|
|
Post by jordanhilker on Sept 24, 2015 19:28:24 GMT
Point of view plays a major role in “The Accident” by Dave Eggers. The story is written in second person point of view which puts a unique twist on the story. By it being told in second person point of view, Eggers is able to address the audience with the use of the word “you.” In “The Accident,” the person being addressed is the reader. The word “you” connects the reader to the situation that is occurring in the prompt, in this case a car accident. Egger makes the reader feel like they were just in the accident and they can then decide if they feel bad or not for the person who caused the accident.
In my opinion, I do not feel bad for the person who caused the accident. I believe that he/she should have been more careful while driving. I feel worse for the teenagers in the other car. The driver had just bought the car that day and it had already received damage to it. On the other case, the reader could feel bad for the person who caused the accident. In your opinion, do you feel that the second person point of view makes the reader feel bad for the person who caused the accident? Why or why not.
|
|
|
|
Post by delaneytyson on Sept 24, 2015 20:46:06 GMT
I can see how the second person point of view could make the reader feel bad for the teenagers, because the man blatantly admits that it was his fault, but I am also inclined to feel bad for the man. By writing this story from second person point of view, the author makes the man seem detached, like an outsider in his own life. It makes it seem as though he is more of an observer than an actual partaker in these events. It gives us a glimpse into how he must feel lonely and removed from his everyday life, and this makes me pity him.
In addition, the last few paragraphs which are, of course, also being written in second person point of view, show the character as desperate from human closeness and affection. The reader can assume that he feels such kindred feelings with these boys after just a small show of kindness and a name exchange because he is greatly lacking these things in his every day life. By putting this part of the story into second person point of view it also makes the man seem desperate to fit in and feel at ease in normal human society. He is saying "you" because he wants to prove to the reader, or rather he wants to make the reader assume that these feelings are normal and that it isn't just him that does or would feel this way in his situation. By using second person point of view he is trying to assure us, as well as himself, that he is normal and that he fits in and is deserving of love and affection just like the rest of us.
|
|
|
|
Post by echeng on Sept 25, 2015 0:40:41 GMT
In contrast with Eggers's use of second person, Updike chooses first person POV for his short story.
Updike's use of first person point of view in "A&P" allows the audience to go into Sammy's head and experience everything he thinks, feels, hears, and does, establishing a sense of closeness between the reader and the protagonist. From Sammy's first person viewpoint, we can see such vivid descriptions of the girls' figures- "She came down a little hard on her heels, as if she didn't walk in her bare feet that much, pitting down her heels and then letting the weight move along to her toes..." Any other viewpoint would not have provided the reader with such details, because these are Sammy's thoughts and opinions alone. The first person POV choice of telling this specific story is advantageous because the main plot action is Sammy's quitting from A&P; We know Sammy's motivation for quitting, which is crucial to revealing his indirect characterization of stubbornness.
Although the audience is fully immersed into Sammy's point of view, we are left to our own imaginations for the thoughts and motivations of all of the other characters in the short story. Sammy wonders, "you never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)" We will never know for sure why the girls went into this store with nothing but bikinis on, or what they felt when Sammy, Stokesie, and McMahon were all eyeing them. In addition, we get Sammy's thoughts on what Queenie's family is like: " Her father and the other men were standing around in ice-cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking up herring snacks on toothpicks off a big plate and they were all holding drinks the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them." This is what Sammy thinks, based off of what Queenie looks like and says; however, we are forever in the dark with what Queenie actually is like and what her family looks like.
Updike chose the first person POV for a specific reason- to highlight Sammy's thoughts, which ultimately clues the reader into his indirect characterization and motivations. In doing so, Updike purposefully leaves out the other characters' point of views. This is probably to keep the focus on the protagonist, since he is the dynamic character who learns his moral lesson. Sammy quit just because he felt that Lengel treated the girls wrongly. He quits, "hoping they'll [the girls] stop and watch [him], their unsuspected hero," but they keep on going, not even paying attention to Sammy. By revealing that Sammy wants to seek favor in the girls' eyes, this characterizes him as insecure because he desires to be recognized as their hero. Furthermore, through first person we are able to see that Sammy knows it is foolish to quit, but he also believes that it is fatal not to go through with previous gestures. This highlights man vs. self conflict in which Sammy is seen going through with his gut decision and ignoring Lengel's wisdom and advice.
By writing the story in first person, Updike is able to successfully describe Sammy's character arc through his internal thoughts and opinions that would otherwise have been unknown to the reader.
|
|
kchen
New Member
Posts: 16 
|
Post by kchen on Sept 25, 2015 1:16:41 GMT
I think that the second person point of view also gives the story more ubiquity. This could happen to anyone at any point in their lives, and I believe that the point of view was chosen specifically to do so. The other types of point of view would not have worked as well to make it feel personal. Third person point of view is the most detached in that it utilizes pronouns like “he, she, they, etc.” Although first person point of view is more personal, it makes you look through the persona the author has created, but in second person point of view, you still retain your own perspective on the situation. “Accident” reminds of another short story we read in ninth grade, “War” by Jack London. Like Eggers, London also depicted how universal certain situations are, but achieved it through nondescript imagery. All in all, I feel bad for everyone involved in the accident. It could have been a lot worse, and it is a relief that everyone got out of the situation unharmed.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maddy on Sept 25, 2015 1:45:20 GMT
I definitely do feel bad for the teenagers, I mean I am a teenager, so I can relate, and the kid just got a Camaro the very day of the accident which sucks but I also feel bad for the person who caused the accident. In the first paragraph, Dave Eggers writes, "You are alone in yours" (your car) which makes me feel like this person is lonely. Maybe they live alone. This person also mentions being thankful that none of the teenagers punched them or said they were drunk. This person seems kind of cynical to me, like they were expecting the worst. Cynicism can often stem from a dark life, I mean if nothing in your life was going right, you would become accustomed to expecting the worst of everyone. The last thing this person wanted was to get into an accident with 3 teenagers in a new Camaro.
|
|
|
|
Post by maddysmith on Sept 25, 2015 1:53:06 GMT
okay so for whatever reason that posted as a guest but it's Maddy from first period
|
|
|
|
Post by rdeorio3 on Sept 25, 2015 1:54:35 GMT
My initial response while reading this short story was to feel bad for the guy who had caused the accident. The way "you" was used I felt more connected to that point of view. I felt as though the man was lonely and he truly didn't mean to cause the accident. The way I hear the narrative voice is more sympathetic toward the man who had caused the accident. |
|
|
|
Post by maddysmith on Sept 25, 2015 1:55:02 GMT
I really like what you said here! I was thinking the same thing. It's almost like the speaker is really shaken or upset about the accident they have caused and is trying to justify it to the reader. Like "Hey it could happen to anyone, right? Haha, you can relate because this could've been you." Which seems kind of sad. |
|
bta
New Member
Posts: 11 
|
Post by bta on Sept 25, 2015 2:44:43 GMT
While the second person point of view initially made me inclined to feel no remorse towards the man that cause the accident, I then saw myself as the man in the story. The second person point of view creates a unique viewing experience for the myself in that I was able to identify with his apologetic attitude towards the teens and see how his loneliness consumed his life. Also the second person point of view provides a way to allow anyone to identify with the you in the story meaning that the point of view creates a universal message to the reader.
|
|
|
|
Post by igayupariho on Jun 2, 2019 7:18:52 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by unawimoje on Jun 2, 2019 9:32:30 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucas on Nov 21, 2020 0:07:22 GMT
Thanks! Quite a lot of info!
Best Essay writing
buy essays
|
|
