Literary Terms:Point-of-View!

Literary Terms Review

First let’s review the literary terms we have learned so far…

• Setting (consists of two things)1) Time2) Place

Literary Terms Review• Irony (3 types)

1) Situational: what happens is the opposite of what’s expected

Ex: A vegetarian works in a meat-packing plant.

2) Verbal: what is said is the opposite of what is meant; sarcasm

Ex: “Wow, you’re so funny.”3) Dramatic: the audience knows something the

characters do notEx: Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet,

horror movies where we see the killer, a man we see is going to slip on a banana peel, the “Maury Show” where

we know the man is not here for a makeover

Literary Terms Review• Plot (consists of four elements)

1) Rising Action: builds tension 2) Climax: turning point of the story3) Falling Action: shows the effect of the

climax on the story4) Denouement: resolution; loose ends

are tied up

Literary Terms Review

• Theme! (definition)– The life lesson or main message of a text

• 5 rules when identifying theme:1) It’s not a single word 2) Avoid clichés 3) It is rarely directly stated4) There can be more than one theme5) Does not include character names or plot

points

Literary Terms Review• Foreshadowing

– When the author provides clues about what will happen in the story

Reader, earnestly following the clues

Clues!

Author

Here little reader. Follow

me, my pretty! And

your little dog, too!

And now introducing…

• Point-of-View: perspective from which the story is told (narrator’s voice)

• 4 Types:1) First person2) Second person3) Third person limited4) Third person omniscient

First Person Point-of-View

• Story is told from one character’s perspective using the “I” voice

• Often used in narrative writing (stories about people’s lives)

• Associated pronouns: I, me, my, we, our, us, ours, mine

First person: Narrator is in the story! We see the story through

his/her eyes only!

First Person Point-of-View

• Positives: – Can see inside the narrator’s head– More personal– More emotional

• We can see what they are thinking and feeling.

• Restrictions: – Vision is “tainted” by that person– Not always reliable– Not very objective (factual)– Can’t go outside of their head and see others’

perspectives– Avoid in formal writing (compositions)

Second Person Point-of-View

• Not used very often because it confuses the readers

• Author is talking to the reader

• “You” voice• Associated Pronouns: you, your, yours

Second Person: Narrator is speaking directly to reader

Hey YOU, kid! Yes, I’m talkin’

to you!

Who, me?

Second Person Point-of-View

• Positives: –Can speak directly to your reader–Can be effective in persuasion

(editorials, political pieces)• Negatives:

–Can confuse reader if used inappropriately

–Avoid in formal writing (compositions)

Third Person Omniscient Point-of-View

• Person telling the story is outside of the action looking in – As if standing outside of an ant farm

watching things unfold, but can also get in ants’ heads

• Narrator is all-knowing and can tell the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters

• “God-like”• Applicable pronouns: he, she, it,

they, them, his, hers, its, theirs

Third Person Omniscient: Narrator knows thoughts and feelings of

everyone equally

Third Person Omniscient Point-of-View

• Positives: – Allows for objectivity

• Trustworthy since no one is favored and story is untainted by one person’s version

– Gets into the heads of all the characters – Should be used formal writing

• Restrictions: – Loses the touch of the personal

(textbook-ish)– More detached emotionally– Less mystery

Third Person LimitedPoint-of-View

• Person telling the story is outside of the action looking in

• Can see ONE person’s thoughts and feelings (“limited” to one character)

• As if standing on one character’s shoulder

• Applicable pronouns: he, she, it, they, them, his, hers, its, theirs

Third Person Limited: Narrator follows around one person only and

knows all of their thoughts and feelings

Third Person LimitedPoint-of-View

• Positives: – More objective (factual)– Can see from one person’s perspective

while still remaining outside of the story– More reliable

• Restrictions: – May not be as objective– Is “limited”; we can’t see the whole

picture

Practice Analyzing Point-of-View!

Let’s analyze how point-of-view can affect our

understanding of a text.

Authors choose it for a reason: So why?

The End!…or is it?