Analyzing Point of View

How might an unreliable narrator affect the reader’s view of a story’s conflict?

• 1. by forcing the reader to learn about the conflict through outside research

• 1. by causing the reader to have more sympathy with another character

• 1. by leading the reader to believe that there is no conflict at all

• 1. by misleading the reader about the causes of the conflict

Which is a characteristic of an unreliable narrator but not necessarily of a narrator with a limited point of view?

• 1. a mental condition that makes the narrator unable to speak clearly

• 1. an inability to interpret the events of the story correctly

• 1. the intent to give a slanted view of events

• 1. a combination of honesty and lack of knowledge

How is point of view most likely to affect the reader's understanding of events?

• 1. by deliberately presenting a false version of events

• 1. by confusing the reader with multiple perspectives

• 1. by limiting or guiding the reader's perceptions of events

• 1. by giving the most complete view of events possible

Who would be the best narrator for a story about second chances?

• 1. an ex-convict who is returning to society

• 1. a thirteen-year-old boy who is struggling with math

• 1. a happy, good-humored middle-aged woman

• 1. an engineer with an idea for a new source of energy

Read this passage from "All Good Things Are Surprises." As you read, consider the limitations of the story’s point of view.

Then I noticed something I’d never seen before hanging on the wall in back of the store. I’d been in the store a dozen times--it must have just been put up because it was not the type of thing you’d forget about. It was the biggest flag I’d ever seen. It took up half the wall, and it was so colorful, so big, so bold looking I knew I had to have it. Of course, I’d want to hang it in the room I shared with my brother, but I was a little concerned that once my parents saw it, they’d want to hang it in the living room or at the bottom of the stairs. “No, it’s my flag,” I’d tell them. “Ida gave it to me, for Hanukkah.” The flag was red and black and consisted of two bold black lines intersecting, forming a kind of pinwheel. I loved pinwheels.

Given that the narrator's grandmother is an elderly Jewish survivor of the Holocaust, how does the limited point of view in this passage create dramatic tension?

• 1. It sets up the story for a flashback to Nazi Germany.

• 1. It shows that the boy is insensitive and uncaring.

• 1. It causes the reader to worry about the grandmother's reaction.

• 1. It makes the reader laugh at the silliness of the young boy.