“Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment”

Notes on Point of View and Theme and Moral

Rowland/Kuny

Notes on Point of View

Point of View is the perspective from which the story is told. There are six main points of view. Not all are used in short stories (Number 1-4 are the most common).

Point of View Types:• First Person (Major Character) The

narrator is either the protagonist or the antagonist; uses the pronoun “I”.

• First Person (Minor Character) The narrator is one of the other characters in the story; uses the pronoun “I”.

Point of View Types (con’t)

3) Third Person Omniscient “Omni” means all and “science” means knowledge; therefore, “omniscient” means all knowing; narrator is not a character, but reveals the thoughts and feelings of all the characters; uses the pronoun “he” or “she”

Helpful Hint:

Having ‘God-like’

power

Point of View Types (con’t)4) Third Person Limited Omniscient The

narrator is not a character, but reveals the thoughts and feeling of ONLY ONE character (knowledge is LIMITED to one character); uses the pronouns “he” or “she”.

Point of View Types (con’t)

5) Third Person Objective The narrator writes what is observed without knowledge of the thoughts and feelings any of the characters; uses the pronouns “he” or “she”.

Point of View Types (con’t)

6) Stream of Consciousness used in journal writing; writing without giving thought to form or structure; letting thoughts flow onto page.

Notes on Theme and Moral

Theme and Moral are often confused, BUT they are very different.

Theme: a GENERAL statement that the author, in writing the story, makes about society, people or life in general.

Moral: a statement that the author, in writing the story, makes to the reader as a type of warning or lesson to be taught.

To Determine Theme and Moral

1. Determine the topic of the storyFor example, the topic of “Dr Heidegger’s

Experiment” might be the aging process, learning from life’s lessons, or greed.

2. Ask yourself what statement the story makes about that topic?

3. A general statement qualifies as a theme and a lesson statement qualifies as a moral.

The Aging Process:

Theme: As people grow older, they often desire to find a way to recapture their youth.

Moral: People should place value on the wisdom that comes through aging.

Learning from Life’s Lessons

Theme: People who examine and learn from their life experiences are likely to be more content with their lives.

Moral: One who does not learn from one’s mistakes is bound to repeat them.

Greed:

Theme: Most people, when faced with a tempting situation, will discover an element of greed within themselves.

Moral: No good can come from a greedy heart.

Other Theme/Moral Terms

Motif: reoccurring ideas or images that help to develop the theme.

Satire: ridiculing or poking fun at a topic, usually within the hope of bringing about a change.

Terms Review:

What Point of View is this?

First Person (Could be Major or Minor Character)