Why might an author want to use first person point of view in his/her narration?
Group of answer choices
to establish a strong connection between the reader and protagonist
to ensure that the narrator is unbiased
to thoroughly develop the internal thoughts of multiple characters
Answers
Answer:
The most important relationship you can develop in your story isn’t between the characters, but between your protagonist and the reader. The reader needs to empathize with your protagonist and understand his struggle in order to feel connected with your story.
But how exactly do you create a connection between the reader and the protagonist?
In this post, we’re going to dive head first into how to build trust with your reader through creating a strong and consistent protagonist’s voice.
There were an absurd amount of buzz words in that sentence, so let’s also define what we’re talking about first. Ready?
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NARRATOR AND THE PROTAGONIST
Sometimes the lines blur, but there’s a marked difference between a narrator and a protagonist. Here’s a brief definition of each:
WHAT IS A NARRATOR?
Simply put, the narrator tells the story.
Here’s a helpful guide on understanding what the narrator does:
tep-online
Image Courtesy of Tep-Online
This may surprise you but there’s actually more than one type of narrator. According to Stephanie Orges, there are seven types of narrators including:
The Protagonist - The story revolves around this person.
The Secondary Character - The character who is close to the protagonist, but somewhat removed.
The Detached Observer - This narrator is completely removed from the action and relays the story without personal opinion.
The Commentator - This narrator adds personal opinion and insight and becomes his own “storyteller” character.
The Interviewer - This narrator exists between detached and commentator. This narrator focuses on the characters with limited commentary, although his opinion may be inferred based on the way he chooses to tell the story.
The Secret Character - This narrator appears to be similar to the commentator but then reveals himself to be a pivotal character in the story. He may refer to himself in third person until the big, shocking reveal.
The Unreliable Narrator - This narrator appears to be reliable until readers can detect, through interaction with other characters, that the narrator cannot be trusted.
WHAT IS A PROTAGONIST?
The protagonist acts within the story. The story is about this person, even if he isn’t the main character. However, as a general rule, the protagonist is the main character.
ARE THEY ONE IN THE SAME?
Sometimes, but not always.
Very helpful, huh?
While the protagonist is usually the main character, the protagonist is not always the narrator. This is connected to your chosen point of view (i.e. first, second, third objective, third limited omniscient, and third omniscient).
Sometimes, the writer is the narrator—especially when written in second and third person.
For the purposes of this post, let’s say you’ve chosen to use the protagonist as your narrator. How do you now create a voice that makes the reader feel connected to the protagonist?
I thought you’d never ask. Let’s first define voice.
WHAT IS VOICE?
Voice is more than just word choice. It includes the protagonist’s outlook and attitude, the way he chooses to assert his opinion, how he reacts to the world around him. It should be uniquely identifiable.
If you’ve chosen to write in first person as your protagonist narrator, the voice is active. You can directly relate your protagonist’s voice to the reader as if the two are talking face to face.
If your book is written in third person limited omniscient, the voice is passive, and we (the readers) only catch glimpses of it through the protagonist’s interactions with others and the world around him.
Of the two, it’s infinitely easier to establish a clear voice in first person as a protagonist narrator.
WAYS TO ESTABLISH YOUR PROTAGONIST’S VOICE
Now, let’s take a look at the most important ways to create a connection with the reader through the protagonist’s voice.
MAKE YOUR PROTAGONIST INSTANTLY COMPELLING
It’s not always necessary to like the protagonist, but it is necessary to have one that is clearly defined.
A character should have clear motivations.
That’s not to say that you will always root for the protagonist to win. Here’s a mantra to remember: empathy over sympathy. Your reader may not like the character, but help him understand the character’s motivation.
Empathy over sympathy. Your reader may not like the character but help him understand motivation.
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Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:
Wile E. Coyote is a compelling, although maybe unlikeable
Answer:
Hello ✌️
Explanation:
➡️ A point of view is the perspective an author uses to give a glimpse into the world he’s created. The reader may experience this world directly through the inner thoughts of a character or distantly from the perspective of an objective observer.
➡️ Point of view is an important literary device for exploring a story. The point of view an author chooses can determine how the reader understands and participates in the story.
➡️ Point of view can be used to express the feelings, thoughts, motivations, and experiences of one or many. It is the angle that the story is viewed through. For example, if you wanted to re-write the story of Rapunzel, you could choose several angles.