Point of View
Point of View

Point of view: perspective from which
the story is being told.
Three Types of Point of View
1.
Omniscient: all-knowing; knows the
thoughts and feelings of all characters
◦ Subject pronoun used:
 he or she (possibly they)
◦ Narrator:
 unseen observer; not a character in the story
◦ Limitations of narrator:
 Narrator can describe what all characters in the story
see, know, think, and feel.
 Narrator can give information unknown to the
characters and can express an opinion about the
characters and the story.
Three Types of Point of View
2.
First-Person: limited to only his/her
thoughts and feelings
◦ Subject pronoun used:
 I (possibly we)
◦ Narrator:
 Is a character in the story
◦ Limitations of narrator:
 Narrator can only describe what he or she sees,
knows, and thinks.
Three Types of Point of View
3.
Third-Person Limited: limited to
thoughts and feelings of only one
character
◦ Personal pronoun used:
 He or she (possibly they)
◦ Narrator:
 Unseen observer not in the story
◦ Limitations of narrator:
 Narrator can only describe what one character in
the story sees, knows, and thinks.
Point of View and Stories

Let’s look at the stories we’ve read.
Which point of view is used in…
◦ Rikki-tikki-tavi
◦ Seventh Grade
◦ Framed
Point of View Activity


Look at the picture on pg. 202
Bias – a way of viewing the world.
◦ Bias causes narrators to lean toward one particular
telling.


Make a list of biases for the boy and one for the
monster.
Use the lists to make a brief story (oneparagraph) from three different points of view.
◦ The boy’s
◦ The monster’s
◦ An unbiased omniscient narrator

You will work in groups of 3-4 people. Use
scratch sheet of paper. Be prepared to share.
Use “After Twenty Years” to answer
the following questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
What is the point of view used in “After
Twenty Years”?
Name one story detail that the story’s
point of view enables you to know.
Name one story detail that the story’s
point of view could tell you but doesn’t.
How does the story’s point of view help
to create the effect of the surprise
ending?