WHAT IS POINT OF VIEW?
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FIRST PERSON POINT OF VIEW
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When the author tells a story about himself or herself (like
in Cirque du Freak)they are using the first person point of
view.
When the character is speaking throughout the story using
“I” or “me” the character is in the first person point of view.
CLUE WORDS: “I,” “me,” “my,” “mine”
I think this is such
a great book. Mrs.
Brown was right. I
can’t put it down.
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THIRD PERSON
POINT OF VIEW
 When an author uses the third-person
point of view, he/she is telling the story
about the characters.
 CLUE WORDS: “he/she,” or “him/her”
Lydia was trying to make her brother
laugh. So she tickled him with a
feather.
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THIRD PERSON OBJECTIVE
 The
narrator is reporting what is seen.
Does
NOT know any thoughts or feelings of
person/people being reported.
 The biggest clue to this type of point of view
is the narrator only REPORTING.
CLUE WORDS: him, her, he, she, they,
them, their.
EXAMPLE: The boy was sitting on the park
bench.
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THIRD PERSON LIMITED
 The
narrator knows the thoughts
and feelings of one character. (Luke
in Among the Hidden)
 CLUE WORDS: he, him, her, she, it,
his
 EXAMPLE: When her boyfriend did
not call her, she was so angry that
her eyes were bulging out.
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THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT
 The narrator knows the thoughts
and feelings of two or more
characters.
 CLUE WORDS: him, her, she, it,
they, them, their
 EXAMPLE: Gabbie was very sad
because her pet mouse was hit by a
bus and Elina was in such shock she
couldn’t speak
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Why does an author
choose a point of view
when writing a story?
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An author spends time planning what to write. As
part of his/her pre-writing, he/she thinks about which
point of view to use.
 It adds depth.
 It makes it interesting.
 It makes sense
 For example, if the author is writing about him or
herself, he/she would use the first person in order to
express his or her ideas so that you are able to
understand that one person’s point of view.
 When the author chooses to write from many points
of view it is because the author is adding depth to the
characters and the story.
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CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING
I love to teach seventh grade reading.
I want my students to find excitement
in reading.
From which point of view is the sentence in the box written?
A. Third Person Omniscient
B. First Person
C. Second Person
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B. FIRST PERSON POINT OF
VIEW
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FROM WHICH POINT OF VIEW IS THE
SENTENCE IN THE BOX WRITTEN?
Mrs. Brown loves to teach seventh grade
reading. She wants her students to find
excitement in reading even though they think
they don’t like to read.
A.Third Person
Omniscient
B.First Person
Omniscient
C.First Person
D.Third Person Limited
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A. THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT
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From which point of view is the sentence in
the box?
JOSH WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED
BECAUSE HE DID NOT RECEIVE
AN “A” ON HIS TEST.
A.FIRST PERSON
B.THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT
C.THIRD PERSON LIMITED
D.FIRST PERSON LIMITED
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IF YOU WROTE, “C” THIRD
PERSON LIMITED . . . . YOU
WOULD BE CORRECT!
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A NARRATOR IS THE ONE TELLING THE STORY
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Now that we know the types of point of view, let’s discuss
further from whose point of view a story is written.
You may be asked, “From whose viewpoint is the story
written?” You would need to decide which character is
telling the story (the author or a character in the story).
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NOW YOU TRY . . .
From whose viewpoint is the following poem
told from and which point of view is it?
Eddie Edwards
Eddie Edwards runs around
He never shuts up. He never sits down
He teases the girls, he cuts in line.
He never makes it to school on time.
~ Carol Shields
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From whose point of view is the following story
and in what point of view is it told?
The Big, Bad Wolf
The big, bad wolf was picking his nose,
The little pig’s tail fell down
Rumpelstiltskin forgot his name
Cinderella tripped on her gown.
~Carol Diggory
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How can different points of view change a story?
•Everyone sees, thinks and understands differently.
•A story told from one person’s point of view will be different
from another person’s point of view.
•For example: Let’s talk about Cinderella. In the original story,
the narrator is able to tell about the feelings and thoughts of
Cinderella and all the other characters. This makes it Third
Person Omniscient. In that version, the narrator tells us that
Cinderella thinks the prince is so handsome and she falls in
love.
•But what if Cinderella told the story . . . .
I really didn't notice that he had a funny nose.
And he certainly looked better all dressed up in fancy clothes.
He's not nearly as attractive as he seemed the other night.
So I think I'll just pretend that this glass slipper feels too tight.
As you can see, maybe she doesn’t think he is so handsome after all.
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