Point of View

1. Point of View

2. Point of View • Expressed largely through the person who tells the story • A story has to be told from a consistent point of view

3. Common Types of P.O.V. • First person point of view: a story is told by one of the characters. In this viewpoint the character speaks as “I.” • They use first person pronouns(I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours) • In this view, we only know what this one character can tell us. Sometimes this kind of point of view isn’t very reliable. • Flashbacks are sometimes in first person point of view.

4. Point of View Continued.. • Third Person Omniscient Point of View: an omniscient narrator knows everything about everybody in a story. This narrator can tell you about all of the characters, their most private feelings, their pasts, and even their futures.

5. Third Person Limited • In this type of narration, the author tells the narrative through the eyes of a single character. The pronouns he and she are used throughout.

6. Now Watch How It’s Done • First Person: I nervously looked at my mom. I saw her tapping her foot, and I could see from her bulging eyes how mad she was at me. I could only imagine the kind of punishment I was in store for.

7. Third Person Omniscient • Patrick put the stamp on the envelope and smiled. It contained the ticket to his future—his college application. He had slaved over the essay portion of it for weeks, but now that it was finished, he knew it was perfect. He had to mail it today, though, to be sure and meet the deadline. He gave the envelope to his younger sister, Pamela, and asked her to drop it at the post office for him. “It’s important,” he called toward her as he rushed out the door and headed to work. Pamela took the letter from her brother’s hand as he ran by her. “Sure, I’ll take care of it this morning,” she said sweetly. The sweetness melted as the door slammed behind Patrick. A wicked grin came across Pamela’s face as she remembered how Patrick had gotten her grounded the week before.

8. Third Person Limited • He crept downstairs and could hear only the sound of his own footsteps. He knew what his mission was—to get the last piece of chocolate cake that had been left over from the party. Without turning on the kitchen lights, he quietly opened the refrigerator door. The light from the fridge lit the kitchen, and he suddenly saw the face of his sister. His shoulders drooped and he let out a defeated sigh as he recognized a smear of chocolate frosting around her lips.

9. Practice • Revise the following sentences to create the required point of view • I went to Sally’s birthday party. I was thrilled to be there. She was thinking how great it was to be the center of attention. She was hoping to get a new bike. (Revise to first person) • Johnny set a fierce smile on his lips and let the ball fly at his sister. I yelled at her to duck, but it was too late. She knew he was trying to hit her because of striking him out last inning. (Revise to third person limited)

10. Practice Continued • I was wondering how Mary would react to the news that Sam was going to break up with her. I didn’t know if she would cry or get angry. When she sat next to me at lunch, I was afraid to bring up the subject. (Revise to third person omniscient)

11. Paragraph Practice • Now write a paragraph about the following topic from any one of the three points of view we learned about today. Circle the words and pronouns that help the reader recognize the point of view. • Topic: A blizzard strands students at school on the last day before Winter Break.

12. Mrs. Gentry’s Paragraph • Kevin was a bit scared after realizing that he would be stranded at school because of the blizzard. He knew there were other students at the school too, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He thought about whether or not his mom would worry about him, and just how many people would come looking for him when the blizzard finally let up. He wasn’t sure if he would survive. As soon as he thought that though, he saw a few of his friends coming down the hallway. They looked like they were in good spirits, so he made up his mind that it wouldn’t be so bad being stuck at school during the blizzard.

13. More Practice • Write several sentences (not more than a paragraph) about each topic using the required point of view. • A birthday party (First-person) • Boyfriend and girlfriend breaking up (Third Person Omniscient)

14. A Birthday Party(First Person) • I was so excited to begin my 16th birthday party. All of my closest friends were there, and everyone had brought me gifts! I knew it would be a night to remember!

15. A Boyfriend and Girlfriend Breaking Up (Third Person Omniscient) • Sherry felt sick to her stomach as she approached Brendan after class. She knew today would be the day that she would break it off with him. As Brendan saw Sherry getting closer, he tightened his grip on the engagement ring he had in his pocket in hopes that the harder he squeezed, the better the chances would be of Sherry saying ‘yes.’