Narrator Perspective

LT: I can read a poem and determine how events are influenced by who is narrating the poem.

What does this even mean?
"I can read a poem and figure out who is telling the story. I can also SEE how the way THEY feel and think changes how the events in the poem are told."
So basically, "I can understand how the speaker of the poem makes the story feel different!"

There's a new kid on the block,

and boy, that kid is tough.

The new kid punches hard,

that new kid plays real rough.

That new kid's big and strong,

with muscles everywhere.

That new kid tweaked my arm,

that new kid pulled my hair.

That new kid likes to fight,

and picks on all the guys.

That new kid scares me some,

(that new kid's twice my size).

The new kid stomped my toes,

the new kid swiped my ball.

That new kid's really bad,

I don't care for her at all.

Prelutsky, 1984

​Does the speaker really know the kid, or are they just guessing?

​Whose telling the story?

How does the speaker’s point of view make the story sound more exciting or silly?

There's a new kid on the block,

and boy, that kid is tough.

The new kid punches hard,

that new kid plays real rough.

That new kid's big and strong,

with muscles everywhere.

That new kid tweaked my arm,

that new kid pulled my hair.

That new kid likes to fight,

and picks on all the guys.

That new kid scares me some,

(that new kid's twice my size).

The new kid stomped my toes,

the new kid swiped my ball.

That new kid's really bad,

I don't care for her at all.

Prelutsky, 1984

How do these words help you create a certain mood?

What word or phrases make the new kid seem scary?

How does the speaker describe the new kid?

There's a new kid on the block,

and boy, that kid is tough.

The new kid punches hard,

that new kid plays real rough.

That new kid's big and strong,

with muscles everywhere.

That new kid tweaked my arm,

that new kid pulled my hair.

That new kid likes to fight,

and picks on all the guys.

That new kid scares me some,

(that new kid's twice my size).

The new kid stomped my toes,

the new kid swiped my ball.

That new kid's really bad,

I don't care for her at all.

Prelutsky, 1984

​ What details would be different, and how would that affect the reader’s understanding?

​How might the poem change if the new kid were the speaker instead?

The details in the poem would change depending on who is telling the story, showing how the speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

​This demonstrates that a narrator’s perspective shapes the way a story or poem is told and affects how the reader interprets events

Closing