taylor)
2nd Person:
uses the word you. Second person is a good choice when giving
directions or anytime you're speaking directly to someone. Second
person is rarely used to tell a story. When it does, it makes the
reader into a character.
Example: You and Carlos are on an expedition to the world's highest
mountains in the remote kingdom of Nepal to search for
the Yeti, otherwise known as the Abominable Snowman.
(From The Abominable Snowman by RA Montgomery)
Example: Push the power switch on the High Definition Plasma
display to turn the set on power-on. (From Panasonic
HD TV instructional manual)
3rd Person:
uses he, she they. Sometimes, it is used when talking about a thing
instead of a person.
Example: Jess told Leslie to meet him at the castle stronghold on
Christmas Eve afternoon. The rest of his family had gone to
the Millsburg Plaza for last minute shopping, but he stayed
behind. (From Bridge To Terabithia by K. Paterson)
3rd Person Limited: the narrator is a non-participant but only knows the thoughts and
feelings of a single character. In other words, the narrator's
knowledge of the situation is limited only to one character.
Example: So he turned and started walking north on Hector, right
down the middle of the street, right down the invisible
chalk line that divided East End from West End. Cars
beeped at him, drivers hollered, but he never flinched.
The Cobras kept right along with him on their side of the
street. So did a bunch of East Enders on their side. One of
them was Mars Bar. Both sides were calling for him to come
over. (From Maniac Magee by J. Spinelli)
3rd Person Omniscient: the writer is a non-participant but is able to see into and
have unlimited knowledge about any or all of the characters.
From this angle, the author can roam anywhere, see
anything, and comment on or interpret events at will. (Often
objective, meaning able to present the characters and
events of the story without personal judgement).
Example: Although Samuel's parents lived in the wilderness,
they were not a part of it. They had been raised in
towns and had been educated in schools where
they'd been taught to read and write and play
musical instruments. They moved west when
Samuel was a baby, so that they could devote
themselves to a quiet life of hard physical work and
contemplation. They loved the woods, but they
did not understand them. Not like Samuel. (From Woods
Runner by G. Paulsen)
Here the reader knows the parents’ and Samuel’s
feelings.
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***When determining the point of view of a story, do not rely on the 1 st person words in
quotations. ***
Example: “I didn’t mean it,” she said.
In what point of view is this statement? ______________
Example: “I didn’t mean it,” I said.
In what point of view is this statement? ______________