Lesson Topic 3: Perfect Point of View with Theme

The Point of View Review

A story can have many different points of view. Three possible perspectives are first person, third person, and omniscient. Readers can recognize the type of point of view in the story based on certain words the narrator uses.

First Person Point of View	Third Person Point of View	Omniscient Point of View
With first person point of view, the narrator uses the pronoun I. Readers remain limited to information that the narrator knows because everything in the story appears through the eyes of that particular narrator. Sometimes, the story might revolve around the narrator when the author writes in first person.	However, with third person point of view, the narrator uses the pronouns he, she, it, or they. The readers have more information from third person point of view because the narrator is not an actual character in the story.	However, the most information comes by way of the omniscient narrator. Omniscient means all-knowing, so if the story has an omniscient narrator, the reader has access to all information regarding each character's thoughts.

Point of View Purpose

An over-the-shoulder photograph shows a man's perspective of a sunset at the beach. In the photo, his eyebrow, eyelashes, and glasses are visible. The author always has a reason for choosing a particular point of view. If the author writes in the first person point of view, the reader only has information provided by one source. That means that the narrator might not be a trustworthy source because readers only have the ability to see one view and opinion. However, having more opinions, such as third person or omniscient, might create confusion for the reader and force the reader to choose what thoughts and opinions they believe.

Point of View Practice

Can you identify the Point of View of your chosen story? On your own, choose the correct point of view of the short story you chose. Then, think about how the point of view affects the meaning of a story.

What About the Theme?

The theme is the main idea of a text. The whole basis of a story appears in the theme, so having the ability to identify the theme is very important.

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