Effectiveness Of Point Of View
Through the use of first-person point of view, authors Alice Munro and William Faulkner achieve contrasting effects.
I. Alice Munro's "How I Met My Husband"
A. Cite character who tells story
B. Cite position from which story is told
C. Cite the effects the position has on the reader
II. William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily"
A. Cite character who tells the story
B. Cite the position from which the story is told
C. Cite the effects that the position has on the reader
III. Compare and Contrast the Effects
A. "How I Met My Husband"
B. "A Rose for Emily"
IV. Vantage Points
A. What is missing due to the position from which the story is told
Conclusion
When a story is told from first-person point of view, the author fades away into one of the characters. The character telling the story may be major or minor, protagonist or observer. The position from which the story is told makes a considerable difference on the thoughts of the reader. Through the use of first person point of view, authors Alice Munro and William Faulkner achieve contrasting effects.
In Alice Munro's "How I Met My Husband," the story is told as a reminiscence of the main character, Edie. Edie, the protagonist, spends what seems to be a life time waiting on a letter from a lover who promised to write. Though it appears that Edie's love life is in abeyance, we soon learn that she has a secret admirer, the mailman. The reader learns of Edie's impatience when she states the "no letter was ever going to come." Edie's impatience made her vulnerable. Her admirer seems to use her vulnerability to his advantage by phoning her and asking her out on a date. To the reader's surprise, this one date leads to marriage.
William Faulkner also uses first-person point of view in his short story, "A Rose for Emily." The picture of Emily's life is depicted for the reader through the eyes...
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