Todays Standard

1
Todays Standard Contrast points of view (e.g.,
first and third person, limited and omniscient,
subjective and objective) in narrative text
2
Point of view is the vantage point, or angle,
from which a story is told. There are three
basic points of view first-, third- and
second-person. First-person point of view the
narrator is someone who takes part in the action
of the story. Narrator uses pronouns such as I,
me, my, we, and our to describe the action and
tell about thoughts and feelings. Example When
I went to bed that night, I thought about how bad
it was in my house, how much I loved Stuart, and
how glad I was that Smedley and Ms. Finney were
at school. Paula Danziger, The Cat Ate My
Gymsuit
3
Third-person point of view The narrator is
someone who observes the action of a story but
doesnt take part in the events. Narrator uses
pronouns such as he, she him, her, they, and
them. Narrator describes the action and the
characters but does not include his or her own
experience. Example When Meg woke to the
jangling of her alarm clock the wind was still
blowing but the sun was shining the worst of the
storm was over. She sat up in bed, shaking her
head to clear it. Madeleine L/Engle, A
Wrinkle in Time Second-person point of view
The narrator addresses the reader using the
pronoun you. Directions and instructions often
use this point of view. Example After you
have chosen the materials, you can begin
designing the costume.
4
Omniscient (all knowing) point of view The
narrator knows everything about the characters
and their problems. The narrator can tell what
the characters are thinking and what is happening
in several places at the same time. The narrator
does not take part in the storys action, but
rather, stands above the action like a
god. Example Without, the night was cold and
wet, but in the small parlor of Lakesnam Villa
the blinds were drawn and the fire burned
brightly. Father and son were at chess, the
former, who possessed ideas about the game
involving radical changes, putting his king into
such sharp and unnecessary perils W.W.
Jacobs, The Monkeys Paw Limited point of view
The narrator is not all knowing and can only tell
the story from one, or more, persons
perspective. The narrator cannot tell what all
characters are thinking.
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Objective Not emotionally involved, not voicing
personal opinion, unbiased. Examples newspaper
articles or TV news reports. Subjective Gives
opinion, has personal investment or
connection. Examples editorials in the
newspaper, a persuasive speech..
6
Practice A. Read the following paragraph and
identify the point of view from which it is
told Heavily bundled against antarctic cold,
Lisa Zidek and Jackie McCray walk over slippery
rocks on a barren coast, carrying buckets of fish
and a clipboard. Suddenly the water is torn by
penguins, zooming up onto shore as if theyd been
fired from submarine cannons. Opening their
beaks wide and pointing them straight up, they
waddle quickly up to the women. David
Berreby, Where the Wild Things Are The
following paragraph is written in third-person.
Rewrite it as a first-person narrative. The
young boy slipped the mask and snorkel over his
face, took a deep breath, and dove into the cool
green water. After the mornings snorkeling
lesson, he was eager to explore the coral reef.
As he swam along the rocky ledge, he spied a pair
of brightly colored parrot fish. Below him a
manta ray fluttered across the ocean floor. The
boy felt a reef, he spotted something larger and
more ominous. He recognized it instantlya shark!
7
Write a paragraph about the following
incident A students first day of school,
entering the classroom. using the following
points of view. First person (you are the
student). Third person limited (from the
teachers perspective) Omniscient (god like view
of the classroom and its occupants)