L2 Exercise Practicing Point of View

First Person

Morning Routine

My eyes remained closed in a vain attempt to sleep. I knew it was not time to get up because my husband’s phone alarm had not sounded. The navy-blue light blocking curtains on the windows closest to our bed kept the room in darkness. Dim predawn light seeped between the horizontal slats of the blind on the window across from the closed bedroom door. My attempt to return to sleep was thwarted by the inevitable invasion of melodic chimes indicating it was time to get up. I curled in on myself and groaned a wordless protest.

I felt my husband shift beside me. His warm arms drew me near. I uncurled and stretched into his embrace. I smiled and chuckled as the whiskers of his beard tickled my neck. He trailed light kisses over my cheek.

“Good morning my beautiful,” he whispered in my ear.

“Mmm Morning,” I mumbled as I turned my head to meet his lips. I let out a bereaved sigh as he released me and slid from our bed.

The sound of our ambient fan gave way to the melodic but not harmonious meows of our two cats. My husband opened the door and two chatty tabbies joined me on the bed. They were careful to keep me between them as they made their way up to my hands for their morning pets. Their small bodies vibrated with pleasure as I ran my fingers through their soft fur. Once my husband was dressed and leaving the room, they abandoned me to the company of my guide dog, who followed me around in an attempt to accelerate the arrival of her breakfast.

Third Person Limited

Morning Routine

Jen’s eyes remained closed in a vain attempt to sleep. She knew it was not time to get up because her husband’s phone alarm had not sounded. The navy-blue light blocking curtains on the windows closest to their bed kept the room in darkness. Dim predawn light seeped between the horizontal slats of the blind on the window across from the closed bedroom door. Her attempt to return to sleep was thwarted by the inevitable invasion of melodic chimes indicating it was time to get up. She curled into a ball and groaned a wordless protest.

She felt her husband shift beside her. His warm arms drew her near. She uncurled and stretched into his embrace. She smiled and chuckled as the whiskers of his beard tickled her neck. He trailed light kisses over her cheek.

“Good morning my beautiful,” he whispered in her ear.

“Mmm Morning,” she mumbled as her head turned to meet his lips. She let out a bereaved sigh as he released me and slid from our bed.

The sound of the ambient fan gave way to the melodic but not harmonious meows of their two cats. Her husband opened the door and two chatty tabbies joined her on the bed. They were careful to keep her between them as they made their way up to her hands for their morning pets. Their small bodies vibrated with pleasure as she ran her fingers through their soft fur. Once her husband was dressed and leaving the room, they abandoned her to the company of her guide dog, who followed her around in an attempt to accelerate the arrival of her breakfast.

Third Person Subjective Multiple

Morning Routine

Jen’s eyes remained closed in a vain attempt to sleep. She knew it was not time to get up because her husband’s phone alarm had not sounded. The navy-blue light blocking curtains on the windows closest to their bed kept the room in darkness. Dim predawn light seeped between the horizontal slats of the blind on the window across from the closed bedroom door. Her attempt to return to sleep was thwarted by the inevitable invasion of melodic chimes indicating it was time to get up. She curled into a ball and groaned a wordless protest.

. . .

Matt slid up behind his small wife and drew her back against him. He knew she was not a fan of getting up so early so he did his best to make it a pleasant experience for her. Her body relaxed into his embrace as he nuzzled her neck with his chin and pressed light kisses along her smooth cheek to her ear.

“Good morning my beautiful,” he whispered.

“Mmm Morning,” she mumbled as her head turned to meet his lips. She let out a sigh as he released her and slid from their bed.

He turned off the ambient fan. Melodic but not harmonious meows of their two cats were muffled by the closed bedroom door. He opened the door and two chatty tabbies rushed past him and jumped up on the bed. He moved into the closet and collected a pair of dress pants and a button-down shirt. Once he was dressed and leaving the room, he heard two light thuds, strong indications of the cats abandoning Jen to follow him.

Questions

♥ What are the differences in the pieces?

The biggest difference between first and third person whether it be third person limited or third person subjective multiple, is the use of pronouns and possessive pronouns. The difference between third person limited and third person subjective multiple is rather than just one point of view there are two.

♥ How did they change when the point of view changed?

Not much changed between the first person and third person limited because I used the same person. The third person subjective multiple changed when I switched from Jen’s point of view to Matt’s.

♥ Did the narrative voice change when the point of view changed? Why or why not?

The voice changed during the third person subjective multiple when the points of view switched. Matt’s voice would be different than Jen’s because he thinks and acts differently.

♥ Which one do you like best? Why?

I like the third person subjective multiple because it gives the reader insight in to both sides of the story. I think that is important when a story revolves around a relationship.