what is point of view?
definition
Point of view is a particular attitude or way of considering a matter. In fictional writing this means the narrator's position in relation to a story being told.
example
In Witi Ihimaera's short story Truth of the Matter, he tells the same story from 4 different points of view. Each point of view is different although the basic facts are the same. This type of story is called a RASHAMON-STYLE because the story is recounted from different points of view. The facts, that are consistent across most of the 4 stories are:
· Taxi driver had a previous fare
· It was after 2am.
· Taxi takes last fare for the night.
· Taxi driver picks up fare from a ‘dodgy’ party.
· Taxi driver and one guy are at odds about how he shut the taxi door.
· One of the guys was trying to get a woman at the party.
· The 2 men in the taxi were drunk.
· One man was (maybe 2 were) abusive towards driver.
· There was a scantily clad girl on the street.
· The taxi driver was injured near Courtenay Place.
· The case went to trial.
· Two men went to jail.
· Taxi driver had a previous fare
· It was after 2am.
· Taxi takes last fare for the night.
· Taxi driver picks up fare from a ‘dodgy’ party.
· Taxi driver and one guy are at odds about how he shut the taxi door.
· One of the guys was trying to get a woman at the party.
· The 2 men in the taxi were drunk.
· One man was (maybe 2 were) abusive towards driver.
· There was a scantily clad girl on the street.
· The taxi driver was injured near Courtenay Place.
· The case went to trial.
· Two men went to jail.
activity
Read the short story (or all 4 stories) and write a paragraph explaining the differences between the point of view of the girl in the raincoat and the view of one of the men. (your choice)
Steps:
Steps:
- Identify how the man's story is different from the girl's using a timeline approach as shown below. Focus on the point where the taxi stops at the traffic lights at Courtenay Place.
- Make a list of facts depending on the point of view of the narrator.
- Write up a paragraph, clearly explaining the differences.
- Use language features to explain the difference as shown in this example between the girl and the taxi driver.
step 1 - timeline of events
Girl's ViewpointShe had been at her boyfriend's house and was drunk and stoned.
She was walking home alone through the city at night and feeling good. She didn't notice the men in the car at the traffic lights. One of the men sounded the horn. All the men shouted at her. She couldn't help smiling at them. She danced in front of them, opening and closing her coat. Later she realised she was 'almost naked'. The car passed her and turned the corner. She kept walking her usual way home. She hid when she saw the same men arguing in the side street. The men were arguing about her and they were "hissing" at each other. They began to fight with each other and they banged into the walls. One man smashed a bottle and said "You rotten bastard." The man holding the bottle was threatening the other two. She screamed "stop" twice which made the man pause. One guy kicked the guy with the bottle and he fell back towards the car. The man who fell back 'gave a loud cry'. One of the other 2 ran towards the man who had fallen. He grabbed something. The other 2 ran off. The man who had fallen was moaning. She was frightened. She asked if he was alright and promised to get help. When she left him, she did not get help because she was afraid of being discovered as a criminal herself. |
Taxi Driver's ViewpointHe had been working all night and was in a good mood because he was about to go home. (earlier in the story).
He noticed the pretty girl because he had to stop at the lights and she was 'waiting to cross'. As she walked in front of the taxi her coat flap opened and 'showed her legs.' She didn't seem to be wearing anything under her coat. She had beautiful legs. The 2 guys in the back of the taxi whistled and laughed and offered the girl a ride. She kept on walking. The taxi driver was upset by what the guys in the back were saying and asked them to get out of the cab. He told them to get out of the cab and they started calling him names. The men called him names and both turned on him. He was still in the taxi when one guy attacked him putting his arm around his neck. He tried to fight back and grabbed a beer bottle. He tried to reach the mike to radio for help. The other two guys hit him. The guys got out of the cab. One of the guys was feeling his pockets and the other guy stole the cash from the seat. The big guy said "You deserve this you bastard." and "smashed his hand" into the taxi driver's groin. He heard someone say "Oh Jesus!" He was shocked that the guys only got 2 years. |
explanation
From the girl's point of view, she is wanting to share something with her boyfriend. She wants to make herself appear sexy and fun and she wants him to think of her in a positive light. Her boyfriend and her engage in illegal activities and she knows that it is wrong but enjoys it. She is choosing to present the facts that she thinks will appeal to him as a listener, so it is possible that she has amplified (or omitted) details to make the situation seem more interesting to him. She didn't know any of the men, so she is probably telling the story as it happened, but she might be over-exaggerating that she 'danced' because this part of the story is different from that of the taxi driver who simply said that she "showed her legs".
There are significant differences between the girl's point of view and the taxi drivers when it comes to the part of the story about the fight. Whilst the girl remembers that the men were in the street fighting, the driver believed that he was attacked whilst in the cab. The reader can imagine that a court jury would not believe this girl's evidence anyway because she has already admitted that she was high on drugs and alcohol. However, she would have no reason to lie as she is telling him 'five months' after the event occurred.
It is especially important that she says the men were fighting and shoving each other against the walls because this means that the taxi driver joined in the fight. If the girl had reported the incident to police, then the two men would maybe not have gone to jail. In actual fact, the taxi driver smashed his own eye with the beer bottle. He hurt himself when the other guys used self-defence against him. It is likely that the taxi driver made up this part of the story, to make himself look good in front of the jury. His point of view was that the men deserved more time in prison because his injuries were so bad. This is shown when he says "Two years they got. Only two years."
There are significant differences between the girl's point of view and the taxi drivers when it comes to the part of the story about the fight. Whilst the girl remembers that the men were in the street fighting, the driver believed that he was attacked whilst in the cab. The reader can imagine that a court jury would not believe this girl's evidence anyway because she has already admitted that she was high on drugs and alcohol. However, she would have no reason to lie as she is telling him 'five months' after the event occurred.
It is especially important that she says the men were fighting and shoving each other against the walls because this means that the taxi driver joined in the fight. If the girl had reported the incident to police, then the two men would maybe not have gone to jail. In actual fact, the taxi driver smashed his own eye with the beer bottle. He hurt himself when the other guys used self-defence against him. It is likely that the taxi driver made up this part of the story, to make himself look good in front of the jury. His point of view was that the men deserved more time in prison because his injuries were so bad. This is shown when he says "Two years they got. Only two years."