Understanding point-of-view

1. Understanding point-of-view

2. 1st person • Definition: narrator is a character in the story, referred to as “I” • Example: • To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee • We lived on the main residential street in town—Atticus, Jem and I, plus Calpurnia our cook. Jem and I found our father satisfactory: he played with us, read to us, and treated us with courteous detachment… Our mother died when I was two, so I never felt her absence. She was a Graham from Montgomery; Atticus met her when he was first elected to the state legislature (6). • How do you know?

3. Third person limited • Definition: Limited: only reveals thoughts of 1 character • Example: • Holes by Louis Sachars • The next morning Mr. Sir marched the boys to another section of the lake, and each boy dug his own hole, five feet deep and five feet wide. Stanley was glad to be away from the big hole. At least now he knew just how much he had to dig for the day. And it was a relief not to have other shovels swinging past his face, or the Warden hanging around (80). • How do you know?

4. Third person omniscient • Definition: reveals thoughts & feelings of all characters • Example: • Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury • The girl stopped and looked as if she might pull back in surprise, but instead stood regarding Montag with eyes so dark and shinning that he felt he had said something quite wonderful. But he knew his mouth had only moved to say hello. “Do you mind if I ask? How long’ve you worked at being a fireman?” the girl asked. “Since I was twenty, ten years ago,” said Montag. They walked farther and the girl said, “Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?” “No,” Montag replied, “houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it,” but the girl knew this was not true (8) • How do you know?

5. Example #1 • “Goldilocks was a proud and defiant little girl who’d been told many times by her mother to stay out of the woods, but she paid little attention to others, especially her elders, giving lots of attention instead to herself and her own desires. One day, just to show that she could, she wandered deep into the center of the forest, farther from home than ever before. In a clearing she noticed a small cottage, smoke issuing from the chimney. She thought it was quite an ugly little cottage, but she also thought it might be a place where she could get a little something to eat and drink.”

6. Example #2 • We were driving along the road from Treguier to Kervanda. We passed at a smart trot between the hedges topping an earth wall on each side of the road; then at the foot of the steep ascent before Ploumar the horse dropped into a walk, and the driver jumped down heavily from the box. He flicked his whip and climbed the incline, stepping clumsily uphill by the side of the carriage, one hand on the footboard, his eyes on the ground. After a while he lifted his head, pointed up the road with the end of the whip, and said: "The idiot!" I was startled by his outburst.

7. Example #3 • “Annabel,” said Jimmy, “give me that rose you are wearing, will you?” Hardly believing that she had heard him right, she unpinned the flower from her dress and placed it in his hand. Jimmy Valentine put on his coat and walked outside the railing toward the front door. As he went he thought he heard a faraway voice that he once knew.