Point of View

Marianne Grisolano
English 475/Prof. Bartlett
July 14, 2005

Fiction Lesson on Point of View (Approximately 50 minutes)

Course Overview:
This lesson would be part of a unit of study of the elements of fiction, including plot structure, setting, characterization, symbols, and theme. It is designed as part of a first year college level introduction to literature course. The entire unit would consist of five weeks of classes, three days a week. The stories that would be studied in this lesson would be "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid" and "Why I Live at the P.O." by Eudora Welty.

Student Learning Goals:

Students will understand how point of view influences the effectiveness and understanding of short fiction.
Students will understand how point of view affects the plot and characterizations in short fiction.
Students will analyze the significance and meaning of point of view in several short stories.
Resources:

The Norton Introduction to Literature, eighth edition
Student journals
Assignment handouts
Class Plan:

Focus Activity
Explanation/instruction of point of view in fiction
Point of view in "Girl"
Assignment: individual analysis of point of view in "Why I Live at the P.O."
Focus Activity:
Have students write for two or three minutes on the following: Recall an occasion when you and someone else (a friend, family member, co-worker, classmate) disagreed about the details or specifics of an incident. What is your version of the story? What is theirs?

Instruction/explanation:
(The following definitions are adapted from the Norton Anthology of Literature and Literature and the Writing Process). Point of view is the position from which an author chooses to relate a story. It affects the way we (the audience/readers) perceive the story. It also provides access into the thoughts and feelings of some of the characters. Some authors select one character to tell the story firsthand, but these first-person narrators can play quite different roles and sometimes provide a distorted lens through which we view the action. Sometimes the first person narrator is creating a sense of believability by presenting the thoughts running through the character's mind. When the focus centers on a single individual in the story, or relies on that character's voice or thoughts, the point of view is limited. When stories have several focal characters, the point of view is unlimited. When you read a story, one of the first questions you should ask yourself is "Who is telling this?" and "Who sees and knows what?" This is what makes each story unique. The events in the characters' lives could be presented in a variety of ways, and a different narrator or point of view would change the story entirely. Demonstrate this by having students share the stories they wrote in the focus exercise. (This part of the lesson should take approximately twenty minutes).

Exercise I:
Read the short story, "Girl," written by Jamaica Kincaid. Although the girl seems to be narrating this story as a collection of memories, the instructions and admonitions are the mother's. Ask students to explain how the point of view influences their understanding and effectiveness of the story. Then have students (in groups of four) rewrite different sections of the story from the girl's point of view, showing her reactions to her mother's words. Groups will share their rewrites with the class. How does this change influence our perception of the characters? How is the story affected? Which point of view is more effective? Why? This exercise should take approximately twenty-five minutes.

Assessment:
Informal assessment will take place as students discuss their responses to the class activity. A more formal assessment will occur based on the extension assignment below.

Extensions:
Read "Why I Live at the P.O. " For homework, have students write a response letter to Sister from one of the other characters. Then have them answer the following questions about their letter: How do your character's perceptions differ from Sister's? Does this character's point of view challenge Sister's version of the events that transpired in the story? Whose point of view is more believable? Which is more effective? Why? (Questions on handout).

Web Resources:

Jamaica Kincaid
http://www.english.emory.edu/Bahri/Kincaid.html
Eudora Welty
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/english/ms-writers/dir/welty_eudora/



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Introduction to Literature: Point of View

Directions:
Read Eudora Welty's short story, "Why I Live at the P.O." Then type a one-page letter to Sister from one of the other characters, responding to Sister's version of events from his or her point of view.
On a separate sheet, answer the following questions about your letter:

How do your character's perceptions differ from Sister's?
Does this point of view challenge Sister's version of the events that transpired in the story?
How would this change in point of view affect the way we would characterize Sister?
Whose point of view is more believable? Which point of view is more effective? Why?