Comparative Analysis: First, Second, and Third Person POV

This assignment delves into the analysis of different narrative perspectives, focusing on first, second, and third-person points of view. The student explores how each perspective shapes the reader's experience and the overall narrative. The assignment includes three distinct examples, each written from a different point of view, narrating a similar scene of revisiting childhood memories. The student examines the impact of each POV, highlighting the nostalgic nature of the first and third-person perspectives and the more philosophical tone of the second-person perspective. Inspiration is drawn from Karen Mulhallen's short stories and Ursula K. Le Guin's writing advice to support the analysis. The student also discusses how shifting points of view necessitates changes in tense to maintain the essence of the story and provides references to support the analysis.

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First Person POV: I badly wished to relive my memories and revisit the place I spent most of
my childhood at. I then realized that there are a few things that never change. I walked down
those streets where I played at as a kid and saw the park bench still occupied by lovers and the
swings filled with young children. The same place where I spent the entire childhood rolling in
the grass and rubbing it off my clothes has remained the same, with fathers pushing the swings
back and forth for their kids, and the mothers out on a stroll with their toddlers. I suddenly
realized the irreplaceable charm of some places that had a special place in my heart. I looked
around and the best thought dawned upon me; that some things never change and relationships
never cease to amaze. Just the way I will once again look around, with the aim of cherishing the
charm of that place and taking a picture in my mind, storing it like a precious memory. The fact
that some sentiments can never change some relationships that I share with places and people,
regardless of the time passed, was what brought me a hint of joy and happiness at that moment.
Second person POV: When you revisit old place and memories, you’ll realize that there are
some things that will never change. When you walk down those streets where you played at as a
kind, and see the park bench still occupied by lovers and the swings filled with young children.
The same place where you spent the entire childhood rolling and rubbing the sands of your
clothes have remained the same with fathers pushing the swings back and forth for their kids,
and the mothers out on a stroll with their toddlers. You suddenly realize the irreplaceable charm
of some places that have a special place in your heart. You look around and the best thought
dawns upon you; that some things never change. Old relationships will never cease to amaze.

Student Last Name 2
Just the way you’ll once again look around, with the aim of cherishing the charm of that place
and taking its picture mind, storing it like a precious memory. The fact that some sentiments can
never change some relationships that you share with places and people, regardless of the time
passed, is what will bring a hint of joy and happiness to you at that moment.
The third person limited POV: She badly wished to relive her memories and revisit the place she
spent most of her childhood at. She then realized that there are a few things that never change.
She walked down those streets where she played at as a kid and saw the park bench still occupied
by lovers and the swings filled with young children. The same place where she spent the entire
childhood rolling in the grass and rubbing it off her clothes has remained the same, with fathers
pushing the swings back and forth for their kids, and the mothers out on a stroll with their
toddlers. She suddenly realized the irreplaceable charm of some places that had a special place in
her heart. She looked around and the best thought dawned upon her; that some things never
change. Old relationships will never cease to amaze. Just the way she’ll once again look around,
with the aim of cherishing the charm of that place and taking its picture in her mind, storing it
like a precious memory. The fact that some sentiments can never change some relationships that
you share with places and people, regardless of the time passed, was what brought a hint of joy
and happiness to her at that moment.
Explanation
In the different point of views used, the First Person and Limited Third person POVs are
nostalgic where the Second Person POV is more meditating in nature. The second person point
of view relates more with the philosophical theme than the first and third person POVs as they
reflect more upon memories of the narrator and the real experience of revisiting the memories.
The second person point of view is a little detached from the reality and tells the reader to
imagine or think about how it would feel like being a part of the scene or getting linked with the
theme of the scene (Le Guin 67). Inspiration was taken from short stories by Karen Mulhallen
for the ability of First person POVs for a strong and powerful impact on the readers (Mulhallen
4). While changing the point of views, I had to shift the tenses used to narrate the scene. For
example, the first and third person POVs are written in the past tense, whereas the second person

Student Last Name 3
POV had to be changed to present and future tense, in order to make more sense of the scene
being narrated and to maintain the essence of the story (Le Guin 72).
References
Le Guin, Ursula K. Steering The Craft: exercises and discussions on story writing for the lone
navigator or the mutinous crew. Eighth Mountain Press, 1999. Google Books. Web. 16 April
2019. https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn=0933377479
Mulhallen, Karen. The Pillow Books. Black Moss Press, 2011. Google Books. Web. 16 April
2019. https://books.google.co.in/books?isbn=0887534902