Blog Entry #2

Point of View

Each of the stories read is told from a different perspective. This adds something to each story depending on how the author uses it. In the first story by Ambrose Bierce titled "An Occurence at Owl Creek" the story is told in a third person narration, as if the author was a spectator. It starts off with a guy (Farquhar) on a platform about to be hung. He is daydreaming and trying to keep his mind off things when the floor underneath him falls through and pain shoots through his body. Miraculously he finds himself submerged in water and able to free himself from the ropes. Tension is created through the point of view because the reader is waiting to find out what happens, the events are being told as they are happening to the main character. "Suddenly he heard a sharp report and something struck the water smartly within a few inches of his head, spattering his face with spray." (Bierce, 86) this quote shows the perspective and creates tension for the reader because it is being told in detail what events are taking place. The author of this story is very creative in the way he uses perspective. He paints a very clear picture of Farquhar's escape and his jouyous reunion with his wife. "He springs forward with extended arms. As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of his kneck ...then all is darkness and silence." (Bierce, 88) He misleads the reader into thinking that Farquhar was able to escape the noose, when in reality Farquhar was daydreaming the whole time while he was on the platform that he has escaped and was making his way back to his family. "Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken kneck swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek Bridge." (Bierce, 88) This sends a shock to the reader because it was so unexpected.

The next story by Shirley Jackson "The Lottery" is very similar to the one above. This story is also told from the third person point of view. The author does a great job of keeping the reader in the dark about the reasons behind the events that are described. The author is telling each families perspective on the town tradition and describing it in great detail. Tension is created because the author describes young boys collecting stones in their pockets and others making piles of them, while families start making their way to the center of town. "They stood together, away from the piles of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed." ( Jackson, 141) The author describes an every scene and makes the reader feel anxious and curious about what these people are doing. The narrator in this story seems very reliable and knows what they are talking about because of the way this tradition is described, in the way it has changed over the years as well. The end of the story is also very shocking for the reader and definitely not something that was expected. The use of point of view gives the reader an overall look into different families perspective on this tradition and the emotions they are feeling. 


The next story, "How to Become a Writer" by Lorrie Moore is told in second person narration hitch is fairly rare in a story. This means the author uses "you". I found this story to be very humorous as if the author was warning the reader not to do the things did or simply telling the reader what her personal experiences were with trying to become a writer. This story is different from the rest because it doesn't create tension and it doesn't really try to lead the reader astray. I would say that this point of view is reliable because the events described are ones that actually took place. Also, the final story "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Gillman is a very unique and great story. This Story is told from the first person perspective. It is very clear that the Narrator is not trustworthy and that she could be mentally ill. "There is a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken kneck and two bulbous eyes stare At you upside down." (Gilman, 567) She has a very strong hatred for the yellow wallpaper in her room and describes it in ways that make it clear her perspective is not trustworthy. Overall this story creates a lot of tension because of the perspective and the way it is described.