Point

Point of
of View
View
 Point of View
• The point of view in a work of
literature is determined by the
narrator, that is, the person telling
the story.

• This narrator may be the author or a

character in the story, book, play, or
• poem.
 First Person
If the narrator is a character in the
story, this is first person point of
view.

• One way to recognize this is the use of

the pronoun “I” by the narrator.

• This is similar to hearing a person tell

you about what happened to them
personally, or what they saw happen
first hand.
 Third person
If the author or narrator is telling the story,
this is known as third person point of view.

• What are some pronouns that will show

third person point of view?
he, she, they, them

• There are two types of third person points of

view.
• Limited
• Omniscient
 Third Person
Limited
• If the author relates the events of the
story from the perspective of only one
character, this is known as third person
limited point of view.

• The reader can see into the mind of

only one person.

Thoughts of 1 character= limited

 Third Person
Omniscient
• If the author relates the events of the
story from the perspective of several
characters, this is known as third
person omniscient point of view.

• The reader is privy to the thoughts of

several, or even all, of the characters.

Thoughts of several/all characters=

omniscient
 You decide…
• Read the following excerpts.
Decide which point of view is used
in each.

• Be able to provide 2 examples of

evidence for your decision.
 EXAMPLE A
• Mr. Johnson looked at Charles sternly. He
simply didn’t know what to do with this
boy. Charles had been in Mr. Johnson’s
office twice earlier this week. Now here
he was again, and this time he was
charged with something much more
serious. Mr. Johnson shook his head.
There really was no doubt in his mind.
Charles was guilty. He looked at the
police officer standing next to Charles. No
question whatsoever--Charles had done it.
 EXAMPLE A
• Mr. Johnson looked at Charles sternly. He
simply didn’t know what to do with this
boy. Charles had been in Mr. Johnson’s
office twice earlier this week. Now here
he was again, and this time he was
charged with something much more
serious. Mr. Johnson shook his head.
There really was no doubt in his mind.
Charles was guilty. He looked at the
police officer standing next to Charles. No
question whatsoever--Charles had done it.
Which point of view?

• Excerpt A was Third Person Limited.

