Point of View.notebook
January 12, 2016
Third Person Omniscient
Benefits
Multiple perspectives make it easy to see
action/growth in more than one place
(multiple settings/storylines)
Can get close to more than one character
Limitations
can't use for mysteries/plot twists you want
to keep from reader
can be confusing
Provides most information
reader won't necessarily bond/sympathize
with protagonist(s)
Unbiased
Don't use with stories w/one key character
Use with more than one imp character
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Point of View.notebook
January 12, 2016
First Person
Benefits
Limitations
What do we
mean by
"biased"?
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Point of View.notebook
January 12, 2016
First Person
Advantages
Good if you have one major character
shows dynamic character/internal conflict well (so good if character makes a change or if the story is more character­driven)
Disadvantages
Have to have a good sense of authentic
"voice" for it to be believable
Only see what character sees/experiences
Cannot use if protagonist passes away during the action
Creates an immediate emotional bond biased/unreliable­­ their mind influences between reader and protagonist
what the reader knows and experiences
Most immediate; places reader closest Describing the protagonist physically to the action
can be tricky (like, who stares in the mirror and describes themselves aloud?)
Clear "hero", generally
Can assume prot will survive, Good to use to preserve mystery (so reader sees things when character and may not want this (esp if the story is one in which their does)
safety is at risk)
Good if you want the reader to have an authentic "experience"
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Point of View.notebook
January 12, 2016
Third Person Objective (Cinematic)
Benefits
Limitations
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Point of View.notebook
January 12, 2016
Third Person Objective (Cinematic)
Benefits
factual/unbiased
allows reader to form opinions on their
own
Limitations
Thoughts must be spoken aloud/or sources
used in news to get thoughts
Hard to write without bias
good for mysteries/secrets/news
no internal conflicts shown, unless spoken
good for external/non-emotional conflict
feel disconnected from characters (no
"bond")
good to focus on plot/action
Only shows what can be seen or heard
Not good for use with narratives using one
main character or with dynamic characters
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Point of View.notebook
January 12, 2016
Third Person Limited
Benefits
Limitations
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Point of View.notebook
January 12, 2016
Third Person Limited
Advantages
Disadvantages
-- Only shows what one character sees, thinks,
-- Similar to first person
feels
-- Single character's viewpoint
-- Only know/see what that character sees or
-- Good for linear plot
knows
--Good for single main character
--Cannot get close to other characters
-- Good for dynamic character
-- Works better than first person for a
plot-driven story
--Good choice for a story where outer events
matter, but they are tied to a character's
growth or change
Close to first person
Still creates a bit of a bond/sympathy between reader and prot
Bit more removed makes it easier to
describe prot
Story can go on even if prot does not
Works for mysteries/plot twists/revelations
Still biased
Limited only to what that character experiences/focuses on one character
Lacks the immediacy of first person (which you may want, but maybe not)
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Point of View.notebook
January 12, 2016
Why did the author choose first person to write Shin's Tricycle?
First person helps the reader make an emotional bond with the main character.
This was important because the author wanted to show the horrors of war, in
order to promote peace. The reader feels terrible about what the author went
through, and first person helps that happen.
In addition, first person makes the reader feel like they are in the action. The
author may have wanted this because he wanted to, again, show how awful the
war really was.
The point of the book is to have an emotional impact on the reader, and first
person does that best.
Third person objective...
This was important to the story because... (BE CAREFUL NOT TO JUST RESTATE
THE QUALITIES OF THE POV)
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Attachments
point­of­view.ppt
point­of­view reteach.ppt
point­of­view­practice­activity.ppt