Narration

Narration: internal

• Internal narrators (sometimes called first-person narrators or character narrators). – Easy for young readers to empathize with– Limited viewpoints– Readers can only see what the characters see.– But sometimes readers can understand more than the

character-narrator understands. – Even when a character tells her own story, she is

telling it from a different time than it is happening. – When a character is closer in time to the actions they

talk about, they are usually more engaging, but readers have more to figure out.

Narration: external

• External narrators. – They are outside the story and usually not identified.– An “omniscient” narrator can go anywhere and know

what’s in anyone’s mind.– A “limited omniscient” narrator can move around too,

but usually only knows the mind of the protagonist. – Listen to the voice of these narrators to try to think

what kind of tone or attitude they have.– Often these narrators are very didactic, telling readers

exactly what they should do or think. – Sometimes these narrators are playful and teasing.

Describe the narrator in Holes

The Inky Boys from Struwwelpeter

By Heinrich Hoffman

What is this story about?Explicit ideologies

• What do you think the (implied) author wants readers to think?

• Who are the bad guys and who is good?

• What actions are punished?

• What lesson can be learned?

What is this little story about?Implied ideologies (ideas)

• Who has a name?

• What punishment do the bad boys receive?

• What does the Black-a-moor do?

• How is the Black-a-moor shown?

• How is the Black-a-moor described?

The Black-a-moor lives on

From Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman. 1923

From The Story of Little Babaji, retold by Fred Marcellino, 2002.

From Sam and the Tigers, by Julius Lester, 2000.

Little Black Sambo is said to be the first English picture storybook with a black protagonist, but it’s also been called extremely racist. In the two stories on the right, the authors retell this story in a way that tries to remove the racism.