The author, not a character, is telling
the story. We can see only what Mr.
Johnson is thinking. We know what
Mr. Johnson thinks, but we do not
know what the officer or Charles
thinks. We also do not know
whether or not Charles is really
guilty.
 Example B
• I can’t believe what is happening to me. I
know that I’ll never convince Mr. Johnson
and the cop that I had nothing to do with
this. Man! I didn’t do it. Why won’t
anyone believe me? I’ve been in trouble
before, but I’ve never done anything like
this! I’ve got to convince them, or I might
as well kiss my life good-bye.
 Example B
• I can’t believe what is happening to me. I
know that I’ll never convince Mr. Johnson
and the cop that I had nothing to do with
this. Man! I didn’t do it. Why won’t
anyone believe me? I’ve been in trouble
before, but I’ve never done anything like
this! I’ve got to convince them, or I might
as well kiss my life good-bye.
Which point of view?
Excerpt B is an example of First
Person Point of View. Charles, a
character in the story, is telling us
what happened to him. We know
that Charles is innocent.
 Example C
• Officer Wiley looked at Charles and
scratched his head. All the evidence
pointed to Charles’s guilt, but the officer
just couldn’t be sure. Mr. Johnson, on the
other hand, knew that Charles was guilty
as sin. His numerous brushes with
authority in the past left no question in his
mind at all. Charles hung his head,
knowing that this time he would not be
able to talk his way out of trouble.
 Example C
• Officer Wiley looked at Charles and scratched
his head. All the evidence pointed to
Charles’s guilt, but the officer just couldn’t be
sure. Mr. Johnson, on the other hand, knew
that Charles was guilty as sin. His numerous
brushes with authority in the past left no
question in his mind at all. Charles hung his
head, knowing that this time he would not be
able to talk his way out of trouble.
Which point of view?
Excerpt C is an example of Third Person
Omniscient Point of View. The author is
telling the story, but we can see what
Officer Wiley, Charles, and Mr. Johnson
are thinking. We know that Mr. Johnson
believes Charles is guilty, but Officer
Wiley has doubts. We still are not sure
whether or not Charles is guilty.
 Example D
• When I saw them taking Charlie into the
office, I lingered outside the door,
hoping to find out what he had done this
time. Charlie was my best friend, but I
was getting a little tired of defending
him when I knew he was wrong. He
must have done something really big
this time to have the cops involved.
 Example D
• When I saw them taking Charlie into the
office, I lingered outside the door,
hoping to find out what he had done this
time. Charlie was my best friend, but I
was getting a little tired of defending
him when I knew he was wrong. He
must have done something really big
this time to have the cops involved.
Which point of view?
Excerpt D is an example of First
Person Point of View. A friend, one
of the characters in the story, is
narrating. Since he does not know
whether or not Charles is guilty,
neither do we.
 Example E
• You kick off your shoes and flop onto the
bed—landing, of course, among millions
of mites. Had you any inkling that your
bedding was alive with arthropodic bugs,
chomping away on flakes of your dead
skin, you would be so disgusted you
would probably choose to lie on the
floor. Yet every one of us, including the
rich, the pious, and the royal of blood,
sleeps each night in colonies of such
mites.
 Example E
• You kick off your shoes and flop onto the
bed—landing, of course, among millions
of mites. Had you any inkling that your
bedding was alive with arthropodic bugs,
chomping away on flakes of your dead
skin, you would be so disgusted you
would probably choose to lie on the
floor. Yet every one of us, including the
rich, the pious, and the royal of blood,
sleeps each night in colonies of such
mites.
 Which point of
view?
• Excerpt E is an example of Second
Person Point of View. The narrator
is telling a story directly to another
character. The reader may be
confused and believe the narrator
is talking to them.
 Practice
1. Read the following passages.

2. Determine the narrator’s

perspective.

3. Write down your answer.

 1
When I was four months old, my
mother died suddenly and my father
was left to look after me all by himself…
I had no brothers or sisters. So through
boyhood, from the age of four months
onward, there was just us two, my
father and me. We lived in an old
gypsy caravan behind a filling station”
 2
The huge man dropped his blankets and
flung himself down and drank from the
surface of the green pool. The small man
stepped behind him. "Lennie!" he said
sharply. "Lennie, for God" sakes don’t
drink so much." Lennie continued to
snort into the pool. The small man
leaned over and shook him by the
shoulder. "Lennie you gonna be sick like
you was last night." Lennie dipped his
whole head under, hat and all… "Tha’s
good," he said. "You drink some, George."
 3
Foresight in Relationships

The previous night, make your

plans for the next day and write them
down… If you attend an exclusive
Samurai’s party and feel timid, you
cannot do your part in making it a
successful party. You had first better
prepare by convincing yourself that
you will have a grand time. And you
should feel grateful for the invitation.
 4
Harold Davis took a deep breath and
slowly started to peel the gauze from the
wound on his grandmother’s leg. “Hold
on, Grandma. I’m almost done,” He said
quietly. “Don’t worry, baby. It doesn’t
hurt too much,” she quietly replied.
“Just take your time.” Harold glanced up
at his grandmother lying on the couch.
He could tell she was in pain from the
way she gripped the cushions, but still
she managed to smile back at him.
 5
They were standing under a tree, each
with an arm round the other's neck, and
Alice knew which was which in a moment,
because one of them had "DUM"
embroidered on his collar, and the other
"DEE." "I suppose they've each got
"TWEEDLE" round at the back of the
collar," she said to herself. They stood so
still that she quite forgot they were alive,
and she was just looking round to see if the
word "TWEEDLE" was written at the back
of each collar, when she was startled by a
voice coming from the one marked "DUM."
 Answers
1. First-Person
2. Third-Person Objective
3. Second-Person
4. Third-Person Limited
5. Third-Person Limited