What is an Unreliable Narrator Definition and 6 Real Examples

What is an Unreliable Narrator Definition and 6 Real Examples What is an Unreliable Narrator: Definition and Examples In literature, an unreliable narrator is a character who tells a story with a lack of credibility. There are different types of unreliable narrators (more on that later), and the presence of one can be revealed to readers in varying ways - sometimes immediately, sometimes gradually, and sometimes later in the story when a plot twist leaves us wondering if we’ve maybe been a little too trusting.While the term â€Å"unreliable narrator† was first coined by literary critic Wayne C. Booth in his 1961 book, The Rhetoric of Fiction, it’s a literary device that writers have been putting to good use for much longer than the past 80 years. For example, "The Tell-Tale Heart" published by Edgar Allan Poe in 1843 utilizes this storytelling tool, as does Wuthering Heights, published in 1847.But wait, is any narrator really reliable?This discussion can lead us down a proverbial rabbit hole. In a sense, no, there aren’t any 100% completely reliable narrators. The  "Rashomon Effect† tells us that our subjective perceptions prohibit us from ever having a totally clear memory of past events. If each person subjectively remembers something that happened, how do we know who is right? "Indeed, many writers have used the Rashomon Effect to tell stories from multiple first-person perspectives - leaving readers to determine whose record is most believable." (Check out As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner for an example).For the purpose of this article, however, we will refer to narrators who are purposefully unreliable for a specific narrative function. How to write an unreliable narrator that has us on our toes and reading between the lines. Literary function of an unreliable narratorFiction that makes us question our own perceptions can be powerful. An unreliable narrator can create a lot of grey areas and blur the lines of reality, allowing us to come to our own conclusions.Fallible storytellers can also create tension by keeping readers on their toes - wondering if there’s more under the surface, and reading between the lines to decipher what that is. Unreliable  narrators can make for intriguing, complex characters: depending on the narrator’s motivation for clouding the truth, readers may also feel more compelled to keep reading to figure out why the narrator is hiding things.Finally, all unreliable narrators are first-person: they live in the world of the story and will have an inherent bias or perhaps even an agenda. While you may find an unreliable narrator who's written in the second-person or third-person point of view, this is generally rare.PRO-TIP: If you'd like to see the different point of views in action, check out this post that has 50+ point of view examples.Types of unreliable narratorsJust like trying to classify every type of character would be an endless pursuit, so is trying to list every type of unreliable narrator. That said, we've divided these questionable raconteurs into three general types to better understand how they work as a literary device.1) Deliberately Unreliable: Narrators who are aware of their deceptionThis type of narrator is intentionally lying to the reader because, well, they can. They have your attention, the point of view is theirs, and they’ll choose what to do with it, regardless of any â€Å"responsibility† they might have to the reader. (The film adaptation of Room, image: Universal Pictures)Forrest Gump by Winston Groom Forrest is another example of a narrator who’s not deliberately unreliable in order to pull the wool over the readers’ eyes or to â€Å"save face.† From the outset, we are aware that Forrest doesn’t comprehend things like the â€Å"average† person does, and we’re aware that we might not be able to take everything he says at face value. This is confirmed when Forrest begins detailing his life, which is peppered with stories about major events from history that he was apparently intimately involved in. We can’t be certain that he’s not telling the truth, but it would be quite the life if he is. Six examples of unreliable narrators and how to write your own fallible storyteller. An unreliable narrator breaks the conventional relationship of trust between a reader and a storyteller. However, the key is that you don’t want to shatter that trust entirely, because you’re likely to lose the reader. Ensure your unreliable narrator has a clear purpose for being unreliable, employ just enough mist around the narrator’s accounts to put question marks in our minds, give us the underlying sense that there’s more to the story, and you’ll be able to foster a connection between the reader and narrator that has the pages of your book flipping.Who are some of your favorite unreliable narrators from literature? Have you ever tried writing one yourself? Leave any thoughts or questions in the comments below!

