We recently attended a dramatic version of To Kill a Mockingbird in Stratford, Ontario.  Written by Harper Lee in the late 1950’s, this has been one of my all time favourite reads. Although some of the language is antiquated and no longer acceptable, the themes of the novel are timeless.  Atticus Finch, the patriarch extraordinaire of the story, is a man directed by his moral compass, and his willingness to put compassion for others above the social dictates.

This week’s challenge is inspired by the spirit of Atticus Finch:  point of view.

At the end of To Kill a Mockingbird, Jean-Louise  stands on the Radley porch and views her neighbourhood from Boo’s point of view – a moment of revelation for the young Scout.

“I turned to go home. Street lights winked down the street all the way to town.  I had never seen our neighborhood from this angle.”

This week, let’s focus on point of view, challenging ourselves to “walk in (someone else’s) skin” or at the very least, to see something from a new perspective.

Ideas include, but are not limited to:

*  Photographing a scene from a new viewpoint, i.e. from a child’s sight line, or that of a     pet.

*  Re-writing a piece from a different point of view.  For example, if a piece is written in first person narrative, try switching it to third person, or better yet, switch narrators.

*  Take a character from a dream, and write re-tell the dream story through their point of view.

*  Heard something interesting in the news – try writing about it from the victim (or perpetrator’s) point of view.

Be creative, have fun, and as always, I look forward to your responses.

To participate:

1.  Publish a post on your own blog.
2. Create a link back to this post, or leave a link in the comments.
3. Be sure to visit other participant’s contributions and comment to keep the community growing.