Point of View--------------------------------

• It is the angle from which the story is told.

• There are several different points of view.

Point of View

• In fiction, the two most common types of point of view are– first-person point of view, in which the narrator is

inside the story and involved in the plot

and– third-person point of view, in which the narrator is

outside the story and observes and comments on the characters and plot

I

First-Person Point of View

• In first-person point of view, the narrator– is a character in the story who witnesses or

participates in the action– uses words like I and we in telling the story

we

Example of First-Person Point of View

It is impossible to say how the idea first entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—A pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me; my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

—from “The Tell-Tale Heart,”by Edgar Allan Poe

It is impossible to say how the idea first entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! One of his eyes resembled that of a vulture—A pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me; my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.

—from “The Tell-Tale Heart,”by Edgar Allan Poe

What are the advantages and disadvantages of telling a story from the first-person point of view?

Advantages Disadvantages

Third-Person Point of View

• In third-person point of view, the narrator– is someone who stands outside the action and

observes– is not a character in the story– uses words like he, she, it, and they

• Third-person point of view is the most common point of view used by writers.

he she it they

Third-Person Point of View

• There are two variations of third-person point of view:– In third-person limited point of view, the thoughts

and feelings of only the narrator or a single character are revealed.

– In third-person omniscient point of view, the thoughts and feelings of all characters are revealed.

Example of Third-Person Limited Point of View

“I was scrubbing the pool,” Arnie shouted, “and I said, ‘Mr. Clemens, you shouldn’t stand so close to the edge.’ But did he listen? No, he leaned over and…Well, you can just imagine my horror.”

José walked away from Arnie’s jabbering. He walked away, and realized that there were people like his cousin, the liar, and people like himself, someone he was just getting to know. He walked away and in the midmorning heat boosted himself up a telephone pole.

—from “Born Worker,”by Gary Soto

“I was scrubbing the pool,” Arnie shouted, “and I said, ‘Mr. Clemens, you shouldn’t stand so close to the edge.’ But did he listen? No, he leaned over and…Well, you can just imagine my horror.”

José walked away from Arnie’s jabbering. He walked away, and realized that there were people like his cousin, the liar, and people like himself, someone he was just getting to know. He walked away and in the midmorning heat boosted himself up a telephone pole.

—from “Born Worker,”by Gary Soto

What are the advantages and disadvantages of telling a story from the third-person limited point of view?

Advantages Disadvantages

Example of Third-Person Omniscient Point of View

•“He’s only thirteen years old, for God’s sake,”

Moon’s father said.Moon hated it when they talked about him as if he

weren’t there. His parents, who were physicians, often spoke to each other clinically about their patients, and at times about Moon as if he were a patient. It was one more irritant in the list of things that made him angry.

“We shouldn’t attach an ‘only’ to a thirteen-year-old,” said his mother, still seeing the face of the Pakistani boy, whose photograph had come her office in the morning mail. “A thirteen-year-old is not a child.”

—from “Moon,”by Chaim Potok

“He’s only thirteen years old, for God’s sake,” Moon’s father said.

Moon hated it when they talked about him as if he weren’t there. His parents, who were physicians, often spoke to each other clinically about their patients, and at times about Moon as if he were a patient. It was one more irritant in the list of things that made him angry.

“We shouldn’t attach an ‘only’ to a thirteen-year-old,” said his mother, still seeing the face of the Pakistani boy, whose photograph had come her office in the morning mail. “A thirteen-year-old is not a child.”

—from “Moon,”by Chaim Potok

What are the advantages and disadvantages of telling a story from the third-person omniscient point of view?

Advantages Disadvantages

Reliability of the Narrator

• No matter what point of view is used in a story, readers must determine if the narrator is reliable or unreliable.

?

Reliable Narrator

• A reliable narrator– has a credible (believable) voice in a story– tries to remain objective in telling a story– makes a connection with readers by interpreting

events accurately– has values and motivations that are similar to those

of readers– gains the trust of readers

Unreliable Narrator

• An unreliable narrator– has an incredible (unbelievable) voice in the story– struggles to remain objective in telling the story– fails to make a connection with readers because he

or she misinterprets events– has values and motivations that may differ from

those of readers– may appear suspect to readers

SUMMARY: Determining Point of View

• To determine the point of view of a story, ask yourself the following questions:– Who is telling the story?

• Is this person a character in the story? • Is more than one perspective presented?

– Does the narrator comment on the events of the story, or simply present them?

– Does the narrator seem unbiased and trustworthy?– How might the story be different if told from another

character’s point of view?

Theme------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight.

• It is the author’s underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey.

• The title of the short story usually points to what the writer is saying.

• The author may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony.

• Some examples of themes from literature are:– Love is blind.– Believe in yourself.– Don’t judge a book by its cover.– Think before you speak.

