Author's Point of View: Grade 11 ELA
This worksheet helps 11th-grade students analyze and identify an author's point of view in various texts, focusing on how perspective influences meaning and tone.
Includes
Standards
Topics
Author's Point of View
Name:
Date:
Score:
Read each passage or question carefully and provide thoughtful responses. Pay close attention to the author's choices in language, detail, and structure to determine their perspective.
Reading Passage: Excerpt from 'The Great Gatsby'
"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. 'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,' he told me, 'just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.' He didn’t say any more, but we’ve always been unusually communicative in a reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that. It was a fundamental truth that I’d been unconsciously acting upon ever since. As a consequence, I’m inclined to reserve all judgments, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and label as abnormal the first sign of eccentricity, and to dismiss it as such. And so it happened that on Sunday morning, while I was sitting out on the porch, a car drove up the drive. It was a big car, a Rolls-Royce, and it was a deep, rich blue. The driver, a young man, got out and came over to me. He was tall, with a lean, athletic build, and he had a kind of calm, confident air about him that suggested he was used to being in charge. He introduced himself as Jay Gatsby.
1. What is the narrator's initial point of view regarding judgment, as influenced by his father?
He believes in quick and decisive judgment of others.
He is inclined to reserve judgment and be understanding.
He thinks everyone should be criticized equally.
He feels superior to those who have had fewer advantages.
2. The narrator’s father's advice instilled in him a habit of , which allowed him to encounter many natures.
3. How does the narrator's description of Jay Gatsby in the passage reveal his initial perception or point of view of Gatsby?
4. The narrator's point of view is purely objective, with no personal bias or interpretation.
True
False
5. Compare and contrast the potential points of view of two different characters from a text you have recently read. How do their differing perspectives contribute to the overall meaning or conflict of the story? Provide specific textual evidence to support your analysis.