Point of 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. We also use
the pronoun “We” for plural.

• 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
 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
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.
 3
• 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.
 4
• Jennifer was overjoyed. She couldn’t
believe he had asked her to marry him.
She couldn’t stop looking at the beautiful
ring on her finger. It was his
grandmother’s ring, and now she got the
honor of wearing it. She felt like the
luckiest woman in the world.
 5
• You walked to the corner, where you heard
a telephone ringing in the phone booth.
When you picked up the phone, there was
no one on the other line.
 Answers
1. First-Person
2. Second-Person
3. First-Person
4. Third-Person
5. Second-Person