One of the most interesting features of Farewell to Manzanar is its perspective. Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston was a child when her family was sent to the camp, but she writes as an adult looking back. Essays on point of view ask students to notice how those two Jeannes shape the story.

This is a subtle skill, and many students struggle with it. They tend to treat the narrator as a single voice and miss the layering. Some describe a scene as if the child understood everything the adult now knows.

Good prompts help. Ask students to compare what young Jeanne understands in a particular scene with what the adult narrator seems to understand. That framing makes the two perspectives visible.

As you grade, look for evidence that the student distinguishes between experience and reflection. A strong essay might point to a moment where a child's confusion about the camp gets a quiet adult comment. That kind of observation shows real close reading.

What strong point-of-view essays show

The best essays go beyond identifying first person. They explain why retrospective narration matters, such as how hindsight lets the author express feelings she could not have named at seven. They also note the effect on the reader, who sees both the child's view and the adult's understanding.

• Identifies the narrator as an adult recalling childhood
• Points to moments where the child's understanding is limited
• Explains what the adult perspective adds to those moments
• Connects narration choices to the book's larger meaning
• Avoids treating the narrator's memories as a neutral record

Common misconceptions to address

A frequent mistake is confusing point of view with opinion. Students write about what they think of the events rather than how the narrator presents them. A comment redirecting them to the author's choices can fix this.

Another is assuming that a memoir is fully objective because it is true. Remind students that memory is selective, and that the author decides what to include. That awareness lifts the analysis considerably.

Building the rubric

Include a criterion specifically for perspective. The top level might describe an essay that clearly separates child and adult viewpoints and explains their combined effect. Lower levels can describe essays that identify first person but do not go further.

With that in place, grading becomes more consistent. An AI tool such as GraideMind can apply the same criterion across the class and flag essays that skip the child-versus-adult distinction. The teacher can then read those essays more closely.

Extending the skill

Once students grasp retrospective narration in Houston's memoir, they can spot it in other texts. Ask them to find another example of an adult narrator looking back and compare the effects. That transfer is the real goal.

Point of view is a skill that shows up on standardized tests and in college writing. A unit that teaches it well pays off long after the book is closed. It is also a great way to keep the unit from becoming only about plot.