Point of view is one of the most commonly assigned literary concepts and one of the most commonly misunderstood. Students can usually name the narrator as first person, but many struggle to explain what that choice does to the reader. "The Use of Force" gives teachers a clean example, because the narrator is also the person whose behavior the reader is asked to judge. Grading essays on this topic requires knowing what separates identification from analysis.

A basic response notes that the story is told by the doctor and that we see events through his eyes. A stronger response explains that this perspective limits what we know about Mathilda's thoughts and the parents' feelings. The strongest responses go further and argue that the narrator's willingness to admit his own anger shapes how much we trust him. Your rubric should make these levels visible so students know what to aim for.

Be careful not to penalize students who reach reasonable but different conclusions about reliability. Some readers see the doctor as unusually honest, since he confesses what many people would hide. Others see him as self-serving, using candor to soften his behavior. Both positions can be supported, and the grade should depend on evidence rather than agreement.

Distinguishing Perspective from Reliability

Perspective concerns who tells the story and what that person can know, while reliability concerns whether the narrator can be trusted. Students often blur the two, writing that the narrator is unreliable simply because he is biased. A useful teaching point is that every narrator has a viewpoint, but only some give readers reasons to doubt them. Feedback can ask the student to identify exactly where the narrator's account becomes questionable.

• Identifies the narrator and explains what he is able to know
• Explains how the limited view affects the portrayal of Mathilda
• Evaluates whether the narrator's confession increases or decreases trust
• Supports claims with specific moments rather than general impressions
• Avoids equating bias with unreliability without further explanation

Common Weaknesses in Student Responses

A common weakness is summarizing the plot while claiming to analyze point of view. The student retells the examination scene and adds the phrase "from the doctor's perspective" without drawing any conclusion. A helpful comment asks what would change if the girl or her mother told the story. That question forces the student to think about what the narration includes and excludes.

Another weakness is ignoring the ending. The doctor's final admission recasts earlier events, and essays that skip it miss the story's central turn. If you notice this pattern across a class, it is worth a quick mini-lesson on how endings can change meaning. Students often write far better analysis once they realize the last lines are doing structural work.

Using Comparison to Sharpen Understanding

A short exercise that works well before the essay is asking students to rewrite one paragraph from another character's viewpoint. They quickly discover how much the doctor's voice shapes sympathy. The exercise also gives them concrete material to draw on in their analysis. Teachers who try this report that essay quality improves, because students have felt the effect of narration rather than just defined it.

You can also compare two short passages in class, one in which the doctor describes his patience and one in which he describes his rage. Discuss how the tone changes and what that reveals about his self-image. Students then have a model for how to link language to effect. This preparation shortens grading time later because fewer essays fall back on summary.

Scoring and Commenting Efficiently

When you grade point of view essays, look first for the claim about narrative effect and decide whether it is supported. If it is, the rest of the paper usually follows. If it is not, your most valuable comment will be about the thesis rather than sentence-level details. Prioritizing in this way keeps grading focused and gives students a clear revision target.

Finally, keep a record of the most frequent issues you see, since they will guide your next lesson. If many students confuse reliability with bias, build a short activity around the difference. Grading then feeds directly into instruction. That connection is what makes assessment worthwhile rather than merely a burden.