Upgrade from Thoughts to Reality Single stories are in the midst of every one's life. In that sense, that wouldn’t make me an exception. As much as you can try to avoid the unknown, it will always be there. That is how I see this concept of a “single story”. It is something you can’t avoid, but at the same time, you can capture its message. Chimamanda Adichie tries to incorporate that idea into eighteen minutes of talk. She brings her own experience of a single story to open our eyes to a better interpretation. Adichie tries to bring to us the misconception that others have on certain countries. She explains the harms of using only one filter to define others. People aren’t willing to have multiple focuses; one focus seems to …show more content…
It was almost like I was stuck in this box with no way out. I was afraid I was going to obtain a title because of where I was coming from. My first day of school was the worst day of my life. I came in through the doors and I could see people immediately whispering. My skin color, my accent and my personality attached me to being the Brazilian girl. Not that it isn’t true, but why can’t I just be described as me. I couldn’t understand that judgement coming from everyone around me. But somehow I knew that by going to a class with all American kids would be this way. In that same day, we had a group discussion. We were expected to introduce ourselves and say one interesting fact about our lives. I felt devastated about what to say or how I would control my facial expressions. Fortunately, everything went well and I could breathe smoother. Suddenly, a girl in the back asked me how it was like to come from a country where you couldn’t go outside because you would be robbed. I looked at her and said: “I don’t know; why don’t you tell me.” I was afraid to say anything else thinking about her response. Indeed, she started saying how she didn’t expect me to be able to have nice clothes, even proper manners, because I lived in a small rural city. Eventually, I explained to her that life isn't based on just misleading assumptions. Defining someone isn’t based on what you …show more content…
One moment that helped me achieve that was when I had to meet my dance partner. I saw her from a distance and I didn’t know how to approach her. So I started by walking up to her and introducing myself. I said my name and my age and I told her it was a great pleasure to meet her. She looked at me introduced herself as well. She asked me some interesting facts about myself and I told her I was so happy to be in America. I told her I was from Brazil. She looked at me and immediately asked, what was the hardest part of coming from such a poor country to such a developed country like America. I told her that not everything you hear is necessarily true. I instantly agreed that America is a very developed region but it also has its own weaknesses. We started dancing and she whispered to me that she never had thought about the negative points of the United States. The assumption that she made about my culture made her realize that every advantage also has a disadvantage. She thanked me later for helping her understand that there is always a possibility to change mistakes based on
Being who you are is easier said than done. We all have heard this lesson before, but it is much harder to actually do this in front of friends, and relatives. In “Fish Cheeks” by Amy Tan, and “Taco Head” by Viola Canales, both narrators face the struggle to fit in. They come from smaller cultures rather than the larger American culture. In the end, both girls learn a valuable lesson to be independent, and to be proud of who you are. In “Fish Cheeks” and “Taco Head” the similar lessons the narrators learn is, to be proud of who you are. However, the stories are different because in “Fish Cheeks” being American on the outside is okay, but you must remain Chinese on the inside. In “Taco Head” the lesson teaches that
In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TedTalk she discusses the impact of the "single story." Adichie talks about a single story and says how it can make someone think something that is not true. She talks about an experience at a university where she was speaking. Adichie tells the audience, “a student told me that it was such a shame that Nigerian men were physical abusers like the father character in my novel. I told him that I had just read a novel called American Psycho and that it was such a shame that young Americans were serial murderers” (TED 10:51). If everyone thought that what they read in books were true the look on things would be very different then how it actually is. The one college student that told her that it's a shame that every dad beats his kids is a good example, not every dad does but because she/he read it in a book they thought it was the fact and it couldn't be false. There are many different stories that make people change how they think about things.
