See it, know it, understand it, use it.
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Point of view is the angle from which the
story is told.
To figure out point of view, first ask yourself,
“Who is the narrator?”
The narrator, of course, is the voice telling
the story.
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If the narrator is a character in the story,
you’re reading first-person point of view.
“When I stepped out into the bright sunlight
from the darkness of the movie house, I had
two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a
ride home.” – S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders
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Pronouns give away point of view.
When we’re talking about ourselves, what
pronoun do we use?
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So, why should a story character be any
different?
If the narrator of a story uses “I,” the story
is written in first person.
Caution: Other characters can use “I” if
they’re talking in the story. Make sure you
identify the narrator before you decide which
point of view is being used.
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Third-person point of view is when the
narrator in a story is NOT a character.
“Brian Robeson stared out the window of the
small plane at the endless green northern
wilderness below ... Not that he had much to
say. He was thirteen and the only passenger on
the plane was a pilot named – what was it? Jim
or Jake or something – who was in his midforties and who had been silent as he worked to
prepare for takeoff.” – Gary Paulsen, Hatchet
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Which pronoun indicates that third person is
being used?
Or, what pronouns do we use when we’re
talking about someone else?
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“Brian Robeson stared out the window of the
small plane at the endless green northern
wilderness below ... Not that he had much to
say. He was thirteen and the only passenger
on the plane was a pilot named – what was it?
Jim or Jake or something – who was in his
mid-forties and who had been silent as he
worked to prepare for takeoff.” – Gary
Paulsen, Hatchet
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Omniscience: What is it?
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Omniscience: Knowing everything
Omniscient: All-knowing
What does that have to do with point of view,
you may ask?
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An author uses point of view to help tell the
story. He or she chooses a point of view
that will let him or her give the reader
information at the right time.
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Sometimes, not very often, we read stories
written in third-person omniscient point of
view.
What does that mean?
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Third-person omniscient: The narrator is
not a character and tells everything about
everyone – thoughts, feelings, intentions,
everything.
Why don’t we see omniscient point of view in
first person?
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Because the narrator would have to be a
mind reader! How else would he or she know
everything about every character?
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What do you think that means?
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Limited omniscience is when the narrator
knows only certain characters’ thoughts,
feelings and intentions.
Third-person limited is a very common point
of view. Why do you think that is?
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If you were paying attention a few slides ago,
you probably have the answer.
Using limited omniscience lets an author
give the reader information – and hold back
information – as he or she sees fit.
It helps preserve surprises and build
suspense. If we are told everything from the
beginning, why would we read to the end of a
story? Wouldn’t that be dull?
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Well, the most obvious reason is that almost
no one uses it in literature.
If first person uses “I,” third person uses “he”
and “she,” what pronoun does second person
use a lot?
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Authors use second person when they are
addressing the reader directly.
When would you use second person when
writing?
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Point of view and perspective are very similar.
Do you know the difference?
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Like we discussed, point of view is the angle
from which the story is told.
Even though Hatchet is told in third person,
the story is told from one character’s
perspective, or viewpoint. In third person, the
character whose thoughts, feelings and
intentions are known owns the perspective.
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Read the selection from Hatchet. We know
Hatchet is written in third-person limited
point of view.
But what if we changed it?
Rewrite the selection and change the point of
view as directed.