Narrator & Point of View Unit 3 Notes

Narrator & Point of View Narrator – who tells the story Controls everything readers know about the plot and characters Point of View – vantage point / perspective from which a story is told Different types of point of view: First Person Point of View Second Person Point of View (uncommon) Third Person Limited Point of View Third Person Omniscient Point of View

Point of View First Person Point of View Second Person Point of View The narrator is a character in the story The narrator talks to us, using first person pronouns (I, me, myself, we, us, etc.) Readers get a personal view of what is happening, but we know ONLY what he or she thinks and experiences and/or chooses to tell us. Readers should question whether the first person point of view narrator is an unreliable narrator – a narrator who is biased and does not (or cannot) tell the truth. Second Person Point of View The narrator may or may not be a character in the story The narrator uses the pronoun “you,” addressing the reader directly Often used in directions or commands

Point of View Third Person Limited Point of View The narrator may or may not be a character in the story The narrator focuses on one character, but talks about the character using third person pronouns (he, she, it, they, etc.) Readers typically learn one character’s reactions to everything that happens in the story, and what we know about other characters is limited. Third Person Omniscient Point of View The narrator is not a character in the story Written in third person, using third person pronouns (he, she, it, they, etc.) It’s an all knowing point of view! The narrator is able to tell us everything about every character, including how each one thinks and feels (omniscient means “all knowing”)

Point of View & Tone Tone The narrator or author’s attitude toward an event, subject, character, etc. in a story How to find tone: Ask yourself: How does the author or narrator feel about what just happened or the character it’s happening to based on what he/she says or how he/she says it? How do you describe how the author or narrator feels based on the tone of their voice? Tone can be described in a single word – an adjective. Examples: joyous, somber, humorous, serious, angry, mellow, ironic, etc…. Tone is your opinion; therefore, you must support it using evidence from the story to make it credible! If you change a story’s point of view, the tone may change as well.

Point of View Practice - #1 Example of _____ Point of View: One day a young woman looked out her apartment window and saw a man playing a saxophone. “Cool,” she thought as she swayed to his tune. A big brown dog joined the man and howled along with the music. Then a man in pajamas yelled from another window, complaining that the noise woke him up and he was going to call the police. This man, who worked the night shift and had to sleep all day, liked cats better than dogs anyway. The young saxophonist left.

Point of View Practice - #2 Example of _____ Point of View: Oh, Man! Just as I was finally dozing off, he starts playing that stupid saxophone. I’ve already been fired from one job because I fell asleep on the night shift. Now it’s going to happen again. I don’t know which sounds worse, that tone-deaf saxophonist or that yowling dog. I’m going to call the police.

Point of View Practice - #3 Example of _____ Point of View: He found a good spot in front of Park View Apartments and started playing soulfully on his sax. He wanted an audience and needed money. After one song, he spotted a cute girl at a window, applauding madly. A dog howled with the music, but the sax player let him stay, hoping the dog might attract some donations. Then he heard a man yelling about calling the police – clearly not a music lover.

Answers Third Person Omniscient First Person Third Person Limited