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TeachUsing the ModelsPoint out that the third-person limitedmodel tells the reader nothing aboutRivera’s thoughts or feelings—only Car-son’s. (Note that Rivera’s silence suggestshis suspicion of Carson.) In the third-personomniscient model both points of view arepresented in a neutral, objective way. Sug-gest students compare these points of viewand vote on which they would use if theywere writing the story. L2

Using theQuestionnaireHelp students paraphrase each of the fivequestionnaire items to check their under-standing of these key concepts: point ofview and person. As a group exercise, referto a short story that was previously ana-lyzed and discussed in class. After reviewingits main elements—setting, characters,plot—help students examine the point ofview orally, using the questionnaire. L1

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FocusLesson OverviewObjective• To discuss the point of view in a novel or

a short story

Skills• identifying point of view; drafting

an analysis

Critical Thinking• analyzing; identifying

Listening and Speaking• discussing

BellringerDaily Language Activity

When students enter the classroom, havethis assignment on the board: Use the fol-lowing as the first sentence of the openingparagraph of a story in either the first per-son or the third person:

Strange tracks led away from the path andinto the undergrowth.

Grammar Link to theBellringerHave students review the paragraphs theyhave written to make sure that the use ofpronouns is consistent with the point ofview.

See also Daily Language Practice

Motivating ActivityBring in photos showing people, animals, orobjects seen from unusual angles. Displaythe photos, and ask students where theythink the camera was positioned for eachone. Point out that what we see depends onthe angle from which the photographertakes the picture. Similarly, what we knowas we read a story depends on the writer’sangle of vision or point of view.

2.11 2.11

When you are planning an analysis of point of view in a story, yourprewriting begins with reading the work closely. Then you are ready touse the following questionnaire.

The Writing Process

Third-Person Limited

They walked to the swimming pool. As Rivera leanedagainst the diving board, Carson sank into the chaise

longue. Why, he wondered, was Rivera so silent? Carson wascertain he had left no clues, no evidence along that solitarystretch of Evergeen Road where Jasmine Tsing’s abandonedcar had been discovered. No, he told himself, Rivera couldn’tpossibly suspect him. Hadn’t he told the police more thanonce that he’d never met Jasmine Tsing?

Third-Person Omniscient

They walked to the swimming pool. Rivera leaned againstthe diving board, wondering if now were the moment to

spring the trap, to ask how Carson’s emerald stickpin hadwound up on the floor of Jasmine Tsing’s abandoned car.Carson sank into the chaise longue. He was puzzled by Rivera’ssilence but certain he’d left no clues, no evidence along thatsecluded stretch of Evergreen Road. Hadn’t he told the policemore than once that he’d never even met Jasmine Tsing?

1. What point of view is used—first-person, third-person limited, or third-person omniscient?2. How does the point of view affect your attitude toward the characters and the events?3. How does the point of view affect your overall understanding of the story?4. How would the story be different if the author had told it from another point of view?5. What point of view would you use if you were writing this story? Why?

Questionnaire on Point of View

2.11 Analyzing Point of View 91

A third-person limitednarrator tells the storyfrom one character’spoint of view—in thiscase, Carson’s. Whatdoes the reader learnabout other characters’thoughts and feelings?What clues are given?

A third-personomniscient narratorknows everythingabout the characters.How does this affectthe way the readerviews the characters?

Journal WritingUse the questionnaire to analyze point of view in a favorite shortstory. Do you view the story differently now? Explain your answer.

Analyzing Point of ViewP oint of view is the angle from which you see people, objects, or

events. In the cartoon you see what is outside the windowfrom the point of view of Gladys Murphy. In other words, you seeonly what she sees. In a short story or novel, point of view controlswhat the reader knows.

Identify Point of ViewThe paragraphs that follow tell the same story

from different points of view. Read them to discoverthe three main points of view that story writers use:first-person, third-person limited, and third-personomniscient (all-knowing). The paragraph is part of amystery story involving a police investigation. Thecharacters are the detective, Sergeant Rivera, and thesuspect, Carson. For each version ask these questions:Who is the narrator, or the teller of the story? Howmuch is known to the narrator, and therefore to thereader?

