Point of view — Literature, 11–13 years
Notice who tells a story and how that choice changes what we know. Literature, 11–13 years.
What point of view is
Point of view is the position from which we receive a story. A first-person narrator says “I” and gives us one person’s experience; a third-person narrator says “he”, “she” or “they” and may show one mind, several minds, or very little.
Why writers choose a viewpoint
A story cannot show every person’s thoughts at once, so the writer must decide what the reader can know. This solves a problem of focus: a limited viewpoint can create surprise, while a wider one can help us compare different characters.
A small change in viewpoint
Imagine the same event: a glass breaks in the kitchen. Ana’s first-person version might say, “I froze because I had hidden the ball.” A neighbour’s third-person version might say, “Ana stared at the floor,” but not know why. The event stays the same; the information changes.
The narrator is not always the author
It is reasonable to trust a narrator because the story speaks through that voice. But a narrator is a created character or voice, not automatically the writer, and may misunderstand events, hide facts or tell only what they believe. Ask what the narrator cannot know.
Viewpoints outside fiction
The same event can look different in a diary, a news report and a text message because each source has a position and a purpose. Comparing them helps you notice missing information and separate what someone saw from what they guessed.
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