AnalyzePoint of View

RL 3.5: Contrast points of view in narrative text and explain how they affect the overall theme of the work.

Point of view refers to who is telling the story.

When you read, ask yourself, “Who is narrating?” Find out if the narrator is a character in

the story or an outside storyteller.

first-person point of view: has a narrator who is a character in the story.

uses pronouns: I, me, my

As I watched the moon rise over the mountains, I thought about the night we discovered the secret of the old house. I remembered how that night the world seemed changed forever. I looked at my brother’s face, and thought about how I had almost lost him.

third-person limited point of view: the story is told by an outside narrator who focuses on one character.

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(third-person limited)uses pronouns for the character narrator identifies with: he or she

See inside the character’s mind.Charmaine watched the moon rise over the

mountains. Thoughts of the night they discovered the secret of the old house flooded into her mind. She remembered how that night the world seemed changed forever. She wondered what her brother Leonardo was thinking. As she looked at the sweat pouring down his face, she feared that he was reliving the events that had separated him from his brother.

third-person omniscient point of view: the story is told by an outside storyteller who seems to know everything and everyone.

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(third-person omniscient)uses pronouns for all characters: he or she

Knows about what each character is thinking and feeling

Charmaine watched the moon rise over the mountains. Thoughts of the night they discovered the secret of the old house flooded into her mind. She remembered how that night the world seemed changed forever for the three of them.

Leonardo, too, remembered that night. The cold sword of fear pierced his heart as he recalled the events that had separated him from his brother.

Point of view can be subjective or objective…

subjective: the narrator relates his or her personal feelings, opinions, and judgments.

objective: the narrator tries to be detached and relate only the events.

RTQs