TENTH GRADE

Point of view

Module 1 - Lesson 5

Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told.

1.  Innocent Eye - The story is told through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being different from that of an adult).

2.  Stream of Consciousness - The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions.

3.  First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc).  The reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she knows or feels.

4.  Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view.  He can move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when he chooses.  There are two main types of omniscient point of view:

a)  Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they, she, he, it, etc).  We know only what the character knows and what the author allows him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author chooses to reveal them to us.

b)  Omniscient Objective – The author tells the story in the third person.  It appears as though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard.  There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No interpretations are offered.  The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the author there to explain.  The reader has to interpret events on his own.

 

Point of view

Practicing exercise

I. Read the following passage and answer the questions.

The beaches located along the Gulf of Mexico are some of the most beautiful beaches on earth. You will find gorgeous white sand and beautiful blue water waiting for you. My favorite beach on the Gulf Coast is part of a little coastal town called Beacon Hill. It is about a fifty-minute drive from Panama City Beach, Florida. Beacon Hill is not a heavily populated beach. It has few restaurants, very little shopping, and almost no entertainment. It does have the peace and quiet I really enjoy on a beautiful summer day. You will find families enjoying the ocean at Beacon Hill. Many of these families are from other parts of the country, who have purchased summer homes at Beacon Hill. They are very friendly people, and will invite you for daytime walks on the beach and bonfires at night. After spending time in Beacon Hill, you will return to your home feeling relaxed.

1. How do you think the author feels about crowded beaches?

a. She feels that crowded beaches are fun places to visit.

b. She feels that crowded beaches are unpleasant.

c. She feels that we should vacation at crowded beaches.

d. none of these

2. The author feels that ________________.

a. a vacation should be relaxing.

b. shopping at the beach is fun.

c. noisy beaches are fun.

d. none of these

Point of view

Practicing exercise-Answer key

1. B
2. A

Point of view

Quiz

Authors will sometimes give readers clues that reveal how the author feels about a particular topic or subject. The following pages will help you practice determining the author’s point of view.

I. Read the following passage and answer the questions.

A. Volunteering at a nursing home facility is an excellent way to become involved in your community. Spending time with the elderly in a nursing home facility will not be a waste of your time. The patients in a nursing home facility are sometimes very lonely people. They enjoy having people to talk to, play games with, and take them for walks. We can learn so much from spending time with older adults. They have wonderful stories to tell about their childhoods and their families. Some of the patients are very ill and do not feel like talking. Nevertheless, they will almost certainly appreciate someone reading to them or just sitting with them for a while. Visit or call a nursing home facility near you to find out about their volunteer programs. You will be so glad you became involved.

1. The author feels that nursing home facility patients ___

a. are not interesting people.

b. are too ill for visitors.

c. are valuable to a community.

d. none of these

2. The author’s point of view about volunteering in a nursing home facility is that it

is ___

a. an excellent way to become involved in your community.

b. a waste of valuable time.

c. time you should be spending at the movies.

d. none of these

3. The author seems to think that volunteering at a nursing home facility is ______

a. good for the volunteers, but not for the patients

b. good for the patients, but not for the volunteers

c. good neither for the patients, nor for the volunteers

d. good for both the patients and the volunteers

B. The most valuable resource in America is our children. The children of America are the leaders of tomorrow. They will be responsible for continuing to make America a great nation. The education of our children is extremely important. Our government must make sure that American students are provided the opportunity to receive the best education possible. It is the responsibility of educational leaders and teachers to provide instruction to students. American parents are responsible for making sure that their children are learning and preparing themselves for taking future leadership roles. Students bear the responsibility of taking advantage of educational opportunities. We must all make sure that our children are well prepared for the future.

1. How does the author feel about children?

a. They are unimportant to America’s future.

b. They are important to America’s future.

c. The education of children is not necessary.

d. none of these

2. What does the author feel students should do to help America in the future?

a. They should all enter a branch of the military.

b. They should all become teachers or educational leaders.

c. They should take advantage of learning opportunities.

d. none of these

3. Which point of view does the author probably NOT share?

a. The future is too far away to worry about.

b. Children should be responsible for their education.

b. Education should be a high priority for everyone.

c. Parents and teachers are an important part of a child’s growth.

Point of view

Quiz-Answer key

A.

1. c

2. a

3. d

B.

1. b

2. c

3. a

Point of view

Test

I. Read the following passage and answer the questions.

A. Gardening is a hobby many people share. I am a gardener, and I love to see pretty flowers grow. I enjoy looking through countless catalogs and surfing the Internet to research flowers. Plants grow almost everywhere, but not every kind of plant will grow in every climate. Some plants require very warm climates, while other plants grow best in very cold climates. Choosing the right plants for the area you live in is of utmost importance.

Gardeners must prepare the soil before planting. Fertilizer should be added to help the plants turn into gorgeous flowers. I love watching the flowers bloom, but for me, planting the flowers is the fun part. I like the smell of fresh dirt. After planting, watering the plants is a nice way to relax each day. Gardening is a great hobby, even though it requires many hours of work.

1. How do you think the author feels about all the work involved with gardening?

a. The hobby is worth the work.

b. It is not worth the work involved.

c. It takes too much time away from her job.

d. none of these

2. The author believes that researching plants is ________.

a. not as important as fertilizer.

b. an important part of growing beautiful flowers.

c. not necessary, since plants can grow everywhere.

d. none of these

3. A good title for this article would be:

a. Travelling: More Interesting Than Gardening

b. The Internet Has All the Answers

c. Growing Vegetables for Fun and Profit

d. Gardening: Soil and Toil and Joy

B. Our family would not be complete without the two little canines that live with us. We are definitely dog lovers and wouldn’t trade our little poodles for anything. We bring them on our vacations every year. Our poodles’ favorite vacation spot is the beach. They dig in the sand and chase the sea gulls. It’s fun to watch them bark at the waves and bury sticks on the beach. We’ve found that most hotels will take pets that weigh less than ten pounds, and our poodles weigh about five pounds each. Traveling with pets can be difficult for some people. It is not a problem for us because we have been taking our pets on trips since they were about two months old. They learned to be good travelers at a young age.

1. The author’s point of view is that ____________

a. it is always difficult to travel with pets.

b. it’s better to travel with pets when they are older.

c. vacationing with pets can be fun.

d. none of these

2. The author feels that you should ___________

a. not take your pets on trips.

b. begin taking pets on trips when they are young.

c. only have a poodle for a pet.

d. none of these

3. The author seems to feel that their poodles are __________

a. like part of the family

b. good swimmers

c. very large animals

d. only two months old

Point of view

Test-Answer key

A.

1. a

2. b

3. d

B.

1. c

2. b

3. a

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