Points of ViewLiterature 8 – Mrs. Munnier

First person point of view is found in both fiction and nonfiction. In first person point of view, the writer or narrator uses personal pronouns, such as “I,” “me,” “our,” “my,” and so on, to relate thoughts, experiences and observations.

Here are some examples of first person point of view:

• 1. I walked home from school today with my friends.

• 2. We stopped at Dairy Queen for vanilla ice cream. It’s our favorite.

• 3. When I got up this morning, I brushed my teeth.

• 4. The enormous dog scared me so terribly that I trembled for an hour.

Let’s go back to the previous slide and identify the personal pronouns in the four sentences. List them on your paper.

#1 has two personal pronouns; #2 has two personal pronouns; #3 has three personal pronouns; and #4 has two personal pronouns.

Autobiographies and journals are written in first person point of view.

Some fiction is written in first person point of view.

Second person point of view is rare in fiction. In second-person point of view fiction the narrator addresses the protagonist directly as "you."

The next few slides will show you some examples of second person point of view:

From (Dr. Seuss, Oh! The Places You’ll Go! 1990) --

• "You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go."

(Delia Ephron, "How to Cut Off Your Jeans." Esquire, June 1976)

• "Put on your jeans and look in the mirror. With the pen, mark one leg an eyeballed two inches above the knee if you want Bermuda shorts, four inches above the knee for short shorts. Take off the jeans, lay them flat on a table, and cut off the leg even with the mark. Don't worry if your cutting is a little crooked. You can correct it later."

So... With regard to second person point of view, what are the two words that you look for? Remember that these words must be used repeatedly within a passage. Write the first word as #5 on your paper and write the second word as #6 on your paper.

Think – is this fiction or non-fiction? Who is the subject? Which point of view?

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Product information, such as instruction manuals and advertising

directly at you, the consumer, is written in second person point of view.

Let’s see if you were paying attention…

7. Product information is almost always in _______ person point of view.

Third person point of view involves information (in non-fiction) or a plot (in fiction) being told by a narrator who is NOT a character in the literature. The writer uses such pronouns as “he, “ “she,” and “they.”

There are two main “third persons” -- omniscient (the narrator knows everything) and limited (the narrator has limited knowledge about the characters.)

In third person limited point of view, the narrator simply tells the story, and is not a character in the story. The narrator states facts about the characters, the setting, and the conflicts in the story, but does not make direct predictions – he or she is not ominiscient – and knows nothing about the feelings, thoughts, or emotions of the characters.

So…

8. If the narrator simply tells the story, and is not a character in the story and does not know the thoughts of the characters, the story is written in third person __________ point of view.

9. On the other hand, if the narrator is not a character in the story but it is obvious that he or she knows the thoughts of the characters, the story is written in third person _________ point of view.

In third person omniscient point of view, the narrator simply tells the story, is not a character in the story but knows absolutely everything about the characters, even their thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited OR 3rd person omniscient?

10. As the girl walked up the hill, she realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. She thought she saw a shadow moving high on the slope but when she looked again it was gone.

1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited OR 3rd person omniscient?

11. As you walk up the hill, you realize that the atmosphere is just too quiet. You think you see a shadow moving high on the slope, but when you looked again it was gone.

1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited OR 3rd person omniscient?

12. As I walked up the hill, I realized that the atmosphere was just too quiet. We thought we saw a shadow move high on the slope. Our dog howled in frustration.

1st person, 2nd person, 3rd person limited OR 3rd person omniscient?

13. As the girl walked up the hill, she shuddered. She quietly began to explore the quiet countryside. Her father had told her to be home before dark.

14. What does “omniscient” mean?

Pass your paper with the answers to the front of your row.