Point of View Opinion Writing

Point of view The words writers use to refer to themselves, or whether they reference themselves at all.

Types First person: involves the writer • singular: I, me, my, myself • plural: we, us, our, ourselves Second person: references the reader • you, your Third person: he, she, it, they

First person “I” or “we” When I listen to music, I often ignore the lyrics. When we listen to music, we often ignore the lyrics.

First person singular • talking about one person: me, myself and I • writing from the writer’s perspective. • used in columns when writers speak for themselves

From my point of view “Often I get swept up in a catchy beat, only to realize a song I love so much has a message that goes against my values.” “I” can bring the reader closer to the writer, but it works best when dealing with the writer’s experience.

When to avoid “I” Avoid writing about writing. • “I’m writing this because…” • “I interviewed Sandy, and she said…” • “I think we need to…” Using “I” too much can put the focus on the writer instead of the issue, or it can become repetitive and boring.

First person plural Writing from a group’s point of view. “We.” In an editorial “we” means the editorial board or publication staff. “We” can also mean a larger group: the student body, the community, humanity.

From our point of view “We need to be more aware of what messages we get in the music we listen to. Why should we waste time and money on art that makes our world a worse place?”

“We” can be a smart choice Saying “We need to change…” sounds less judgmental than “You need to change…” The writer creates a sense of community when writing to a group.

Things to watch As with “I” make sure “we” doesn’t distract from the issue at hand. Make sure “we” sounds honest, that the writer is actually writing as a member of the group “we” represents.

Second person “You.” “When you listen to music, you often ignore the lyrics.”

“You” can be problematic • It can sound preachy. The writer is saying the problem is “your” problem, not the writer’s (passing blame). • It can also be inaccurate. “When you write lyrics, you need to consider…” (Most readers never write lyrics.)

Can “you” be useful? On very rare occasions, writers use “you” intentionally to put the reader into a certain point of view effectively. Save “you” for experiments and have a back-up plan in case the result is a preachy mess.

Third person He, she, it, they “When people listen to music, they often ignore the lyrics.”

The least personal person Third person is a more objective, less biased sounding point of view. The writer is asking the reader to pay attention to facts and reasons, not personality.

A downfall? Not really. When in doubt, use third person. It gets taken seriously and forces the writer to focus on facts. The personal connection, however, of using “I” or “we” can be useful. Do not write about yourself in the third person.

Review First person singular: I (good for columns) First person plural: we (good for editorials) Second person: you (never good) Third person: he, she, it, they (usually good)