Point of View

1. Point of View Everyone has one. What is Yours?

2. Point of View, What is it? • Point of view refers to the vantage (view) point from which a story is told. Point of view is the way the author allows you to "see" and "hear" what's going onWhile reading ask yourself who is telling the story? • Why should we care about point of view? • How does it help a reader?

3. First Person • First person point of view is in use when a character narrates the story with I-me-my-mine in his or her speech. The advantage of this point of view is that you get to hear the thoughts of the NARRATOR and see the world depicted in the story through his or her eyes. • Clues: I –Me-My-Mine

4. Example: • Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes • “And we scrounged. Next to survival, scrounge was probably the most important word in our new vocabulary. We found a store that was throwing out water-damaged mattresses. Getting them home was a problem, since we had to make two trips, leaving Brad and Katie, armed with sticks to guard over the remained. I truly expected them to be challenged by some gang boss, but they said that the only person who came by was a scrawny little rat of a girl living alone. We let her have one of the mattresses.”

5. Second Person • Second-person point of view, in which the author uses you and your, is rare; authors seldom speak directly to the reader. When you encounter this point of view, pay attention. Why? The author has made a daring choice, probably with a specific purpose in mind. Most times, second-person point of view draws the reader into the story, almost making the reader a participant in the action • Instructions and directions are usually written from second-person perspective.

6. Example: • Ask a Ninja Presents: The Ninja Handbook by the International Order of Ninjas • “Remember, any tool that you can use against an enemy may also be used against you. Therefore it is highly recommended that you build a course with your clan to practice keeping your wits about you when something is trying to set you off course. Ninjas train on special courses that really mess with their perception of space, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your own mini gauntlet to increase your skills in your own backyard (78).”

7. Third Person • Third-person point of view is that of an outsider looking at the action. The writer may choose third-person omniscient, in which the thoughts of every character are open to the reader, or third-person limited, in which the reader enters only one character's mind, either throughout the entire work or in a specific section. Third-person limited differs from first-person because the author's voice, not the character's voice, is what you hear in the descriptive passages.Remember, most writers choose this point of view!!

8. Example: • Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar • Leslie sat in front of Paul. She had two long, brown pigtails that reached all the way down to her waist. Paul saw those pigtails, and a terrible urge came over him. He wanted to pull a pigtail. He wanted to wrap his fist around it, feel the hair between his fingers, and just yank. He thought it would be fun to tie the pigtails together, or better yet, tie them to her chair. But most of all, he just wanted to pull one • (Third person limited, only Paul’s thoughts are revealed)

9. Example: • The Wizard of Oz by L Frank Baum • The Scarecrow found a tree full of nuts and filled Dorothy’s basket with them, so that she would not be hungry for a long time. She thought this was very kind and thoughtful of the Scarecrow, but she laughed heartily at the awkward way in which the poor creature picked up the nuts. His padded hands were so clumsy that he dropped almost as many as he put in the basket. But the Scarecrow did not mind how long it took him to fill the basket, for it enabled him to keep away from the fire, as he feared a spark might get into his straw and burn him up (49). • Narrative Perspective: Third-Person Omniscient • How do you know? Dorothy and the Scarecrow's thoughts are revealed

10. Example: • Harry Houdini: A Photographic Story of a Life by Vicki Cobb • “Harry called their grand finale “Metamorphosis,” which means “change in appearance.” Harry would tie Theo’s hands behind his back with a rope, then put him in a sack and tie the top. The tied and bagged Theo was then placed into the trunk which was locked and tied with ropes. A curtain was drawn so that no one could see the trunk, although they could hear Theo banging around inside. With great drama, Houdini told the audience, “When I clap my hands three times—behold a miracle!” He moved behind the curtain, clapped three times, and out stepped Theo, arms raised triumphantly” (31). • Narrative Perspective: Third-Person Objective • How do you know? No character's thoughts are revealed, only their actions and dialogue.