What Do You Need to Know About Narrator and Voice?

What Do You Need to Know About Narrator and Voice? Feature Menu First-Person Narrator Omniscient Narrator Third-Person Limited Narrator Voice Your Turn

What Do You Need to Know About Narrator and Voice? When you hear a new song by a favorite group or singer, how do you know who the performer is? Is there something recognizable about the phrasing, accents, word choice, and inflections the singer uses? Successful performers have distinctive voices.

What Do You Need to Know About Narrator and Voice? And so do narrators—the people who tell stories from different points of view. Every narrator has a point ofview—the position of the narrator in relation to the events and characters in the story.

First-Person Narrator A first-person narrator • is a character in the story • uses the first-person pronoun—I—to tell the story • can only describe his or her own experiences What we know about the story is limited to what the first-person narrator knows, perceives, and describes.

First-Person Narrator Just as you do with some “real” people, you have to decide if the first-person narrator is reliable. • Can you trust the narrator’s version of events? • Can you believe the narrator’s statements about other characters? • Is the narrator telling the truth? Ask yourself why a narrator might not be reliable.

First-Person Narrator Something was wrong with Mama’s voice after she got off the phone. It was tiny and sounded far away, but she was right here at our table. I thought maybe she had a bad throat. My voice goes all funny with a bad throat. So I said the same thing to her she always says to me. “Mama, rinse with some salt water and go to bed. You’ll be better tomorrow.” Mama put her head on her arms and cried hard. • What can you infer that the narrator does not tell you directly? • Why might the narrator not understand what has happened?

Omniscient Narrator An omniscient narrator • is not a character in the story and does not participate in the events of the plot • uses third-person pronouns—he, she, they—to tell the story • knows everything that is going on in the story Omniscient means “all-knowing.”

Omniscient Narrator The omniscient narrator can reveal thoughts, feelings, motives, and attitudes of every character in the story.

Omniscient Narrator How does this version of events differ from the passage you read earlier? When the phone rang, Carol wiped her hands and flung the dish towel over her shoulder. Who in the world? she wondered. The clock said 6:15 a.m.—almost time to get Maddy out of bed and ready for school. Finally she managed a weak “Thank you for calling” and put the receiver down. Thank you? Thank you for what? Thank you for turning the world upside down? Maddy was standing by the table, patting her back. “You’ll be better tomorrow, Mama.” Right. Fat chance. Her head sank onto her arms.

Third-Person Limited Narrator The third-person limited narratorhas some things in common with both the omniscient and first-person points of view. The third-person limited narrator • uses third-person pronouns—he, she, they—to tell the story • focuses on the experiences of only one character like an omniscient narrator like a first-person narrator

Third-Person Limited Narrator If you are not sure whether the narrator is omniscient or third-person limited, ask yourself: Does the narrator let me see the thoughts and feelings of more than one character? Or does the narrator let me see the thoughts and feelings of only one character?

Third-Person Limited Narrator In this passage, the narrator tells you the thoughts and feelings of both characters. Nick slid the glass across the counter. “Here’s your order,” he said, looking at the girl who held out her hand for the change. Miriam, he thought, trying to place her. English class. Last year, maybe? Miriam thought she could feel a little—well, a sort of electric spark as she took the change from him. She knew it was silly, but—was there something between them? Nick slid the glass across the counter. “Here’s your order,” he said, looking at the girl who held out her hand for the change. Miriam, hethought, trying to place her. English class. Last year, maybe? Miriam thought she could feel a little—well, a sort of electric spark as she took the change from him. She knewit was silly, but—was there something between them? The point of view is omniscient.

Third-Person Limited Narrator Nick slid the glass across the counter. “Here’s your order,” he said, looking at the next person in line, “and your change.” Miriam thought she could feel a little—well, a sort of electric spark as she took the change from him. She knew it was silly, but—was there something between them? Nick slid the glass across the counter. “Here’s your order,” he said, looking at the next person in line, “and your change.” Miriam thought she could feel a little—well, a sort of electric spark as she took the change from him. She knew it was silly, but—was there something between them? Here, the narrator tells you what Nick says and does, but not what he thinks or feels. The narrator tells you what Miriam thinks and feels. The point of view is third-person limited.

