Point of View (Jan. 12)

"We've got Father and Mother and one another," said Beth. Beth was the shy one. She always looked on the bright side of things. "We haven't got father," said Jo sadly. The girls were suddenly silent. Light from the fire shone on their faces. They were thinking of Father.

What point of view is the above text written in?

• Second person

• First person

• Third person

Corman hit the garage door button. There was no response. This frustrated Corman, who hit the button several more times in a fit of rage. Still, there was no response. Kathy said, "Let me try, Corman." Kathy believed that Corman was a clumsy oaf and that he was hitting the button incorrectly. She tested her suspicions by hitting the button gently. The opener whirred and pulled up the garage door. Corman felt embarrassed. Kathy was happy that they would be able to leave the garage now.

What is the point of view?

• First person

• Second person

• Third person

How do you DETERMINE the point of view?

• Ask yourself, "Who is telling the story?"

• Look for pronouns

• Figure out if the narrator is inside (a character) or outside of the story

• All of the above

What is the point of view in a story?

• the characters actions

• the perspective from which the story is told

• the setting of the story

• dialogue

A pain stabs my left temple and I press my hand against it. Right on the spot where Johanna Mason hit me with the coil of wire. The memories swirl as I try to sort out what is true and what is false.

What is the point of view?

• Third person

• First person

• Second person

Jeremiah squinted from the sun. He was thinking about the game. They could have won. He could have won the game for them. All he needed to do was catch the ball, but he didn't. He dropped it. His coach talked to him. "Jeremiah, we had a great season. Nobody's perfect. Look at me. Ha ha," he said. Jeremiah smiled at the coach, but he couldn't forgive himself so easily.

What is the point of view?

• First person

• Second person

• Third person

How to Grill by Steven Raichlen
Once you have your grill assembled, the next thing to decide is where to put it.  A grill puts out a lot of heat, so you should position it several feet away from the side of the house or any plants or shrubbery.  You'll have an easier time with a spot that is sheltered from the wind.  When positioning a grill on a wooden deck, remember that sparks and live embers can fall from a charcoal grill.

What is the point of view?

• First person

• Second person

• Third person

• Fourth person

As the moving truck pulled away, Jasmine broke down in tears because she was going to miss having her friends and family close by. Frank waved her off smiling, hoping Jasmine believed that he was okay even though he wasn't. He was devastated. He didn't want her to leave. The moment the truck turned the corner, he and his mother walked home, and the tears came. Mrs. Marci walked tall, not letting any tears fall. She was trying to stay strong for her son.

What is the point of view?

• First person

• Second person

• Third person

Nolan grabbed the rope. He tried to pull himself up but he knew that he lacked the upper body strength to lift his own weight. "I can't do it," he admitted as he dropped to the mat. The coach blew his whistle and screamed, "Nolan, you get up there and you try again." His face turned red as he shouted orders. Not wanting to make the coach angrier, Nolan lifted himself off the mat and grabbed the rope again. He pulled. Again, Nolan felt weak and intimidated. The coach blew his whistle again.

What point of view is the text written in?

• First person

• Second person

• Third person

• Fourth person

An old man was throwing breadcrumbs at a group of pigeons. No matter where the breadcrumbs landed, a big grey pigeon with a white spot on his head seemed to get the largest portion. The old man threw a large crust morsel away from the big grey pigeon and toward a smaller white pigeon. As soon as the white pigeon got a bite of the bread crust, the big grey pigeon snatched it and began eating it. Then the old man tore up the remaining bread crusts and threw them all at once. The pigeons flocked around the feast.

What point of view is the text written in?

• First person

• Second person

• Third person