How First Person Narration Affects The Overall Story

Wow! Reading the point of view of a first-person narrative reveals so much about the author’s thoughts. While reading first-person narratives, it enables readers to understand more information throughout the story. Hearing the thoughts and ideas right from the character makes it easier to make connections. In the short story “George and the Jewels” by Jane Smiley, the main character Abby goes through a transition from disliking horses to understanding them. In “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell, the story is narrated by a horse who is introduced into a new environment where he has to become used to being rode every day. By examining Black Beauty and The George and Jewels, it shows that both passages use first-person point of view to develop

For this reason first person point of view helps the reader understand and get a further depth for his thoughts. “It was a stupid thing to say to the god of war, but being around him always made me feel angry and reckless”(Riordan 188). The setting of the story is just as important as the voice of the

That is to say writing in first-person can allow the author to be more descriptive with the way he writes his scenes. An example of a very descriptive scene is when the Jews were on the train cars, heading towards Buchenwald. Passersby threw bread into the cattle cars and watched as the Jews tore each other apart for the crust of it. An especially gruesome part of this event is written in the following: “He was hiding a piece of bread under his shirt. With lightning speed he pulled it out and put it to his mouth. His eyes lit up, a smile, like a grimace, illuminated his ashen face. And was immediately extinguished. A shadow had lain down beside him. And this shadow threw itself over him. Stunned by the blows, the old man was crying: ‘Meir, my little Meir! Don’t you recognize me… You’re killing your father… I have bread… for you too… for you too…”(Wiesel, 101) The use of first-person narration is very effective here. Elie, as a 16 year old boy, watched the worst of humanity through his own two eyes. It is hard to provide a description as chilling as this one with other types of

The differences between first and third person perspectives are detrimental when making the decision on which to use when writing. They are almost exactly polar opposites of each other, ones advantage being the others disadvantage and vice versa. In the aspect of the

In “The Man I Killed”, the author O’Brien, uses first narrator to describe the reaction of his guilt for the man he killed. O’Brien reflects on the young man’s life to show how he must suffer all the time because of the wretched war. Even though both narrators are different gender, age and background, they both express the suffering they must go through because of the repercussions of war which ultimately makes their life hell. Both stories use first person point of view, dialogue, and sympathy to show the war’s influence on their perception and emotions. Akpan and O’Brien use first person point of view to make their stories vivid and allow the reader to understand on a deeper level what is happening not only around the narrator but also to the narrator.

People view certain aspects of life in several different ways, giving one another their own unique point of view. “Edgar Allen Poe wrote most of his works through first person narrative because of personal experiences.” (Summary and Critical Analysis). However, the majority of Anton Chekhov works were mostly in third person. The two authors most influential works were “The Raven” and “The Lady With The Pet Dog”. Throughout the poem and short story, “The Raven” and “The lady with the Pet Dog” both authors utilize point of view in several different ways.

Besides first, second, and third person literature there are many other factors to look at in writing. The Diary of Samuel Pepys, A Journal of the Plague Year, and the recording of Edward R. Murrow’s report of the 1940 bombing of London all have similarities and differences, even though they were from different times. All three were written of the “first person accounts” but do not have the same tone, viewpoint, method of publication, or structure of words. These four points create different styles of writing and often set a different mood.

In my opinion 2nd person, the point of view writing is not as exhilarating as 1st person. With 2nd person point of view, you don't get to know what the characters are thinking while they are living in the story. I read a book to learn new information and to learn about new characters and why there is a book about them, not just to hear how someone once did something. I still find myself enjoying the

With first person point of view adds more detail to the descriptions of the novel. The third person point of view makes the story simpler, and gets right to plot. The advantages of first person writing are that you can always know what Cassia is thinking. It can focus more on Cassia and base the story more on her, rather than anyone else. It is also in present tense so if she is thinking or feeling something you always know that its happening right then and there.

The narration is shifted from first to second person and back to first person in the beginnings of different novels in alternate chapters, and sometimes to third person. The author forces us, the readers, to take on the role of the Reader that makes me the main character of the story. The story unfolds more truths about myself and how I behave when I'm about to read a novel, which literally messes with my brains by letting me believe that I'm probably being watched as I read on.

If these short stories had not been written in first person point of view, then the readers would

The point of view of a narrator can make or break a story, as the narrator is extremely important to the reader's understanding of a story. Different points of view and different narrators can oftentimes affect the point the story is attempting to portray and it even change what the reader believes the story is about. If someone were to go through a story written in a first-person narrative story and change all the pronouns to a third-person point of view, or even a first person plural point of view, it can distort the way the reader understands and comprehends the story.

First-person narrative shows us an inevitable bias that allows us to sympathize with the narrator. By sympathizing with the narrator, we can better understand the message behind the story. Readers can interpret the confusion and frustration that comes along with cultural differences: On top of that, the Easter Bunny has character; he’s someone you’d like to meet and shake hands with. A bell has all the personality of a cast-iron skillet.

Edgar Allan Poe and Raymond Carver create an experience for the reader with their unique sense of styles through the use of point of view, providing characters’ thoughts, and using a simple setting. Both authors choice of having their stories point of view in first person helps create more of a close feeling and relationship to the characters. Through them stating words like I, you, me, and we, it makes you feels like you are with the characters and provides an impression like they are talking to you. Being able to be provided with the characters’ thoughts, gives the reader more of an insight on what is going on in the plot through the eyes of the main character. Knowing their thoughts gives you an ability to be able to find a deeper understanding

“In the first person, the reader feels smart, like its them solving the case.” Patricia Cornwell. In “Charles” by Shirley Jackson she writes about a son named Laurie who is a mischief person. He gets in lots of trouble but to get out of it he makes up a boy named Charles. The mom who is telling the story is told by her son about what Charles does. By the end she find out about this bluff. In the book Charles the author Shirley Jackson uses first person point of view to develop the conflict and surprise ending.