Narrator Quick Check Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted as loud as he could: “Hellooooo!” His voice bounced from canyon wall to cliff, echoing and repeating “Hellooooo!” But it was only his voice; as much as he wanted it to be an answering voice, it was only his voice. He was talking out loud to himself, maybe just to hear the sound of a voice. “I have to find someplace for the night. They’ll look for me tomorrow. I know they will.” What clues help you know what kind of narrator is telling this story?

Narrator Quick Check Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted as loud as he could: “Hellooooo!” His voice bounced from canyon wall to cliff, echoing and repeating “Hellooooo!” But it was only his voice; as much as he wanted it to be an answering voice, it was only his voice. He was talking out loud to himself, maybe just to hear the sound of a voice. “I have to find someplace for the night. They’ll look for me tomorrow. I know they will.” What is the point of view of this story so far?

Narrator Quick Check Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted as loud as he could: “Hellooooo!” His voice bounced from canyon wall to cliff, echoing and repeating “Hellooooo!” But it was only his voice; as much as he wanted it to be an answering voice, it was only his voice. He was talking out loud to himself, maybe just to hear the sound of a voice. “I have to find someplace for the night. They’ll look for me tomorrow. I know they will.” If this story did not have a third-person limited narrator, what other kind would it have? How would you know? [End of Section]

Voice Voice is a writer’s distinctive use of language. No two writers have exactly the same voice, just as no two singers have the same singing voice. Factors that shape a writer’s voice include diction tone sentence structure

Voice Diction is the writer’s choice of words. These two passages describe the same events, but the choice of words is very different. When the sun finally set, the darkness was complete. Even the low far hills could not be seen. The desert, quiet during the hot day, became suddenly noisy. The sun set finally, abruptly, the low far hills merging into the deep blackness. The desert, so soundless in the harsh heat, erupted into a symphony of night sounds.

Voice Tone is the writer’s attitude toward the subject, the characters, or the audience. Everyone said he was a bitter, cranky old man. Everyone was right. We all knew the stories about kids who got too near his house. He never out and out hurt anybody, but he sure scared the daylights out of them. First you’d hear the dogs barking, then the slap of the screen door. Then the giant beam of his flashlight would sweep across the yard. What is the writer’s attitude toward this character?

Voice Look at the writer’s sentence structure as you read. Are the sentences short or long? Are the sentences simple, or do they contain a lot of clauses? Does the writer vary sentence structures? Do different characters speak in different kinds of sentences?

Voice Quick Check What observations can you make about the writer’s voice? I put everything into the backpack except the sandwich. I put the sandwich in my pocket. In my pocket I also put two more batteries. And some quarters. I closed the door slowly but it still squeaked, and so did the first step on the porch, like it always does. But there wasn’t anybody around to hear it anyway.

Voice Quick Check What does the writer’s voice tell you about the narrator? I put everything into the backpack except the sandwich. I put the sandwich in my pocket. In my pocket I also put two more batteries. And some quarters. I closed the door slowly but it still squeaked, and so did the first step on the porch, like it always does. But there wasn’t anybody around to hear it anyway. [End of Section]

Tell a Story Your Turn Rewrite the following passage with an omniscient narrator. Do you learn anything new about the characters? “Do you have history right after lunch?” Martin was bent over, tying his shoe. It sounded like a casual question, but I know my brother—he never makes casual conversation. “Right. Why?” “No reason. Just asking. Um, is Tanya in there?” I knew it! Since when did he care if Tanya was in my history class? He treated Tanya just like he treated all my friends—like nobody, like they weren’t there at all. [End of Section]

The End

What Do You Need to Know About Narrator and Voice?