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2.112.11W R I T I N G A B O U T L I T E R AT U R E

First Person

We walked to the swimming pool. I leaned against thediving board, wondering if now were the moment to

spring my trap, to ask Carson just how his emerald stickpinhad wound up on the floor of Jasmine Tsing’s abandoned car.Carson sank into the chaise longue, clearly puzzled by mysilence. I knew he thought he’d left no clues, no evidencealong that secluded stretch of Evergeen Road. Time and timeagain, he told me that he’d never even met Jasmine Tsing.Carson had no idea that a small chunk of fiery green crystalwas about to call him a liar.

The writer has Rivera tellthe story from his ownpoint of view, using thefirst-person pronouns I andme. This point of viewallows readers to know thecharacter better and gives a“you-are-there” feeling.

Resource Manager

Planning Resources• Lesson Plans

Transparencies• Bellringer • Daily Language Practice • Fine Art 7–12• Two-Minute Skill Drill • Writing Process 2–8

Other Print Resources• Composition Enrichment, p. 17• Composition Practice, p. 17• Composition Reteaching, p. 17• Cooperative Learning Activities• Listening and Speaking Activities,

pp. 6–8

• Thinking and Study Skills, pp. 5,19, 24

• Writing Across the Curriculum• Writing Assessment and Evaluation

Rubrics

Have students list the three mainpoints of view that story writers use.

See also Two-Minute SkillDrill Transparency 2.11

Two-MinuteSkill Drill

Journal Writing TipInferring Before students completethe journal activity, you might pro-vide practice with point of view. Askthem to find and reread the intro-ductory paragraphs and otherexcerpts from a literary selectionthey’ve read in this text. Ask themto write a paragraph with a topicsentence in which they infer theauthor’s point of view and explainwhat details enabled them to do so.

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AssessEvaluation RubricsWrite from a Particular Point of ViewUse these criteria when evaluating your stu-dents’ writing. Commend paragraphs that • clearly illustrate one of the three points of

view• reflect careful observation

See also Writing Assessment & Evaluation Rubrics.

Cross-Curricular ActivityStudents’ discussions should• demonstrate that students have listened

attentively to the lyrics• demonstrate a clear understanding of

point of view• include ideas as to why the lyricist chose

that point of view

Listening and SpeakingCommend• consistent use of one character’s

perspective• details showing how first-person narration

affects understanding of personality andattitudes

ReteachingComposition Reteaching, p. 17

EnrichmentComposition Enrichment, p. 17

Use Fine Art Transparencies, 7–12, forenrichment activities also.

CloseRead aloud a cogent critical comment on awork previously discussed in class and havestudents analyze the comment.

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TeachApplying andExtendingTo understand a writer’s process of choosinga point of view, students might work insmall groups to create a realistic story forwhich various points of view are possible:for example, an auto accident as seen by adriver, a victim, and a police officer. Eachgroup brainstorms for details of action andfor dialogue. Members choose a point ofview and write independently. Afterward,have students compare stories, analyzingdifferences resulting from point of view. L2

Using the ModelSome students may have read Willa Cather’sMy Ántonia. If so, invite them to share andcompare their responses. In discussingKatherine Jane Wise’s analysis, point out thatalthough she says Cather “tells the storythrough Jim Burden’s eyes,” she goes on tocomment that his eyes “become her eyes,too.” Ask students to discuss the effect ofthat point of view on Wise. (It made the bookseem like a biography, not a novel.) L3

Additional Resources

For further stimuli for writing, see FineArt Transparencies, 7–12.

Writing Process Transparencies, 2–8Writing Across the CurriculumCooperative Learning ActivitiesThinking and Study Skills, pp. 5, 19, 24Listening and Speaking Activities,pp. 6–8Composition Practice, p. 17

2.11 2.11

2.11 Analyzing Point of View 93

Write from a ParticularPoint of View

Look at the painting and its title below.Write a short description of what might behappening in the scene from one of thesepoints of view: the first-person point of viewof one of the people pictured, third-personlimited, or third-person omniscient.

PURPOSE To explore point of viewAUDIENCE Your classmates

LENGTH 2 paragraphs

WRITING RUBRICS To present point of viewcorrectly, you should

• make the point of view clear

• keep the point of view consistent

• use pronouns correctly

Cross-Curricular ActivityMUSIC In a small group, listen to the lyrics ofa ballad. Discuss the point of view used in thesong and why that point of view may havebeen chosen by the lyricist.

