The IGCSE guide to Understanding the perspective of the reader

1. REVISION AND INTRODUCTION
TO ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVE 03
Assessment Objective 03
Explore links and connections between writers’ ideas and perspectives, as well as
how these are conveyed

2. STARTER ACTIVITY
• What do you understand by Fiction and Non
Fiction Texts?
• What examples of fiction texts do you remember?
• What do you understand by perspective of the
writer?

4. TYPES OF TEXTS
Texts can be either: Fiction or Non fiction
Fiction describes scenes imagined (at least partly) by the writer. Non-fiction writing
does the opposite: it is about things that really happened, although we cannot rely
on all non-fiction to be accurate.
All non-fiction writing describes real events but, depending on the genre,
the authors gives their own account. The ‘truth’ of their account can be
questioned.

5. TYPES OF NON FICTION TEXTS
• The following is an example of the possible types of text that may appear in Paper 1 of IGCSE
• ◼ biography or autobiography
• ◼ obituaries
• ◼ speeches
• ◼ newspaper or magazine articles
• ◼ travel writing
• ◼ diaries or letters
• ◼ reviews
• ◼ reference books

6. • In an autobiography, the writer describes his or her own life. However, some events may not have been
remembered accurately, or some events may be exaggerated for effect, perhaps to show the writer as
positively as possible. Some autobiographies may be considered more like fiction than non-fiction by
their readers because they are not very accurate.
• A biography is the life story of a famous or interesting person, whether from history or from the
present day. Today, there are also ‘authorised biographies’, in which the subject of the biography gives
the writer specific legal permission to produce the biography. The subject can decide which events are
included or omitted and how the writer describes them.
• News reports may appear in newspapers or magazines. News is expected to be objective, or unbiased,
and based on clear evidence. As readers, we want to know whether a reporter is trying to present the
material in a particular bway because of their own opinions on the topic. However, some newspaper
and magazine articles are undoubtedly biased. In all forms of non-fiction text, therefore, the question
of truth and accuracy really matters. This means that part of the reader’s analysis should include
looking for any examples of bias or opinion that is not supported by evidence.

7. • Feature articles are usually about a topic of interest to a large number of readers: they can be about
almost anything, from family matters to global politics. They are usually based on research. Opinion or
comment pieces will contain factual evidence and explanation, but aim to argue a case about a topic of
general interest.
• Another form of autobiographical writing is the diary or journal, or the modern equivalent, the blog
(short for ‘web log’). For example, The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank contains important factual
material about her daily life during the German occupation of the Netherlands. It is therefore more
than just a personal account. (However, not all diaries set out to be accurate or truthful. Many diaries
have other purposes, such as to entertain, to give personal views and to communicate with friends.
• An obituary is a newspaper article, found most frequently in broadsheet newspapers, about a
remarkable or well-known person who has just died. Its length depends on the fame or significance of
the subject.

10. UNDERSTANDING THE WRITER’S
PERSPECTIVE
• What Is Perspective in Literature?
In general, perspective can refer to a person's outlook or view on something, such as an
event, situation, or person.
So, what is perspective in literature?
By definition, perspective in literature is the narrator's outlook or view on events,
characters, and the world. Just as people's perspectives are influenced by a particular set
of circumstances in real life, narrators' perspectives are influenced by who they are, what
they know, what they have experienced, and so on. Therefore, a narrator's perspective
determines how a story is told to the reader and what the reader is expected to feel
from the reading.

11. ILLUSTRATION ON PERSPECTIVE
The perspective from which
a story is told affects how it
is perceived, just as the
perspective of this photo
affects how the same
number is perceived
differently based on the
position of standing

12. WHY IS PERSPECTIVE IMPORTANT?
When a writer begins writing a story, one of the decisions he or she makes is who
should tell the story. The narrator who tells a story will have a unique perspective
depending on who he or she is. The writer must determine who the narrator will be,
which determines the perspective from which the story is told, which determines
the way the reader will perceive the story. As a reader, it is important to understand
how the different perspectives in literature affect the telling of a story in order to
gain a true understanding of the story.

17. FACTORS THAT AFFECT WRITER’S PERSPECTIVE
• Many factors affect authors' perspectives. These can include age, gender,
geographic location, ethnicity, cultural experiences, religious experiences, social
standing, personal wealth, sexuality, political beliefs, parents, peers, level of
education, personal experience, time period, and others.
• There are three ways an author presents their perspective: first person (using 'I',
'me', 'my', 'we'), second person (using 'you), and third person (using 'they', 'he', or
'she'). Depending on the type of text and the type of message the author wants to
convey determines which perspective the author uses.

18. SAME STORY DIFFERENT EMPHASIS.
These are the titles of articles from various sources:
• Palestine condemns Israel’s blocking of vaccine to Gaza
• Israel block shipment of Russian Sputnik V vaccine to Gaza
• Israel blocks Covid vaccines from entering Gaza, say Palestinians
• Palestinians say Israel blocks shipment of vaccines to Gaza
Comment on the sameness of ideas and difference in perspective

19. OBSERVATION
Only considering the titles, this it how they read to me:
• Israel perhaps deserving of condemnation for blocking vaccines
• Israel blocked vaccines
• Israel most likely blocked vaccines, but perhaps there is more to the story
• Israel is accused of blocking vaccines. Perhaps it’s true or perhaps the
Palestinians are accusing Israel of something they haven’t done
Not that most western media I looked at on the day this story came out followed the
same format as #4

20. EVALUATION
Newspaper articles (enough copies for groups of 3-5 participants)
• Guardian: “Vancouver kiss couple ‘were knocked down by riot
police’. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/17/vancouver-kiss-couple-riot-p...
• NewYorkTimes,TheLede(blog):“OverlookedVancouverVideoShows‘KissingCouple’WasKnockedDownby
Riot
• Police” http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/overlooked-vancouver-video-s... down-by-riot-
police/
• [Divide the participants into groups of 3-5.]

21. [Allow groups time to discuss, then steer conversation towards these questions.]
Regarding the Guardian Article:
After reading the article, did your opinion of the police change?
If your opinion stayed the same, did the reasons for your opinion change after reading it?
New York Times Article:
“In an e-mail to The Lede on Friday, Mr. Wing, a truck driver who calls himself ‘an aspiring photographer,’ added that,
from his perspective, on a parking garage just above the street, it looked like Ms. Thomas and Mr. Jones ‘were
participants in the riot’ and ‘likely should have been arrested.” What do you think?
• How do you feel about the articles? Do you believe them?