Theme and Topic

• The theme of a work is not the same as the topic.

• A topic is the subject of a literary work.– To determine the topic, ask yourself: What is this

about?

• The theme is a general observation based on that topic.– To identify theme, ask yourself: What is the author

saying about this topic?

Stated Theme

• A stated theme occurs when a story’s theme or perception about life is stated directly by the author.

• Stated themes are rare in fiction.

• Stated themes most commonly occur in traditional literature, such as fairy tales and fables.

Stated Theme

• In this unit, a stated theme can be seen in the folk tale “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson.”

The young peasant and his wife looked at each other and tears filled their eyes. They were ashamed because they had treated the old grandfather so meanly, and from that day they again let the old man eat with them at the table and took better care of him.

—from “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson,”retold by Leo Tolstoy

The young peasant and his wife looked at each other and tears filled their eyes. They were ashamed because they had treated the old grandfather so meanly, and from that day they again let the old man eat with them at the table and took better care of him.

—from “The Old Grandfather and His Little Grandson,”retold by Leo Tolstoy

Implied Theme

• An implied theme occurs when a story’s theme or perception about life must be inferred by readers.

• To determine an implied theme, gather details about– the characters and their actions– the setting– the author’s tone

Using Characters to Determine Implied Theme

• In this excerpt from “Born Worker,” the reader must infer the theme by interpreting the actions of the characters.

José knelt on both knees at the old man’s side….The old man groaned and opened his eyes, which were shiny wet. He appeared startled, like a newborn. “Sir, you’ll be all right,” José cooed, then snapped at his cousin, “Arnie, get over here and help me!”

“I’m going home,” Arnie whined.“You punk!” José yelled. “Go inside and call 911.”Arnie said that they should leave him there.

—from “Born Worker,”by Gary Soto

José knelt on both knees at the old man’s side….The old man groaned and opened his eyes, which were shiny wet. He appeared startled, like a newborn. “Sir, you’ll be all right,” José cooed, then snapped at his cousin, “Arnie, get over here and help me!”

“I’m going home,” Arnie whined.“You punk!” José yelled. “Go inside and call 911.”Arnie said that they should leave him there.

—from “Born Worker,”by Gary Soto

Using Setting to Determine Implied Theme

• In “Miss Butterfly,” the description of the setting at the end of the story provides clues about the story’s theme.

In the living room, Saiki-san smoked incessantly and the place became stuffy. He continued to read the paper. Hamada-san sat mutely in the corner, his eyes smarting with smoke. He could have gone outside for a bit of fresh air but did not move. His eyes took in the phonograph, the record albums, the spots where the girls danced, and the room that was now empty. In the silence he heard the clock in the hall ticking.

—from “Miss Butterfly,”by Toshio Mori

In the living room, Saiki-san smoked incessantly and the place became stuffy. He continued to read the paper. Hamada-san sat mutely in the corner, his eyes smarting with smoke. He could have gone outside for a bit of fresh air but did not move. His eyes took in the phonograph, the record albums, the spots where the girls danced, and the room that was now empty. In the silence he heard the clock in the hall ticking.

—from “Miss Butterfly,”by Toshio Mori

Using Tone to Determine Implied Theme

• The solemn tone at the end of “The Medicine Bag” reflects the theme of the importance of respecting one’s family and heritage.

Grandpa turned and sat again on the bed. Wearily he leaned his head against the pillow. “Go,” he said. “I will sleep now.”

“Thank you, Grandpa,” I said softly and left with the bag in my hands.

That night Mom and Dad took Grandpa to the hospital. Two weeks later I stood alone on the lonely prairie of the reservation and put the sacred sage in my medicine bag.

—from “The Medicine Bag,”by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Grandpa turned and sat again on the bed. Wearily he leaned his head against the pillow. “Go,” he said. “I will sleep now.”

“Thank you, Grandpa,” I said softly and left with the bag in my hands.

That night Mom and Dad took Grandpa to the hospital. Two weeks later I stood alone on the lonely prairie of the reservation and put the sacred sage in my medicine bag.

—from “The Medicine Bag,”by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve

Determining Theme

• A work of fiction can have a single theme or multiple themes.

• To determine the theme, readers must find the connections between– the story’s elements– and the human experience.

Describing Themes

• The following terms are commonly used to describe themes:

life

giving

truth

responsibility

war

home

self-awareness

choices

bravery

happiness

dreams

reaching goals

obedience

freedom

equality

friendship

love

survival

family

taking risks

good/evil

honesty

learning

pain

SUMMARY: Theme

• The theme of a literary work is the central observation about life that it reveals.

• A writer expresses the theme by making a connection between the story and the human experience.

• If a writer successfully makesthis connection, readers will remember the message long afterthe story has ended.