Listening and SpeakingNARRATIVE Consider the viewpoint of differ-ent characters in a story. Discuss which view-points offer the most interesting perspectiveson story events. Then take turns telling partsof the story as first-person narration by differ-ent characters.

Writing ActivitiesWriting Activities2.112.11The W

riting Process

Be consistent in presenting point ofview when writing.

When you write in the first person, usethe pronouns I and we. In the third per-son, refer to characters as he, she, one,and they. In the second person, use you.The writer of the first-person narration inthe model on page 90 used pronounsconsistently:

I leaned against the diving board,wondering if now was the moment tospring my trap. . . .

Revise each sentence below to elimi-nate the incorrect shifts in pronouns.

1. When you analyze first-person point ofview, we decide how much we canlearn from the first-person narrator.

2. If they are writing from a third-personpoint of view, you can narrate theactions and words of all the characters.

3. If a story captures one’s curiosity, yourinterest usually follows.

4. When one is interested in a story, Ikeep on reading.

5. She and I like reading the same kindsof books in their spare time.

See Lesson 17.5, page 644.Sofonisba Anguissola,

Three of the Artist’s Sisters Playing Chess, 1555

Draft Your AnalysisOnce you’ve completed the questionnaire, you are ready to draft your

analysis of the point of view in a story or novel. You’ve seen that first-person point of view uses the pronoun I. Third-person point of view,limited or omniscient, uses he, she, and it. But as you will see inKatherine Wise’s analysis of Willa Cather’s My Ántonia, point of viewgoes far beyond grammar.

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Willa Cather and Jim Burden were crossing Iowa on thesame train. They began talking about the small

Nebraska town where they had grown up together. In herintroduction to the novel My Ántonia, Cather says that theconversation kept centering around a Bohemian girl who,better than anyone else, seemed to epitomize their prairiechildhood. Over the years Burden had written down thethings he remembered about her, and he showed his manu-script to Cather. He had entitled it Ántonia but after a littlethought changed it to My Ántonia. From there came what isconsidered Willa Cather’s greatest work.

Cather tells the story through Jim Burden’s eyes. But theybecome her eyes, too. The book is so real that you keep flip-ping back to the introduction to see that yes, this was writtenby Cather, and that no, this is not a biography—it is a novel.

Cather is able to maintain this feeling of reality because asthe narrator she remains completely objective. She describeseverything through Jim’s eyes, but she never states what hisfeelings or emotions are. This seems strange at times, but itwould not have been as sincere if Cather had tried to applyher own feelings to Jim, or if she had tried to imagine whathis feelings might be. Instead her objectivity emphasizes thefact that the book is not about Jim, but about Ántonia.

Burden and Cather had “agreed that no one who had notgrown up in a little prairie town could know anything aboutit.” But they proved themselves wrong. Cather took methere—to Black Hawk, Nebraska—swept away on the prairiewinds of her words. Her writing is as plain, simple, and harshas the land it is about, and just as beautiful.

Katherine Jane Wise, Perrysburg High School,Perrysburg, Ohio

Student Model

Wise provides back-ground by referring toCather’s introduction.

According to Wise, the story is told through whose eyes? What effect does this create?

This paragraph describes the student’sstrong personal responseto a powerful story.

Analyzing LiteratureChoose four or five short stories that your students are currently studyingor know well. As a group exercise, divide the class into small groups, andhave each group choose one story to use for the following activity. Eachgroup member answers one of the questions on the questionnaire on stu-dent page 91. After members discuss their answers, each group presentsits analysis to the class as a panel discussion.

Cooperative LearningAnswers1. we analyze, we decide, we can learn.2. you are writing, you can narrate.3. one’s curiosity, one’s interest.4. I am interested, I keep on reading.5. She and I; our spare time.

Viewing the Art

Sofonisba Anguissola, Three of the Artist’sSisters Playing Chess, 1555The oldest of a family of six girls and one boy, the artistcreated this painting when she was 20, a remarkableaccomplishment in Renaissance Italy when women didnot usually attend school.