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Point Of View In Who's Irish By Gish Jen

1061 Words5 Pages

Changing the Story As a reader progressed through a story, the point of view should be fairly easy for them to figure out what character’s point of view the story is told from. Point of view is a literary term that has an extremely large impact on the story. Although all literary terms have an impact on a story, the point of view, if changed, can alter a story into a whole new reading. In the reading “Who’s Irish” by Gish Jen, the answer to whose point of view is the story being told from jumps out to the reader immediately. This short story is one where the point of view helps drill the meaning of the story into the reader’s head. In “Who’s Irish” point of view is used to reveal the true meaning behind the story and if the point of view were to change, it would change the whole concept of the story. “Who’s Irish” is a short story about a Chinese grandmother who comes across both cultural and generation difficulties when trying to babysit her granddaughter. The grandmother left China with her daughter in hopes to find a better life with more opportunities. Little did the …show more content…

This view would allow the reader to see everyone’s thoughts and ideas, given that the author does show all the necessary character’s thoughts. This would change how the reader feels about the story and it would not drive the reader to side with the grandmother. The author’s original idea was to have the reader empathize with the grandmother and to understand the grandmother’s actions, but if the story were to be written in third person; the reader would have to option to empathize with the mother or the grandmother and that is not what the author originally wanted. It is clear that the point of view is meticulously chosen by the author to help get the meaning and point of the story across to the

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You know this when you see the use of “I”. This point of view is great for a reader because it allows you understand the story through the eyes of the narrator and gives you a great sense of the character’s voice and personality. And the last point of view is shifting and the book I picked as an example was Voices in the Park by Anthony Browne. This is a unique story about four different voices as they tell their own versions of the same walk in the park. Shifting allows the reader to see events from different character’s points of view, but is still written in the first person.

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In the book each chapter is written in a different person’s point of view. The first point of view helps understand the characters better, make a story stronger and get the reader to feel connected to the characters in some way. With the point of view in the first person it is easier to understand everything about what the person is feeling and thinking. “ Before she knows it, she is setting up her life as if it were an exhibit labeled neatly for those who can read:

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How the Point of View Can Change Everything Why do we need to know the different points of view of a book? Or why does it matter? Sometimes, if you just leave it how it is, the reader can get confused and not know what is happening in the book, or in other words, they are lost. In the book In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Capote switches the point of view in almost every chapter to keep the reader hooked.

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Of late, however, since he had reasons for observing her more closely, her silence had begun to trouble him”(26). The point of view relates to the telling of the story because it gives the reader an outside perspective of the events that are taking place. The narrator’s perspective is third person point of view. Since the narrator’s perspective is third person omniscient, it allows you to understand how each of the characters are feeling. For example, the narrator shows how the feelings between Ethan and Mattie develop over

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Point of view, as chosen by the author, is the position in which things are considered. Point of view affects the way in which the story is perceived by the reader. The perspective the author uses ultimately sets a mood for the story and can offer an alternative tone. Amy Tan eloquently produces an emotional story through the first person point of view of Jing-mei, the protagonist in “A Pair of Tickets.” Tan uses Jing-mei to describe the feelings and observations present in the story.

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In literature, writers use a variety of points of view to convey their plot; these points of view can be first person, second person, or third person.   In “The Tell-Tale Heart”, the unnamed narrator describes he or she killing an old man. “Harrison Bergeron” is a dystopian story about Americans in the future that have handicaps in order for them to be equal. “A Good Man is Hard to Find” tells the story of a grandmother and her family taking a trip to Florida that went wrong.

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The author showing what the characters in a story are thinking can help them determine what point of view the author is writing

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Point of view plays a very strong role in the novel because it is what decides what readers know and don't know. In this case, it decided how readers feel and helps feed ideas into their minds. "I knew exactly what to make of it, and it made me mad enough to spit... what business had dad in healing that man... what right had Holgren to cross paths with the Great God Almighty"(80).

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In this story by Gish Jen's called “Who’s Irish?" it tells a story about an elderly Chinese woman living in America as she and her family struggle with issues concerning the correct way to raise a child, and cultural differences between the two families. She is an old fashion elderly lady who migrated from China. When she came to America she had a hard time and struggled to adapt to the new lifestyle. Having a daughter that's married to an man who is not Chinese and having a mixed granddaughter made it more complicated for her to adapt emotionally as well.

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On the other hand, if the point of view was switched to Dee, the way the reader views her, has a possibility of changing. Throughout the story, the speaker, which is Mama, is recalling when Dee came to visit. When the point of view of the story changes and is then told from Dee’s point of view, you are now able to have access to the thoughts she has throughout this visit. In an article about point of view, the author stated, “For example,

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In the analysis of “Geraldine Moore the Poet” by Toni Cade Bambara the reader can see how the three aspects tie into the theme. The point of view of a story in the angle in which it is written. It shows the reader the opinions or feelings of an individual. First person, second person, and third person are the three major kinds of point of view in which a story can be told. Third person can sometimes break off into third person omniscient or limited.

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Narrative point of view can express a different perspective to the reader by presenting experience, voice, and setting. Perspective is a particular way or attitude of considering events, by whatever character’s point of view the narrator takes. A character’s background and experiences in their life is a key to help the reader relate to the character. Culture may provide more insight about the circumstances, and can change a reader’s perspective, as well as the voice of the narrator - sophisticated or naive.

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By having this story in first person point of view, it gives the readers an insight to how the narrator really feels about certain characters. It also allows the readers to view background information from the narrator, which allows the story to come together as a whole and be more

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