Point of view
 The vantage point or perspective of the narrator.
 How might changing the point of view change the
reader’s perception of the story?
Omniscient P.O.V.
 The observer is not a character in the story
 Is godlike or all knowing
 Can see into every character’s heart and mind
 Uses the pronouns “he,” “she,” and “they”
Omniscient P.O.V Example
The frown on the bachelor’s face was
deepening to a scowl. He was a hard,
unsympathetic man, the aunt decided in her
mind. . . .
The smaller girl created a diversion by
beginning to recite “On the Road to Mandalay.”
She only knew the first line, but she put her
limited knowledge to the fullest possible use. . . .
It seemed to the bachelor as though someone
had had a bet with her that she could repeat the
line aloud two thousand times without stopping.
from “The Storyteller” by Saki
First Person P.O.V
 Story is told by a character within the story (usually the
protagonist)
 Uses the pronouns “I” and “we”
 Literary critics often use the term persona to refer to this
first person narrator
 What are the benefits of using a first person narrator?
 Why might an author choose NOT to use a first person
narrator?
Unreliable Narrator
 A narrator is not reliable when he or she misleads or misinforms
readers
 How so?
 He or she could be …
A) mentally ill (insane) Examples?
B) telling only part of the truth, lying, or exaggerating Why do
this?
C) lacking insight or knowledge about a situation
D) piecing together a memory
E) a child or immature narrator Examples?
 Do we always know an author is unreliable?
 Why might an author include an unreliable narrator?
 What effects result from having an unreliable narrator?
Bias
• A person has a bias when he or she
favors some things (people, activities,
events, qualities, etc.) over others.
• A person’s individual biases are
shaped by his or her personal
experiences.
• WE ALL HAVE BIASES.
• Every person will perceive an event
differently because of his or her
biases.
Third Person Limited P.O.V.
 The observer is NOT a character in the story.
 Focuses on the perspective of one character
 Plot events are limited to what this one character
experiences or observes.
 Does not know what all characters are thinking or
feeling
 Uses the pronouns “he,” “she,” and “they”
Third person limited p.o.v.
“Hot in here,” he muttered to
himself. Then, from the short
hallway at his back, he heard the
muffled clang of wire coat hangers
in the closet, and at this reminder of
what his wife was doing he
thought: hot – guilty conscience.
From “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket” by
Jack Finney
Determining P.O.V
 Who is telling the story?
 How much does the narrator know and understand?
 Can I trust the narrator?
 In what ways would the story be different if someone
else were telling it?
 How much does this narrator want me to know?
Objective vs. subjective view
 Objective view – not influenced by personal feelings;
factual
 Subjective view – influenced by personal feelings
 An omniscient narrator reveals an objective view
 A first person narrator reveals a subjective view
Choosing P.O.V.
Limited ------------------------------------Complete
understanding
understanding
Subjective --------------------------------- Objective
view
view
First Person Third Person limited
Omniscient
Voice
 A character or author’s distinctive use of language
A) Choice of words (diction)
B) Attitude (tone)
Diction
 Choice of words and phrases
 Connotation is the feeling of a word (generally agreed
upon within a culture)
 Positive connotation: proud, self-confident, secure
 Negative connotation: self-involved, cocky, egotistical, full
of himself
 Neutral connotation: desk, pencil, telephone, etc.
Diction
 More examples:
 Strong-willed
 Independent
 Stubborn
 Bossy
Tone
 The attitude a speaker OR writer takes toward a subject,
character, or reader.
 May be sympathetic, critical, humorous, tragic, hopeful,
bitter, etc.
 A madman’s tone would be different from a saintly
mother’s tone
 Tone is most greatly influence by diction (choice of words)
Mood vs. Tone
 The mood and tone of a story may be the same, or they




may be different.
How so?
Remember: Mood is the atmosphere of the story
(influenced by elements of setting)
Mood is how the reader feels
Tone is how the speaker or writer feels
Tone examples
 See notes.