Can you use He and She in the 1st person?

Question

I know its a dumb question, but my teacher told me to write in 1st person, and I'm writing about Thoreau. So can use He alot, do I have to add in an "I" somewhere?

Answer 1

He and she are third-person, not first. If you are writing about Thoreau, you would either have to be writing from Thoreau's perspective, or you would have to be writing from the perspective of someone meeting Thoreau in order for it to be first person.

Answer 2

Your teacher might just want you to speak about Thoreau from your personal perspective (common in philosophy).

So you wouldn't say "He was perceived as being very irrational" you would say "I find his philosophical perspective to be highly irrational".

Still, as other's pointed out, he and she is technically 3rd person. If you have time, ask your teacher if they meant for you to write from your own point of view, from Thoreau's (I'd guess this is what they meant, a good test to see if you both understand their theories and can think like them) or from someone else in their time.

Answer 3

if you are writing using "he" and "she" you are writing from somebody who is observing and telling a story about the characters. If you write in the first person, you are the character and you are telling a personal story. So you have to put your shoes into Thoreau, and write as if you were him.

Answer 4

Say: HE says, "blah blah blah," HE thinks such-&-such, HE went to jail for refusing to pay taxes, etc. And say: I agree/disagree because..., I admire him (or I think he was a fool, or whatever you really do think) because.... If your teacher said to write in 1st person, it sounds to me like he/she wants you to include your own opinions &/or experiences in your writing. So don't just write a report about Thoreau & what HE said/did, tell what you think or feel about it, how it relates to your life--or if it doesn't, say so, and why not.