POINT OF VIEW & TONE
Literary Analysis in Black Boy
POINT OF VIEW: REVIEW
st
1
Person POV: the
narrator is the ‘I’ of
the story; told
through the eyes of
the narrator
He spoke too late. Red circles were eating into the
white cloth: then a flare of flames shot out. Startled, I
backed away. The fire soared to the ceiling and I trembled
with fright. Soon I saw her taut face peering under the edge
of the house. She had found me! I held my breath and
waited to hear her command me to come to her. Her face
went away; no, she had not seen me huddled in the dark
nook of the chimney. I tucked my head into my arms and my
teeth chattered.
"Richard!"
The distress I sensed in her voice was as sharp and
painful as the lash of a whip on my flesh.
"Richard! The house is on fire. Oh, find my child!"
Yes, the house was afire, but I was determined not to
leave my place of safety. Finally I saw another face peering
under the edge of the house; it was my father's. His eyes
must have become accustomed to the shadows, for he was
now pointing at me.
POINT OF VIEW: REVIEW
rd
3
Person Omnicient
POV: the narrator is on
the outside looking in to
the minds of all
characters; frequent use
of pronouns ‘he’ and ‘she’
to describe characters
He spoke too late. Red circles were eating into the white
cloth: then a flare of flames shot out. Startled, Richard backed
away. The fire soared to the ceiling and he trembled with fright.
Soon he saw his mother’s taut face peering under the edge of the
house. She had found him! He held his breath and waited to hear
her command him to come to her. Her face went away; no, she had
not seen him huddled in the dark nook of the chimney. He tucked
his head into his arms and his teeth chattered.
"Richard!"
The distress in her voice was as sharp as the lash of a
whip. She was frantic in her search; was that slightly darker
place under the porch her youngest child? No. Oh, if he perished!
"Richard! The house is on fire. Oh, find my child!"
Yes, the house was afire, but he was determined not to
leave his place of safety. Finally Richard saw another face peering
under the edge of the house; it was his father's. He had stared
into the dark long enough to accustom them to the shadows, and
he could now make out the child’s form without more light.
POINT OF VIEW: REVIEW
rd
3
Person Limited POV:
the narrator is on the
outside looking in to the
mind of one character;
frequent use of pronouns
‘he’ and ‘she’ to describe
characters
He spoke too late. Red circles were eating into the
white cloth: then a flare of flames shot out. Startled, he
backed away. The fire soared to the ceiling and he trembled
with fright. Soon he saw her taut face peering under the
edge of the house. She had found him! He held his breath
and waited to hear her command him to come to her. Her
face went away; no, she had not seen him huddled in the
dark nook of the chimney. He tucked his head into his arms
and his teeth chattered.
"Richard!"
The distress he sensed in her voice was as sharp and
painful as the lash of a whip on his flesh.
"Richard! The house is on fire. Oh, find my child!"
Yes, the house was afire, but he was determined not
to leave his place of safety. Finally he saw another face
peering under the edge of the house; it was his father's. His
eyes must have become accustomed to the shadows, for he
was now pointing at his son.
NEW MATERIAL: AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Autobiography:
story of a person’s
life, written by the
person.
the
PRACTICE WITH POV: 20 MINUTES

Your task, over the next 20 minutes, expand your
life map into a 5 paragraph autobiography. You
should:







Write in 1st person
Include details about your birth and family
Include details about your early childhood (daycare,
preschool, elementary school)
Include details about your middle school experience
Include details about your high school experience
Include details about your friends and activities
Include details about your strengths and challenges
PRACTICE WITH POV: 20 MINUTES MORE
STOP!
POV change!
Imagine that your great-greatgreat-great-grandchild has
picked up what you just wrote.
He or she is creating a family
history, and wants to write a
biography about you.
PRACTICE WITH POV: 20 MINUTES MORE
What
point of view would the
biography be written from?
What knowledge would this
ancestor have that you don’t?
Write
the biography, as though
you were your ancestor.