Definition and Examples of Point of View

Point of view is the perspective from which a speaker or writer recounts a narrative or presents information. Also known as a viewpoint. Depending on the topic, purpose, and audience, writers of nonfiction may rely on the first-person point of view (I, we), the second-person (you, your, youre), or the third-person (he, she, it, they). Author  Lee Gutkind points out that point of view is innately tied to voice, and a strong, well-executed point of view will also lead to a strong voice (Keep It Real, 2008). Examples and Observations Point of view is the place from which a writer listens in and watches. Choosing one place over another determines what can and cant be seen, what minds can and cant be entered. . . . The main choice, of course, is between the third and first person, between a disembodied voice and I (in nonfiction synonymous with the author). For some, the choice is made before sitting down to write. Some writers feel obliged to use the third person, by tradition the voice of objectivity, the disinterested mode of address appropriate for the newspaper or for history. Other writers, by contrast, seem to adopt the first person as a reflex, even if they are not writing autobiographically. But choosing a point of view really is a choice fundamental to the construction of nonfiction narratives, thus carrying relevant consequences. No moral superiority inheres in the first or third person, in their many varieties, but the wrong choice can deaden a story or distort it enough to turn it into a lie, sometimes a lie composed of facts.(Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd, Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction. Random House, 2013) Subjective and Objective Viewpoints Pronouns reflect the various viewpoints. You can choose first-person (I, me, us, our), second person (you), or third person (he, she, they, their). First-person is considered intense, subjective, and emotionally hot. It is the natural choice for a memoir, autobiography, and most personal-experience essays. The reader is the center of attention for second-person. It is the favored point of view for instructional material, advice, and sometimes admonishment! It is intimate without being intense--unless the voice of the author is authoritarian or controlling instead of instructive. . . . Third person can be subjective or objective. For instance, when used for an as told to personal-experience essay, third-person is subjective and warm. When used for news and information, third-person is objective and cool. (Elizabeth Lyon, A Writers Guide to Nonfiction. Perigee, 2003) The First-Person Narrator Its hard to write a memoir or a personal essay without falling back on the I. In fact, all nonfiction is really told in the technical first-person point of view: there is always a narrator doing the telling, and the narrator is not some fictional persona but the author. This single point of view is one of the important—and frustrating—hallmarks that distinguishes nonfiction from fiction. Yet there are ways to mimic other points of view--and thereby to tell a more natural sort of story. Listen to the opening lines of Daniel Bergners God of the Rodeo: When he had finished work--building fence or penning cattle or castrating bull calves with a knife supplied by his boss on the prison farm--Johnny Brooks lingered in the saddle shed. The small cinder-block building is near the heart of Angola, Louisianas maximum-security state penitentiary. Alone there, Brooks placed his saddle on the wooden rack in the middle of the room, leapt onto it, and imagined himself riding in the inmate rodeo coming up in October. No sign yet of the author—a strictly third-person presentation. . . . The author wont enter the story directly for many more lines; hell duck in once to let us know hes there and then disappear for long stretches . . .. But in fact, of course, the author has been with us in every line, in the second way that an author participates in a nonfiction story: tone. (Philip Gerard, Talking Yourself Out of the Story: Narrative Stance and the Upright Pronoun. Writing Creative Nonfiction, ed. by Carolyn Forchà © and Philip Gerard. Writers Digest Books, 2001) Point of View and Persona [T]hese issues of point of view really point to one of the most fundamental skills in creative nonfiction, to writing not as the author but from a constructed persona, even if that persona is taking on the I to tell the story. That persona is formed by time, mood, and distance from the events that are being narrated. And if we decide to foreground the artifice of this construction by using more stylized points of view, such as second- or third-person, we create even more of a relationship between the narrator and the narrated, a high awareness that we are engaged in the reconstruction of experience and not pretending to be mere transcribers of that experience. (Lee Gutkind and Hattie Fletcher Buck, Keep It Real: Everything You Need to Know About Researching and Writing Creative Nonfiction. W.W. Norton, 2008) Obi-Wan Kenobi on Point of View Obi-Wan:  So, what I told you was true . . . from a certain point of view. Luke: A certain point of view? Obi-Wan: Luke, youre going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view. (Star Wars: Episode VI--Return of the Jedi, 1983)

The True Hero Exploring Heroic Code - 1308 Words

The True Hero: Exploring Heroic Code in Germanic Society In the great epic Beowulf, the reader is able to delve into the Anglo-Saxon world and grow familiar with the heroic code. As a story passed from mouth to mouth as generations came and went, Beowulf still stands as one of the greatest heroic epics. The story teaches the reader a great deal about the time when it was written. In a world so heavily influenced by the perfect hero, the Anglo-Saxon people were able to look onto Beowulf as a source of great instruction and something that men women and children would be able to idolize. The heroic code was instilled by the Anglo-Saxon people as a code of conduct one followed to ensure one was operating as a commendable member of society. The idea of the perfect hero was the ultimate goal for any king or man of the time. The characteristics of selflessness and bravery were admired beyond anything else, and a true hero would embody them. In every sense of the word Beowulf embodied the essence of the heroic code and stood as a role model of ide al kingship for people to follow even in today’s world. This essay will outline how Beowulf exemplifies heroic code through his selfless and bravery, strength, and the unconditional love Beowulf’s men had for him through his own inspiration and dedication to his work. Even from the beginning of the epic, the reader is given proof of Beowulf’s outstanding selfless nature and creed. From the moment he steps foot on Danish soil he exuded aShow MoreRelatedThe Leatherstocking Tales Character Analysis868 Words   |  4 PagesExploring Hawkeye The novel series, â€Å"The Leatherstocking Tales,† by James Fenimore Cooper, takes place in the 1750s on a colonial frontier, near the great lakes. Natty Bumppo, better known as Hawkeye, has to do his best with all that he has to work with. Throughout the story, the reader is exposed to what kind of a character Hawkeye is. 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A Speech On Discourse Community Essay Example For Students

A Speech On Discourse Community Essay Hashani De Silva Professor Shepherd ENGL2089 Intermediate Composition 11/02/2014 Discourse Community Teaching has always been an occupation that amazed me. I believe it to be one of the most important jobs that anyone could ever embrace. A person choosing their career to be a teacher is essentially choosing to take on the role that is similar to DNA. Teachers are the group of people that pass on knowledge (which is what DNA does in our bodies), through education to the rest of us. Imagine the pressure on them. Imagine for one second that you were given this task. To teach another person a certain subject in such a way so that, the person that you are teaching can incorporate this knowledge to their daily life. Could you confidently teach another person something, anything, knowing that, that person will believe you for the rest of their life (unless you are proven wrong of course, because we live in forever changing times)? Imagine the responsibility that teachers take on themselves, knowing that they are responsible in enlightening the future generation. For this assignment I chose to observe my Architectural Skills Professor, Eric Inglert. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati, a registered Architect in the state of Ohio and a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Ball State University in 1988 and a Masters of Business administration from University of Cincinnati in 1996. After†¦