Baker 1
Peyton Baker
Dr. Sowell
American Literature
10 December 2015
What’s the Point of the Point of View?
The main goal of anti-war literature is to influence the minds and to change the
opinions of its readers. The authors are posed with the daunting challenge of effectively
evoking emotion from the reader in order to change the reader’s mind. One way authors
work to achieve their goal is through writing from different perspectives or points–of–
view. Authors use first and third person narration to simply tell the story of the war as
well as to set the scene of the war. Even though the goal of first and third person
narration is not to evoke emotion from the reader, the author still must create an image
in the reader’s mind that leaves a lasting impact. Second person narration is used by
authors to ridicule the readers and to conjure up an emotional reaction from the reader.
Anti-war fiction and poetry relies heavily on point-of-view to change the minds of its
readers; authors use first and third person narrations to tell the story or set the scene,
and use second person narrations to make the reader feel the actions in the story.
First person narration requires the author to employ more figurative language in
order to create imagery within the setting for the reader. When the author/speaker tells
a story from the first person perspective, the reader is being told what the
author/speaker sees and thinks rather than being shown. Therefore, using an extensive
amount of figurative language is absolutely necessary to set the scene for the reader.
Wilfred Owen excessively uses similes in his anti-war poem “Dulce Et Decorum” to set
Commented [1]: What kind? More precise.
Commented [2]: Good start but push further.
Commented [3]: ? setting the scene is showing
Commented [4]: suggests a fault—extensively?
Baker 2
the scene for his readers. Since the poem is written using first person narration, Owen
has to make up for the lack of imagery created in the narration alone. As a result, Owen
elaborately describes the soldiers “coughing like hags” (line 2). This simile aids the
reader in setting the scene. The simile is required to provide imagery for the reader
since the first person narration lacks the ability to provide adequate imagery. In addition
to similes, Owen applies onomatopoeia in order to enhance the image being created in
the reader’s mind. The speaker says “…I saw him drowning. He plunges at me,
guttering, choking, drowning” (line 16). This enhanced figurative language allows the
reader to picture the situation. Similarly to Owen, E.E. Cummings provides the reader
with intriguing syntax to create imagery in his poem: “next to of course god america i”
Commented [5]: A first-person narrative can include
imagery—you are making an unnecessary distinction
here.
Commented [6]: Again, it is providing imagery.
Commented [7]: Specifically analyze the quotation.
Why word or words to you see as examples of onoma.,
and what is the significance of this choice for the
