Journal of the Plague Year and First Person Perspective Essay

Words: 1505
Pages: 7
Open Document
Meagan Kirchoff
Dr. McNutt
10/14/11
Patterns of Literature
First Person Perspective in Fiction;
An Analysis of A Journal Of The Plague Year by Daniel Defoe

Characterization and point of view are two very important tools that authors use in writing fiction. They both interoperate with one another to advance the plot and contribute significantly to the meaning. An author’s choice of point of view can reveal the purpose, strategy or intentions that he or she aimed for as well. One such author that wrote his fiction with evident strategy is Daniel Defoe in his work A Journal Of The Plague Year. This story is about a man recording the events and observations of the plague “visitation,” as the narrator calls it, to London during the …show more content…
With Daniel Defoe’s journal, the narrator is questionable yet intriguing from the start. What is really important to point out, is the fact that the narrator didn’t identify himself at all to his readers. Why would Defoe write a journal, fiction or nonfiction in first person point of view and not reveal the name of his character? Without a name, or established identity, we as the readers, are left disoriented. If the point of a personal journal is so the readers can get inside the narrator, the anonymity seems to have the exact opposite results intended. In fact, rather than describing himself at all in the beginning, the narrator starts his journal as if he is writing a report by stating “It was about the beginning of September, 1664, that I, among the rest of my neighbors heard in ordinary discourse that the plague was returned again in Holland…whither, they say, it was brought, some said Italy, others from the Levant, among some goods which were brought by their Turkey fleet” (Defoe 1). Nothing in his opening remarks does the narrator attempt to form a relationship with his readers. We know for a fact that he does want others to read his journal when he later on explains “I have set this particular down so fully, because I know not but it may be of moment to those who come after me…therefore I desire this account may pass with them for a direction to themselves…seeing it may not be of one farthing value to them to note what became of me” (Defoe 2).
Show More

Related Documents: Journal of the Plague Year and First Person Perspective Essay

Timeline and Journal Essay

University of Phoenix Material Reformation Time Line and Journal Entries Part 1: Time Line Complete the time line identifying events in history during the Reformation. Identify where the event occurred on the specified date Describe the event and its significance for each date identified on the time line. DATE: October 31, 1517 Example: DESCRIPTION: The 95 Thesis was Martin Luther's response to the indulgences. WHERE: The door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg DATE: May 25…

Words 1915 - Pages 8

Ocd Speech Essay

Disorder I. Introduction a. Attention Getter: According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over “2.2 million American adults” suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder in a given year. In a world of 6 billion people, 2.2 million doesn’t seem like much, but to put it into perspective, 2.2 million is about the population of Houston, Texas. b. Motivation: This disorder is a part of everyday life and affects all Americans, regardless of race or class. Just like thousands of…

Words 1015 - Pages 5

Week 1 Analysis Of Health Views Essay

Analysis of Health Views Jessica Bogunovich PSYCH 626-Elements of health Psychology and Behavioral Health June 1, 2015 Stephanie Isgitt Analysis of Health Views There have been many different perspectives of disease and how one becomes affected by this. Some people once thought that disease was a curse or caused by witches or demons. At another time in history, people thought that people who were diseased had a destiny of pain and agony or a punishment from lack of morals (Straub…

Words 1419 - Pages 6

Essay on history 1

solutions to assist us in our everyday life. Psychology has attempted to answers how we cope with commonplace problems by examining overt and conventional behaviors throughout the years. History enables humanity to gain, understand and accept the past as create a better future. Psychology is an evolutionary field. Years of research has presented numerous vicissitudes and growing interest in human behaviors. Psychology has offered therapist, psychiatrist, clinician and mental health professional the…

Words 3502 - Pages 15

Analytical Proposal Paper

Professor Clarke ENG 112 May 7, 2015 The Legal Crime: How has the Plague of Bullying Affect the Bully and the Bullied? The following words like “homo, faggot, gay and loser” have had negative impacts constantly. This made eighth grader, Jonah Mowry, publish a video on YouTube about how he has been bullied all his life, showing the scars to prove how traumatizing these situations can be for such young children. Jonah Mowry claims first time he started to cut himself was when he was in second grade…

Words 1939 - Pages 8

Ancient Foundations of Science Study Guide Essay

of science) Ionian = Pre-Socratic Philosophers Natural explanations of material things 2 questions: what is the universe made of? What causes things to change? First to conceptualize nature Cosmos=Greek word for order Ability to reason is understanding nature Thales (-600BC) Lived in the port city Miletus, Ionia First to attempt theory of matter Compared matter to water Anaximander Student of Thales Described why things change Defined the world as eternal Universe is infinite…

Words 2401 - Pages 10

Female Circumcision: Beliefs, Myths, and Common Practices Essay

enforced to create a flat or smooth area that is pleasing and satisfactory to the male (Edwards K, 1994, pg. 168-170). The most important or widely practiced reason for female circumcision is to prevent promiscuity in women. Kimberly Edwards of the Journal of Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology and Heath, writes that cultures like those of Egypt and Ethiopia believe that a woman can not control her sexuality unless…

Words 3325 - Pages 14

Notes On Renaissance And Reformation

Middle Ages Intellectual movements 1350 was the bridge into the modern world Renaissance was a rebirth of going back to ancient Greece and Rome Choas of the 14th Century (not a good year) * War * Hundred years war * Conflict between France and England * Plague * Bubonic plague (1/3 or 1/2) * 1346 * Hell * Famine * Living conditions were horrible * Lived in huts and slept with animals * Poverty was high * “little…

Words 3863 - Pages 16

The Reinforcement of Hegemonic Ideologies & Gender and Sexuality Stereotypes Within Cosmopolitan Magazine Advertisements Essay

381). Moreover, the majority of us realize that in advertisements sex, sells! J. Sean McCleneghan conducted a descriptive study using content analysis and Likert scale measurement for the development of attitudinal perspectives of why college women regularly read and subscribe to the top-selling global women’s magazines: Cosmopolitan and Glamour (2003, p. 319). The results revealed, “the varimax-rotated three factor loadings account for 75% of the total variance under…

Words 2218 - Pages 9

Essay about Final: Hispanic family

The intervention recommendation for the Hispanic family was based on assessment tools used to gather valuable information regarding this family. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Family Identification 4-7 Theoretical Perspective 8-11 Professional Assessment 12-16 Intervention 16-22 Conclusion 23 References 24-27 Appendix A 28-40 Annotated Bibliography Appendix B 41 Genogram Appendix C 42 Interview Questions…

Words 9686 - Pages 39