Point of View
Directions: Please copy down the prompt, written in blue, before you begin your response.
1. In the first person point of view, the narrator tells a story about his or her own experiences. You can tell if a narrator is telling a story from the first person point of view by the use of the pronouns “I” or “we” in the subject of a sentence or “me” or “us” in the object. Possessive pronouns would include “my” or “mine” or “our.” First person point of view is common in autobiographies and memoirs, but can be used in novel writing as well. Example: “We ran home at the sound of gunshots.”
2. In second person point of view, the narrator or speaker addresses one or more persons, like an email or a speech before a crowd. You can tell the second person point of view by the use of the pronouns “you” or “your.” Second person point of view is common to speeches, essays, letters, sermons and lectures, but can be used in novel writing as well. Example: “Sometimes you cannot tell a book by its cover.”
3. In the third person point of view, the narrator tells a story about someone else’s experiences. You can tell if a narrator is telling a story from the third-person point of view by the use of the pronouns “she,” “he,” or “they” in the subject of a sentence or “her,” “him,” or “them” or in the object. Third person point of view is common to a novel and story writing. Here is an example from “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter. Example: “Once upon a time there was four little Rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.”
Who is the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird? Describe her (age, personality, family situation, etc). From which point of view is the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird writing? How do you know? Provide a supportive passage or two to support your reasoning.
Directions: Please copy down the prompt, written in blue, before you begin your response.
1. In the first person point of view, the narrator tells a story about his or her own experiences. You can tell if a narrator is telling a story from the first person point of view by the use of the pronouns “I” or “we” in the subject of a sentence or “me” or “us” in the object. Possessive pronouns would include “my” or “mine” or “our.” First person point of view is common in autobiographies and memoirs, but can be used in novel writing as well. Example: “We ran home at the sound of gunshots.”
2. In second person point of view, the narrator or speaker addresses one or more persons, like an email or a speech before a crowd. You can tell the second person point of view by the use of the pronouns “you” or “your.” Second person point of view is common to speeches, essays, letters, sermons and lectures, but can be used in novel writing as well. Example: “Sometimes you cannot tell a book by its cover.”
3. In the third person point of view, the narrator tells a story about someone else’s experiences. You can tell if a narrator is telling a story from the third-person point of view by the use of the pronouns “she,” “he,” or “they” in the subject of a sentence or “her,” “him,” or “them” or in the object. Third person point of view is common to a novel and story writing. Here is an example from “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” by Beatrix Potter. Example: “Once upon a time there was four little Rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter. They lived with their mother in a sand-bank, underneath the root of a very big fir-tree.”
Who is the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird? Describe her (age, personality, family situation, etc). From which point of view is the narrator of To Kill a Mockingbird writing? How do you know? Provide a supportive passage or two to support your reasoning.