The first question was, “Have you ever traveled out of the country?”. All the girls answered confidently about all the countries they have visited and even added stories about their travels. Every girl there had the opportunity to visit countries across the ocean. As my turn reached and they tossed the ball to me, I answered honestly, “ I have never been out of the country”. In response, a girl questions, “What about Mexico?” suggesting that because of my mexican background I had visited Mexico. All the girls began to giggle and I remember thinking that I could not last an entire week amongst those girls. The hour went by and all I learned about my floor mates was that their school and town offered so much compared to mine. Every conversation started during that first hour was a battle about who was the best. I realized how I did not belong but had to make myself stand out and use my differences to my advantage. So, I began to show who I was and did not let any intimidation bring me down. During my time at California Girls State, I ran for office positions, was involved in many debates, and befriended
The film “A League of Their Own,” depicts a fictionalized tale of the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. This league was started during World War II when many of the Major Leagues Biggest stars were drafted to the war. MLB owners decided to start this league with hopes of making money while the men were overseas fighting. Traditional stereotypes of women in sports were already in force before the league even begins. One of the scouts letts Dottie, one of the films main characters she is the perfect combination of looks as well as talent. The scout even rejects one potential player because she is not as pretty as the league is looking for even though she is a great baseball player. The player, Marla’s father said if she was a boy she would be playing for the Yankee’s. Eventually Mara’s father is able to convince the scout to take Marla to try outs because he raised her on his own after her mother died. Her father says it is his fault his daughter is a tomboy. In this case the film reinforces the traditional stereotype that mothers are in charge of raising their daughters and teaching them to be a lady, where fathers are incapable of raising girls to be anything other than a tomboy. The focus on beauty also reinforces the traditional stereotype that men will only be interested in women’s sports when the females participating in
In the early years of my life, adapting to the foreign customs of America was my top priority. Although born in America, I constantly moved back and forth from Korea to the US, experiencing nerve-racking, yet thrilling emotions caused by the unfamiliarity of new traditions. Along with these strange traditions, came struggles with accepting my ethnicity. Because of the obvious physical differences due to my race, the first question asked by the students in elementary school was, “Are you from China?” These inquiries were constantly asked by several of American students until middle school which transformed to “You must be good at math” referencing the stereotypical intellect that Asian are perceived to have. Through continuous insult on my Asian heritage, I began to believe and later hate the person I was due to criticism made by teenagers which I started to see true despite all the lies that was actively told. This racial discrimination was a reoccurring pattern that
In 2009 Chimamanda Adichie gave a TED talk about the ‘danger of a single story’. A single story meaning, one thought or one example of a person becoming what we think about all people that fit that description, a stereotype if you will. In today’s America, I believe that we have all felt the wave of stereotypical views at some point or another. Adichie gives many relatable examples throughout her life of how she has been affected by the single story. Her story brings about an issue that all humans, from every inch of the earth, have come to understand on some level. A young child reading only foreign books, a domestic helper that she only perceived as poor. Her college roommates single story about Africans and her own formation of a single
“It’s Hard Enough Being Me” by Anna Lisa Raya, is an essay written about the time when Raya first discovered she was Latina and her following experiences with this realization. It’s an essay that deals with culture shock and discrimination, with expectations from others based on your culture, and about being more than a word or a place. It’s a story that shows the importance of the characteristic-defining choices you make. The essay opens with a brief explanation of Raya’s family history and her home. She then moves on to talk about arriving in New York as a brand new college student. “When I entered college, I discovered I was Latina. Until then, I had never questioned who I was or where I was from … “(Raya 1). Raya writes about the culture
Everyone is guilty of it. even those who claim they're not. think about it! EVERYONE cares about appearances. I care about appearance. I care about how I look, and though I try not to, sometimes I judge others on how they look.