Do Colleges Use Weighted or Unweighted GPA

Do Colleges Use Weighted or Unweighted GPA SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips High schools may record students' GPAs as weighted or unweighted. But which type of GPA is taken more seriously in the college admissions process? In this article, I’ll provide an overview of the differences between weighted and unweighted GPAs and tell you which type is more important. What’s the Difference Between Weighted and Unweighted GPA? First off, you should know what constitutes weighted and unweighted GPA in high school. Traditional GPAs are unweighted, which means they'remeasured on a scale from 0 to 4.0.A 4.0 is an A average, a 3.0 is a B average, a 2.0 is a C average, a 1.0 is a D average, and anything below that represents a failing grade. Unweighted GPAs do not take the levels of your classes into account.An A in an AP or honors class will translate into a 4.0 GPA, and so will an A in a low-level class. Basically, an unweighted GPA won’t change based on the types of classes you’re taking; it represents your grades in isolation. Weighted GPAs are a bit more complicated.Many high schools now record weighted GPAs instead of standard unweighted GPAs.Weighted GPAs are measured on a scale that goes up higher than 4.0 to account for more difficult classes.For many schools, this means a 0-5.0 scale,but some scales go up higher (like to 6.0). In the lowest-level classes, grades will still stand for the same numbers as they would on an unweighted GPA scale (i.e., an A is a 4.0, a B is a 3.0, etc.).However, in honors or AP classes, an A will translate into a 5.0 GPA, a B will be a 4.0, and so on. If your school has mid-level classes, an A might translate into a 4.5 GPA. Keep in mind that these are general estimates.If your school records weighted GPAs, check its specific policies.Weighted GPAs are used in an effort to present a more accurate picture of academic abilities based on the rigor of a student's coursework. Your A+ in Intro to Yoga will only get you so far. Do some mindful breathing to help yourself accept this. Which GPA Do Colleges Care About? Of course, every college is different, but in general colleges care more about your record of coursework thanyour GPA out of context.For this reason, I can’t say that colleges necessarily care â€Å"more† about unweighted or weighted GPA.Between the two, weighted GPA provides more useful information, but they will still look closely at your transcript instead of just taking your GPA at face value. Your GPA is an overview of how you did in high school, but every admissions department will dig deeper (unless your GPA is exceptionally low- think below 2.0) before making a blanket judgment based solely on that number,whether it's weighted or unweighted. This is because the GPA scales of different high schools can't be compared directly. Some schools might count honors and AP classes as "high level" for weighted GPAs, and some might only count APs. Some AP classes are also easier than others. It wouldn't be fair for colleges to give a student who earned an A in a notoriously difficult class like AP Physics the same credit as a student who earned an A in AP Psychology, even if they have the same weighted GPA. Colleges want to see that you have pushed yourself to take on academic challenges and managed to grow over time.If your academic record demonstrates increasing difficulty of coursework, this will look impressive to colleges, even if your GPA isn’t stellar.If you have a 4.0 but remained in all the least challenging classes in high school, colleges will be less impressed since you didn’t push yourself further academically. even though you were clearly capable of doing so. If you’re getting all As in low-level classes, don’t stay complacent just because you have a good GPA.It’s absolutely worth it to move up a level and challenge yourself, even if it leads to a slight drop in your GPA. Colleges look at the whole picture, and they will make note of the fact that you forced yourself to leave your comfort zone and grow intellectually. This plant is a metaphor for your brain over the course of high school. What Do College Admissions Departments Say About GPA? Just to make sure we're on the right track, let's check the official policies of a range of schools. Here are some quotes about GPA taken from the admissions websites for Harvard, Ithaca College, Stanford, Claremont McKenna College, and the University of Texas at Austin. Harvard Admissions Department According to the admissions website, here are two key questions Harvard admissions officers ask themselves when reviewing potential applicants: â€Å"Have you reached your maximum academic and personal potential?† â€Å"Have you been stretching yourself?