Point of view in "The Whipping"
Point of view is one of the many elements used to enhance pieces of writing. Point of view is the way that a story is narrated. Point of view is important because depending on who is narrating, the tone, angle of the story, and reader's perception can all be manipulated.
An example of point of in "The Whipping" is "the old woman across the way is whipping the boy again..." This sentence, as well as the majority of the poem is written in the third person: an outsider observing a boy being beaten. However, the poem changes its point of view with the lines: "My head gripped in bony vise of knees..." In this line, the narrator is speaking of his own memories, so it is written in the first person. The change in point of view is very important for this poem -- "The Whipping." For example, the reader can only understand what the narrator is describing about the boy being beaten based off what he sees. The reader, however, cannot know for sure what is going through the minds of the boy and the woman beating him. However, the reader does get a better understanding of the impact violence has on people based upon the speaker's accounts of his/her past. It shows how violence affects people long after their bruises heal. In the end, point of view for this poem makes it better because it describes the current situation and setting, but it also conveys deeper meaning.
--Erin V.
An example of point of in "The Whipping" is "the old woman across the way is whipping the boy again..." This sentence, as well as the majority of the poem is written in the third person: an outsider observing a boy being beaten. However, the poem changes its point of view with the lines: "My head gripped in bony vise of knees..." In this line, the narrator is speaking of his own memories, so it is written in the first person. The change in point of view is very important for this poem -- "The Whipping." For example, the reader can only understand what the narrator is describing about the boy being beaten based off what he sees. The reader, however, cannot know for sure what is going through the minds of the boy and the woman beating him. However, the reader does get a better understanding of the impact violence has on people based upon the speaker's accounts of his/her past. It shows how violence affects people long after their bruises heal. In the end, point of view for this poem makes it better because it describes the current situation and setting, but it also conveys deeper meaning.
--Erin V.