Different Points Of View

This is for the POV assignment where we were asked to write the same scene from three different points of view, 1st, 2nd, 3rd. I figured since I'm so opinionated anyway, I'd add my analysis of the three as well.

1st person.

         The breeze is cool on my face as I survey the opposing troops. I can feel my blood burning, the hunger to draw first blood boiling in my mind. The warriors shift nervously, both ours and the enemy's.

         As I have learned, I let the void take my mind. There is absolute stillness within me. Then I see them. The Wolf, The Bear, The Lion, and The Great Wyrrm. The totems of my people speak to me, with the voices of my ancestors. Their power sings in my veins. It is a part of me much as my arms are. And like the Axes I hold, it will tear into the enemy.

         The time has come. I give the order to charge on my signal. Then I look up at the sky, and howl. The men in my honor guard shift their feet. The runes on my axe blades begin to re-etch themselves in pale luminescant blue. As they blaze with power, I let out a roar, and point to the enemy. We charge.

         I feel nothing but the fury of war now. I am devestation, a living flame burning a path through the opposing army. Many fell, harvested by my hand and by the steal of my men. Many more simply break and run. I scream at their cowardice. Then I see something that would distress a normal man.

         With my boots soaked in the blood of the enemy, I see reinforcments for my enemies. They have come around on the sides. We are flanked, surrounded. There is no way out.

         For them!

         I raise my head and howl again to the now black sky, burned by my rage. This time, the sky answers my call. Lightning flashes through the ashen firmament, but instead of the roar of thunder, the howls of a thousand wolves tear the storm asunder. My ancestors have heard my call, and have accepted my invitation back to the realm of the living. Together, my armies, solid and spectral, charge the troops surrounding us.

Analysis
1st person is great if you want to get deeply involved with only one character. If find it very difficult to do, since I can't restrict myself to the thoughts of just one character.

Two genres it usually works great in are mystery, since it lets set things up off camera that you don't have to tell the reader about, and horror, since it lets you get an intimate view of how the horrific events affect one person.

It can be used in pretty much any genre, but it takes a pretty skilled hand to do it.

The big disadvantage of 1st person is that you can't tell the reader anything about what is going on out of sight of the focus character. For example, I couldn't mention the enemy troops moving together in a pincer movement to trap the other army until the Focus character could see it.

2nd Person
         You feel the wind, cold on your face as you look a the opposing army. Your blood boils, and you can hear the nervous shifting of feet around you. Both your soldiers and your opponents look nervous.

         As you have learned, you allow your mind to sink into the void. Stillness settles over you. Then you can see them. The totems of your people, The Wolf, The Bear, The Lion, and The Great Wyrrm. You can feel their power raging in your blood, just like you can feel the weight of the axes in your hands.

         Finally, the time has come. You give the order to charge at your signal. You look up at the sky and howl. The men around you shift their feet. The runes on your axes begin to glow a pale blue. As you feel their power grow, you let out a roar. That is the signal, and your army charges.

         You are surrounded by the chaos of war. You tear through your opponents as though they were stalks of wheat in the flames of your fury. Many of them simple break and run, and you scream your frustration after them. Then you see something that might give a normal man pause.

         Feeling blood soaking your feet through your boots, you look around. Enemy reinforcements have arrived and surrounded you. There is no way out for you or your men.

         You raise your head to the blackened sky and howl again. Lightning flashes, but instead of thunder crashes, the sky is torn by the howls of a thousand wolves. Your ancestors have heard your call and answered. They accept your invitation back to the realm of the living. Together, your armies, solid and spectral, charge the flanking troops.

Analysis
2nd person doesn't work particularly well in fiction. I know all the choose your own adventure type books were written in 2nd person, but they are more a game than a real story.

The biggest problem with 2nd person is suspension of disbeleif. It isn't too hard to accept a story told from a 1st person point of view, we hear that all the time. However, convincing a reader that he or she IS an entirly different person takes some doing.

It is worst when dealing with emotions. I know that my first reaction when I read something like, "YOu feel..." is, "No, I don't."

3rd Person
         A chill breeze blew through the field of battle. It made many of the soldiers on both sides shiver. Not Gerran. He looked at the opposing army with a passive eye. Maybe it wasn't just the breeze that made the enemy shiver. The hunger for battle was visible in Geran's steel grey eyes.

         Gerran allowed his mind to sink into the stillness of the void. Despite the wind, the clatter of gear, and the voices of the men, all was calm. Here, he could see the totems of his people, The Wolf, The Bear, The Lion, and The Great Wyrrm. He could feel their power flowing through him like his life's blood. It was as much a part of him as his arms, and like the axes those arms held, it could destroy the enemy that faced him now.

         Gerran turned to his men. "On my signal, we charge. You'll know when." He added when questioning eyes looked back at him. Then he howled. The howl echoed to silence leaving only the sounds of boots shifting in the wind. Then, the runes etched on the axe blades began to glow with an eerie blue light. As the runes reetched themseves in the luminescance, Gerran opened his mouth and let out a roar. He pointed his axes and the enemy and lead the charge.

         Everything was chaos. Men fought and died. Gerran was in the thick of the melee. His axes cut through soldiers as though they were nothing more than stalks of wheat, burning in the flames of his fury. Many just turned and ran. Gerran shreiked out his frustration that they were to afraid to die like men.

         In the chaos and rage, Gerran did not see the reinforcments closing in. He did not see men begin to surround his army on all sides. He did not see that he was trapped, until it was too late. There was no where to go. There was no escape.

         No escape for the enemy.

         Once again, Gerran lifted his face to the ashen sky and howled once more. This time the clouds broke to the lances of lightning, but not the crash of thunder. The spray of heavenly light was accompanied by the howls of a thousand wolves. Gerran's ancestors heard his call. They accepted his invitation to return, for a brief time, to the land of the living. Gerran lead his armies, both solid and spectral, against the men surrounding him.

analysis
3rd person is usally the default POV, since it seems to be the most versitile. You can write pretty much any story effectively in 3rd person. It is also easier to write in 3rd person that 1st or 2nd I find.

The disadvantages, you have restrain yourself from jumping from one head to another too much. You can't get totally in the head of any character. You have to think more about how all the characters are reacting and feeling instead of just one.