In her TED talk, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie talks about the role of perception in her life and how it has affected her. Many times we have been through experiences that surprise us in regard to perception, such as the first time we meet someone from another culture. We have been inundated with stereotypes and preconceived notions since we were children, through stories, media, parents, teachers, and friends. Furthermore, these presuppositions that we carry are rarely, if ever, based on anything substantial, yet they show up in every part of our life. Adichie calls this notion of this one sided preconceived bias the “single story.” This “single story” is interesting due to the fact that even if we can overcome it, we are still affected by it. Adichie speaks about how even though she had become enlightened to this dilemma, she is still subject to it. As for her experience, she says this,
Knowing that it would be four years of relentless pestering, I knew that someday I would surpass my tormentors; I would keep under cover of my books and study hard to make my brother proud one day. It would be worth the pain to someday walk into a restaurant and see my former bully come to my table wearing an apron and a nametag and wait on me, complete with a lousy tip. To walk the halls of the hospital I work in, sporting a stethoscope and white coat while walking across the floor that was just cleaned not to long ago by the janitor, who was the same boy that tried to pick a fight with me back in middle school. To me, an Asian in an American school is picking up where my brother left off. It’s a promise to my family that I wouldn’t disappoint nor dishonor our name. It’s a battle that’s gains victory without being fought.
The purpose of the speech provided by Chimamanda Adichie is to portray the various impacts a single story can have on both an individual and a society. This is because of the usage of stereotypes provided by the media which creates an overall image, that everyone believes to be true. This is prominent when she says “A single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.” Having a single story also confines the world to generalized outlooks on cultures, religions and nationalities. Due to this, individuals must seek for diversity and different perspectives, in which everyone should be able to see the world as it is, not just the aspect that the media portrays. Through
In the essay "It’s Hard Enough Being Me," Anna Lisa Raya relates her experiences as a multicultural American at Columbia University in New York and the confusion she felt about her identity. She grew up in L.A. and mostly identified with her Mexican background, but occasionally with her Puerto Rican background as well. Upon arriving to New York however, she discovered that to everyone else, she was considered "Latina." She points out that a typical "Latina" must salsa dance, know Mexican history, and most importantly, speak Spanish. Raya argues that she doesn’t know any of these things, so how could this label apply to her? She’s caught between being a "sell-out" to her heritage, and at the same time a "spic" to Americans. She adds that trying to cope with college life and the confusion of searching for an identity is a burden. Anna Raya closes her essay by presenting a piece of advice she was given on how to deal with her identity. She was told that she should try to satisfy herself and not worry about other people’s opinions. Anna Lisa Raya’s essay is an informative account of life for a multicultural American as well as an important insight into how people of multicultural backgrounds handle the labels that are placed upon them, and the confusion it leads to in the attempt to find an identity. Searching for an identity in a society that seeks to place a label on each individual is a difficult task, especially for people of multicultural ancestry.
Two stories of disillusionment mirror one another in the tale of The Great Gatsby and the short story “The Far and the Near.” Here are two authors, within a ten year time span, that both wrote about life being completely shattered with a closer inspection of their surroundings. Both Fitzgerald and Wolfe wrote about the time of American history that was more consumed with image and excess than with love and respect for people and their surroundings. Each author gives an insightful warning that is spun throughout their stories that keeps the reader questioning the true intent behind each character. F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Thomas Wolfe’s “The Far and the Near” share various characteristics including, theme, writing style, and literary elements.
...ents, and my English problem. I didn’t even have control of my own identity at that point. In the bilingual classroom my education depended upon the teachers and the system. I couldn’t express my viewpoints to faculty members like I do now in college. For instance, in college when I need help in a certain class, I can just go and talk to the professor or even to my counselor. Unfortunately, in grammar school, I didn’t know how to talk about the situation. As a result, in college I have been determined to change my study habits and take back control of my identity because I see how a student cannot survive with inefficient study habits. I realize now that, as a child, I was disadvantaged in many ways. Today, I have to be prepared to do extra to make up for a poor educational background by spending more time studying, focusing on school, and controlling my life.
A single story can damage society and change the point of view of human beings. The danger of a single story made me realize the answers to a lot of questions that I have asked to myself, such as, “Why does people use to judge others without even know them? Why are there so many versions of a single story?” Now that I