Narrator and Voice Holt, Chapter 3

Narrator the voice telling the story

Point of View A narrator tells the story from one of three “points of view”. Only First and Third person are used for telling stories.

#I: First-person POV(1st person) The person uses “I” or “me”.

#2: Second Person POV (2nd person) Uses “you” and “your”

#3: Third Person POV (3rd Person) Uses he, she, or it

Third Person Omniscient POV The narrator can tell… Thoughts and feelings about more than one character What motivates more than one character (WHY he/she does what he/she does) This narrator is NOT a character in the story.

Third Person Limited Omniscient This narrator can tell the thoughts, feelings, & motivations of only ONE character in the story. This narrator is NOT in the story.

First-person narrator IS a character in the story who refers to himself or herself as “I” or “me”. In a story told from the first-person point of view, the reader knows ONLY what this narrator knows and chooses to reveal or tell. Can only share the thoughts, feelings, & motivation for him or her self. Cannot reveal the feelings, thoughts of another person.

Just because he says it doesn’t make it true Just because he says it doesn’t make it true! Which of the below is credible and who is unreliable? Note: Some first-person narrators are credible (trustworthy). We can believe what he/she tells us. Others are unreliable. That means we cannot necessarily believe what he/she says.

Diction The writer’s choice of words How does the writer describe this place? Using general words? house; home; Using slang? pad; digs; Using ornate or official sounding words? domicile, residence, abode

Tone Funny words Serious words Describing a joke, a funeral, a party, a competition? The Cat in the Hat? Harry Potter? CSI :New York? Roadrunner? The writer’s attitude toward the subject of a story, toward a character, or toward the audience (the readers) A story can be described by words like humorous, serious, sad, sarcastic, sympathetic What is the “tone” of these stories?

Voice The writer’s use of language and overall style, created by tone and the choice of words Harry Potter vs The Cat in the Hat What is the difference in the voice?

Situational Irony Definition: This refers to an event is contrary to, or the opposite of, what we expected. Examples: The firehouse burns down. The winner of the wrestling match is the smallest, weakest, person on the team. The fitness expert is overweight.