† Obviously, to get into Harvard, you'll need a great GPA.However, notice thatthey don’t say, â€Å"Your unweighted GPA must be at least 3.8,† or make any sort of concrete statement about numbers.What they want to see is that you’ve been constantly striving for more advanced learning opportunities and have also been pushing yourself to your limits academically. Students who've grown a lot in high school and who were motivated to take difficult classes are probably students who will continue to do the same in college.This demonstrates my point in the previous section that colleges really want to see students who have taken challenging coursework and proved themselves to be dedicated to fulfilling their academic potential. Harvard College Ithaca College Admissions Department Here’s what Ithaca's admissions department has to say about its admissions process: â€Å"An Ithaca College education requires that every student be actively engaged in their academic experiences. ...We are most focused on the rigor of your curriculum and the level of success you’ve demonstrated in your academic work.† Again, the admissions department is looking for students who were engaged in their high school coursework and are interested in learning more.Though grades are important, the level of your coursework and your demonstrated academic growth will also go a long way toward impressing admissions officers. Ithaca College Want to build the best possible college application with your GPA? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Stanford Admissions Department According toStanford, what itvalues most in its applicants is as follows: "The primary criterion for admission to Stanford is academic excellence. We look for your preparation and potential to succeed. We expect you to challenge yourself throughout high school and to do very well. ... There is no minimum GPA or test score; nor is there any specific number of AP or honors courses you must have on your transcript in order to be admitted to Stanford." As we saw with Harvard, academic excellence is a given- you obviously need to have strong grades in order to have a solid chance at getting into Stanford. That said, Stanford is clear that "there is no minimum GPA."Once again, the important idea here is that you're proving you have the potential to succeed and challenge yourself- not that you're necessarily getting As in every single class you take. Stanford University Claremont McKenna College Admissions Department Here’s what Claremont McKenna says about its admissions process: "Competitive candidates for admission pursue the most demanding course work possible, receive strong grades, and are highly regarded by their teachers and counselors. The minimum requirements are: English: Four years. Mathematics: Three years, preferably four. Candidates should recognize that mathematical skill is as important for professionals in government and economics as it is in engineering and the physical sciences. Foreign Language: At least three years. History: At least one year. Science: At least two years required, three strongly preferred." This brings up a good point: many schools might not have GPA requirements, but they do require applicants to take certain classes in high school. Once again, this emphasizes coursework over straight GPA in the admissions process.â€Å"Strong grades† are expected, but a desire for students who have pursued â€Å"the most demanding course work† is far more important. Claremont McKenna College University of Texas at Austin Admissions Department Finally, UT Austin says the following on its admissions website: "To be competitive for admission, freshman applicants must complete or be on track to complete certain high school coursework: Language Arts:Four credits Mathematics:Four credits Science:Four credits Social Studies:Four credits Foreign Language:Two credits Fine Arts:One credit Physical Education:One credit Electives:Six credits" Like Claremont McKenna College, UT Austin requires specific coursework in high school. In fact, the school doesn't say much at all about GPA on its website, indicating that GPA alone is not a particularly important part of admissions- rather,the courses you take are important. UT Austin (Stephen M. Scott/Flickr) Conclusion: Colleges and Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA Ultimately, you shouldn’t worry too much about whether colleges will look at your weighted or unweighted GPA.The value of your GPA, whether weighted or unweighted, isn’t the final word on whether you've demonstrated your academic potential in high school. Instead, focus on your coursework. Have you been consistently challenging yourself and living up to your abilities? Are you making the most of the academic opportunities your school offers? If you can answer yes to these two questions, you’re on your way to success in college admissions! What's Next? Worried about how your GPA will impact your chances of getting into college? Check out this list of the best colleges with less competitive GPA requirements. Not sure whether your GPA is considered high or low? Read my article on what constitutes a good and bad GPA for college admissions. For a complete overview of how GPA is calculated and what it means for you, take a look at this article. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: