Point of View, Character, and Theme
By the due date assigned, post your response of at least 150-200 words to the Discussion Area. By the end of the week, comment on at least two of your classmates’ submissions.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Your instructor will assign 3-5 short stories for the class to read and discuss this week. Check the Week 4 Announcement for a list of the assigned stories. You must choose one of these stories to earn credit on the assignment.
Prompt:
Select one of the stories assigned by your instructor, and develop a response to the following:
- Identify the point of view used in the narration of the story.
- Provide a specific example from the story to illustrate your argument.
- Discuss how this perspective affects your reading and interpretation of the story.
- Consider how a different type of narration might alter the effect of the story.
Point of view refers to the perspective from which the story is narrated.
- First person: In first person, the story is told from the perspective of the narrator, using first-person pronouns. (“We are driving off the bridge!” I screamed.)
- Second person: This is not commonly used. In second person, the narrator addresses the reader as “you,” which gives the audience the feeling that they are a part of the story. (Example: As you drive off the bridge, you scream, but no one hears you.)
- Third person: The story is told using third-person pronouns (“The car is driving off the bridge!” he shouted), and the narrator is either godlike in the ability to see and know everything (third-person omniscient) or not all-knowing with knowledge limited to the perspective of only one character (third-person limited).
Tips
Remember to provide evidence for your claims in the form of quoted passages from the story. Quotations, paraphrases, and summaries should be cited according to APA rules of style, including in-text and reference citations. Quoted material should not exceed 25% of the document.
Check grammar and spelling before posting.
Your replies to classmates should be at least a paragraph in length and made with an eye to expand, clarify, defend, and/or refine their thoughts. Consider asking questions to further meaningful conversation. Participation must be completed by the end of the week to earn credit.
Post directly to the discussion; do not attach a document.
Example APA Reference from the eBook
Welty, E. (2013). A worn path. In X.J Kennedy and D Gioia (Eds.) The Literature Collection: An E-Text [VitalSource digital version] (p. 22). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
