Narration and Voice

Narration

Omniscient point of view: the narrator is not a character and is able to tell us everything about every character. What is the advantage of using this POV?

Third person limited point of view: storyteller zooms in on just one character but talks about the character in the third person, using he or she.

Why use third person?

Advantage: Sounds more factual, professional (in a

research or expository paper), and less casual

First person narrator: character in the story who talks to us, using I, the first person pronoun.

What are some disadvantages of using this POV?

What are some advantages of using this POV?

Advantage: Enables the story to have a more personal,

subjective, and intimate tone of voice Convey the character’s thoughts, emotions,

opinions, judgments, understandings

Limitations: Only 1 POV – which may be narrow and

unreliable

1st person can also be: Credible – believable, reliable Unreliable - biased and does not (or

cannot) tell the truth.

Determining POV:

Who is telling the story? How much does this narrator know and

understand? How much does this narrator want me to

know? Can I trust this narrator? In what ways would the story be

different if someone else were telling you?

Voice

Refers to the writer’s use of language and overall style and is created by the author’s tone and choice of words (diction).

It influences the story’s tone, believability, and plot.

Tone

Attitude of the speaker toward a subject, a character, or the reader

Think about the different voices you use when you speak. How do you talk to the principal? To your friends? How do you talk to your mom if you want to stay up late or when you’re angry at her for enforcing an unfair rule?

Brainstorming: Answer the following questions based on ONE person in the photograph: What is this person

thinking?

If this person were to speak, what might he or she say?

How would the person sound? Is it a high-pitched voice? Quiet or loud? Hesitant or excited?

How does the person feel? Is he or she afraid? Happy? Hungry? Cold?

Now write a paragraph in the voice of the chosen person: Use 1st person

narration Your paragraph

should capture the person’s personality.

Sharing

Can you identify who the speaker is?

Has the writer used descriptive language to evoke the speaker?

For example, "My lips are so numb I can’t remember what they feel like," provides us with more information about the speaker than, "I’m cold."

Practice #2

Select a person in this paragraph. Write another paragraph (using 1st person narration) in the voice of the person chosen.

This time, be more descriptive! In the person’s voice, try to identify one important piece of information about this person.

For example, you might imagine that although the boys have discovered trash, to them it’s treasure. This joy and fascination should be reflected in the paragraph.