Distinguish characters’ points of view
key notes :
A point of view, or perspective, is a way of seeing or thinking about something. People with different points of view may describe the same topic very differently.
For example, two authors may have different information about a topic, or they may not agree on what is important. So, they might include different facts or details.
Or, two narrators may have different feelings or opinions about a topic. So, they might create a different mood or change how the reader sees the characters, settings or events.
Learn with an example
🔥The following texts both describe a school bus ride on the first day of school.
🔥This text is told from the point of view of Toby, a student going to a new school:
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I got on the long yellow bus. I felt anxious as I looked at all the unfamiliar faces. The driver smiled at me, but the kids were too busy greeting their friends to even notice me. I felt so alone.
🔥This text is from the point of view of Ms Edwards, a new school bus driver:
I felt ready for my first shift as a school bus driver. I turned the long bus at each corner with ease. My cheerful mood made the students smile. I was proud of myself as the bus approached the brick school building. My first trip had gone well!
🔥How is Ms Edwards’s point of view different from Toby’s?
- Ms Edwards makes the bus trip seem shorter than it was.
- Ms Edwards expresses a feeling of pride about the first day of school.
Toby creates a nervous, lonely feeling.
Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I got on the long yellow bus. I felt anxious as I looked at all the unfamiliar faces. The driver smiled at me, but the kids were too busy greeting their friends to even notice me. I felt so alone.
Ms Edwards’s point of view is different. This text expresses a feeling of pride about the first day of school.
I felt ready for my first shift as a school bus driver. I turned the long bus at each corner with ease. My cheerful mood made the students smile. I was proud of myself as the bus approached the brick school building. My first trip had gone well!
🔥The following texts both describe camping trips.
🔥This text is told from the point of view of Mr Green, a camper van owner:
My wife and I take camping trips in our fancy camper van. We stay in the best parks, where we hook up the camper to water and electricity. We take lots of groceries and cook dinner in our kitchen. At night, we sleep soundly in our comfortable beds.
🔥This text is told from the point of view of Ms Morgan, who camps in the wilderness:
I pack light when I go camping. All I need is a sleeping bag. I don’t carry much food because I know how to find the wild plants that are safe to eat. To me, camping means making a fire and falling asleep beneath the starry night sky.
🔥How is Ms Morgan’s point of view different from Mr Green’s?
- Ms Morgan makes sleeping in a camper van seem uncomfortable.
- Ms Morgan describes camping as living on what you find in nature.
Mr Green describes camping as sleeping and eating in a comfortable camper van.
My wife and I take camping trips in our fancy camper van. We stay in the best parks, where we hook up the camper to water and electricity. We take lots of groceries and cook dinner in our kitchen. At night, we sleep soundly in our comfortable beds.
Ms Morgan’s point of view is different. This text describes camping as living on what you find in nature.
I pack light when I go camping. All I need is a sleeping bag. I don’t carry much food because I know how to find the wild plants that are safe to eat. To me, camping means making a fire and falling asleep beneath the starry night sky.
🔥The following texts both describe going up a mountain in a chairlift.
🔥This text is from a poster at the Union Ski Centre:
The chairlifts at the Union Ski Centre are new and improved. You will love their safe, modern design so much that riding up the mountain might be more fun than skiing down! Enjoy the scenery as you soar to the top of the mountain.
🔥This text is told from the point of view of Willow, a woman on a chairlift:
The chairlift whipped around the bend. It picked me up, and I hung on anxiously as it carried me high into the sky. I peeked down at the happy skiers on the ground below but quickly shut my eyes again. I couldn’t wait to get off.
🔥How is Willow’s point of view different from the poster’s?
- Willow creates a sense of fear about the chairlift.
- Willow makes the chairlift sound more fun than skiing.
The poster creates a feeling of enjoyment.
The chairlifts at the Union Ski Centre are new and improved. You will love their safe, modern design so much that riding up the mountain might be more fun than skiing down! Enjoy the scenery as you soar to the top of the mountain.
Willow’s point of view is different. This text creates a sense of fear about the chairlift.
The chairlift whipped around the bend. It picked me up, and I hung on anxiously as it carried me high into the sky. I peeked down at the happy skiers on the ground below but quickly shut my eyes again. I couldn’t wait to get off.
let’s practice!
