did the runner touch second base before she was tagged? Did the batter swing? Was that player really guilty of off-sides?

Coach, player, and various umpires probably have different answers. Perspective and focus influences the way we view the events of our lives and the way we tell stories. Sometimes we distort in reporting our triumphs and failures. Sometimes we simply don’t know the facts– or don’t remember them clearly. Sometimes we are distracted or confused.

The author’s choice of focus, of point of view, imitates this reality; the decision to tell a story from one perspective​ or another puts a spin on the action– creates a perspective from which the truth is revealed and concealed to a greater and lesser degrees and encourages us to feel and think about the characters in particular ways.

While narration can distort experience, it’s how people make stories out of their own experiences and how they try, through narrative, to make sense of their own lives.

For this week’s posting, compare and contrast two works’, characters’ or speakers’ perspectives on love. This exercise will hopefully be good practice for your upcoming, and more rigorous, essays as you will need to specify exactly what kind of “love” is under scrutiny: familial, brotherly, spousal, physical, mental, the love of an object, an art form etc. Cite both texts for support.

As you explore these perspectives, pay attention to ways in which each view may be biased or influenced by contextual factors, which may include age, race, gender, economics, and geography. Think of context as all of the factors that surround a piece of writing or a character: time period, intended audience, what he/she ate for breakfast, etc.

Next, think further about how you are shaped by your experiences, knowledge base, and belief systems. How do various people, cultures, communities, and social institutions inform our personalities, our way of thinking and behaving, what we value?

No one person has exactly the same background as another, so understanding how our opinions are tied to “where we come from” can be very helpful in making your opinions and perspectives understood by others who have different ideas and influences of their own. As writers, we must be aware of how our own backgrounds and experiences influence our thinking.

Begin thinking of yourself as part of a context. How have you been influenced by the places, people, and cultures you have experienced? How have these influences shaped your perspectives?