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An introduction to identifying who is telling the story and how their position affects the narrative.
Imagine witnessing a food fight in the cafeteria. Now, imagine telling your principal about it, versus the principal watching the event on a silent security camera. Would the stories be the same?
In first-person point of view, the narrator is a character inside the story. They tell the story from their own eyes, using pronouns like I, me, my, and we. This perspective is like being inside someone's head; you hear their private thoughts and feel their emotions directly. However, it is also limited. You only know what that one character knows. If another character is keeping a secret, the narrator (and you!) will be in the dark until it's revealed. We call this a 'subjective' view because it is colored by the narrator's personal feelings and biases.
1. Read the sentence: 'I felt my heart hammer against my ribs as I walked toward the stage.' 2. Identify the pronouns: I, my. 3. Determine the POV: Because the narrator is describing their own internal feelings using 'I', this is First-Person POV.
Quick Check
If a story uses the pronoun 'I' to describe the main character's actions, which point of view is being used?
Answer
First-Person Point of View.
In third-person point of view, the narrator is not a character in the story. They act like a fly on the wall or a god-like figure watching from above. They refer to characters by their names or pronouns like he, she, it, or they. There are different levels of third-person POV. Some narrators only know what they can see (Objective), some know the thoughts of one character (Limited), and some know the thoughts of every character (Omniscient). This POV often feels more 'reliable' because the narrator isn't usually trying to justify their own actions within the plot.
Let's change our first example into third-person: 1. Original: 'I felt my heart hammer as I walked toward the stage.' 2. Revised: 'Leo felt his heart hammer as he walked toward the stage. The audience watched him with curious eyes.' 3. Analysis: We now see Leo from the outside. We use his name and the pronoun he.
Quick Check
True or False: A third-person narrator is always a character living inside the story's world.
Answer
False. A third-person narrator is an outside observer, not a character in the story.
The Point of View acts like a camera lens. A first-person 'lens' is zoomed in close on one person's heart and mind. A third-person 'lens' can zoom out to show the whole neighborhood. This choice influences dramatic irony—when the reader knows something a character doesn't. If a story is in 1st person, the reader is just as surprised as the narrator. If it is in 3rd person omniscient, the narrator might tell us, 'Little did Sarah know, the surprise party was waiting behind the door,' creating suspense that a 1st person narrator couldn't provide.
Consider a mystery story: 1. Scenario A (1st Person): 'I opened the box, expecting a gift, but found it empty. Who could have taken it?' (The reader is confused with the narrator). 2. Scenario B (3rd Person): 'As Mark opened the empty box, the narrator noted that his sister, Maya, was hiding the stolen watch under her pillow in the next room.' (The reader knows more than the character). 3. Conclusion: The POV determines whether the story is a 'whodunnit' mystery or a suspenseful wait for a character to find out the truth.
Which pronoun is a 'dead giveaway' for a first-person narrator?
What is a major disadvantage of a first-person narrator?
A third-person narrator can sometimes know the thoughts and feelings of multiple characters.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to explain to a friend the difference between a 'character narrator' and an 'observer narrator' without looking at your notes.
Practice Activity
Take a famous fairy tale (like Cinderella) and write one paragraph from her perspective (1st person) and one paragraph from a narrator watching the ball (3rd person). Notice how the tone changes!