Watch this Ted Talk, The Danger of a Single Story: https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story?language=en (Links to an external site.)
1) What does the speaker refer to when speaking about the danger of a single story? What are examples she provides?
According to the reader the danger of a “single story” is related to how people tend to attribute an image to something regarding to the background information that they have about the thing. In this case having less information or the same information about something is likely to impact on the idea that they will have about something. To support this argument she talked about how during her childhood she used to read book with foreigners characters and about things that she didn’t identify with such as snow and ginger beer. Because of the fact that all her book were similar, she ended up believing that all books have to be same and always include foreign characters with “Blue eyes” and are about things that she couldn’t identify with. Further, she also talks about Fide and how the fact that her mom kept telling her that his family was poor made her think that his family was poor and that it was the only story about them. She couldn’t see them as hard workers or anything else but as poor. Also, she talked about the stereotypes that she had about Mexicans related to immigration in the U.S and how during her trip to Mexico realized that her thoughts were wrong in many ways. Lastly, she talked about her roommate and how she felt pity for her because she was African. Her roommate was surprised to see that she speaks English as well as her and that she knew how to use a stove just because all the information that her roommate has about Africa was a poor conti...
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...at shocked me through all these articles is how there weren’t a single positive story about Nigeria. I had to get to the third page before I found something that was “kind of positive” about Nigeria. These definitely illustrate what the speaker was saying about single stories. Also 8 out of 10 stories where related to Boko haram. Therefore it won’t be a surprise for me to hear that people believe that Boko haram is the daily cup of tea. I didn’t really found anything that was directly related to the chapter because most of the stories were about BOKO haram crisis. The only thing that I found related to the chapter was how the Biafra war that has opposed the three major’s ethnics groups: Yoruba, Igbo and Hausas is still reflecting on the actual Nigerian crisis. In the north were these crisis are occurring, only certain ethnic groups or religious groups are attacked.
“A story matrix connects all of us. There are rules, processes, and circles of responsibility in this world. And the story begins exactly where it is supposed to begin. We cannot skip any part” - Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave
Chimamanda Adichie, in one of her eye-opening speeches, The Danger of a Single Story, provides the audience with a new insight into the negative impacts that can occur as a result of viewing a story from a single perspective and not putting in an effort to know it from all available viewpoints. Adichie in her simple, yet well-grounded speech, filled with anecdotes of her personal experiences effectively puts across her argument against believing in stereotypes and limiting oneself to just a single story using a remarkable opening, the elements of logos, pathos and ethos, repetitions, as well as maintaining a good flow of thoughts throughout the speech.
The theme that has been attached to this story is directly relevant to it as depicted by the anonymous letters which the main character is busy writing secretly based on gossip and distributing them to the different houses. Considering that people have an impression of her being a good woman who is quiet and peaceful, it becomes completely unbecoming that she instead engages in very abnormal behavior. What makes it even more terrible is the fact that she uses gossip as the premise for her to propagate her hate messages not only in a single household but across the many different households in the estate where she stays.
I am Monise Ghandchi. I am a 17-Year-Old persian girl who holds many personalities. I am energetic, athletic, generous, loud, quiet, innocent, guilty, and etc. However, the youths i grew up with narrowed my presence down to one thought. A single story. Although i’ve wondered, I never actually knew why people at my school wouldn 't interact with me since I’ve always been extremely friendly and generous towards anyone who got to know me. Then again, not many people tried to get to know me. I remember trying so hard to make friends that i have even straight up asked other kids if i could be their best friend. All they would do is give me an odd look and brush it off, ignore me, or shout at me until i went away. Needless to say, my strategies of not
“A Single Story” restricts people’s viewpoints about a complex culture and person. We live in a society that is full of diverse information, and news is usually the main information source for people to know unknown things that happened in the world. However, it’s easy to make a single story if
Romines, Ann. "How Not to Tell a Story." Eudora Welty: Eye of the Storyteller. Ed.
A single story is defined by Ngozi Adichie as “showing people one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become” (Adichie). She defined the single story in a TED Talk in 2009. During Adichie's talk, she explained how she was embarrassed of herself and her single story understanding of Mexican culture and people based solely on her experiences with American media and political coverage of Mexico. She had stereotyped the Mexican culture because the only story she had heard were negative representations of a impoverished people. Adichie exclusively categorized immigrants as Mexican, despite herself being an immigrant into America. However, only once she was presented with a different narrative; a narrative
A good story is one that isn't demanding, that proceeds from A to B, and above all doesn't remind us of the bad times, the cardboard patches we used to wear in our shoes, the failed farms, the way people you love just up and die. It tells us instead that hard work and perseverance can overcome all obstacles; it tells lie after lie, and the happy ending is the happiest lie of all. (85)
... of tragedy and lets her be the diamond in the rough. She is the one person whose vision is unaltered from the very beginning of the book and to her the other survivors draw their own courage.
Stories are a big part of the human race. From conceptualizing the birth of our race to nagging our parents to tell bedtime stories, our life is nothing but a series of stories. It is in human nature to narrate significant incidents of our lives to others. Storytelling as a method has been progressively used by various companies as a tool to connect with their employees and customers. It helps to build a bridge of loyalty, longevity, mutual trust and understanding and connection. Storytelling helps to get that instant personal connect. Stories are significant because they are inherent to human experience. By stories we pass on our accumulated wisdom, beliefs and values to the future generations.
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,
The story clearly illustrates that when one thinks of their ideal lifestyle they mainly rely on their personal experience which often results in deception. The theme is conveyed by literary devices such as setting, symbolism and iconic foreshadowing. The abolition of slavery was one step forward but there are still several more steps to be made. Steps that protect everyone from human trafficking and exploitation. Most importantly, racism is something that needs to stop, as well as providing equal opportunity to all without discrimination.
"Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie :The Danger of a Single Story." Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
In this story the narrator focuses on how Mrs. Mallard copes with the death of her husband. The plot defines to the reader what happens in a story by how she reacts to the news of her husband just being killed in a train accident. Looking deeper into this story the theme shows you her underlying feelings demonstration of the impression behind the story by showing almost relief and freedom, through the utilization of different symbols and tones. On the surface you see details such as the phrase “She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same” (Clugston, 2010, sec 2.1). This phrase sets a tone of sadness and question of why she took the news so differently than many other women.
“They were not new stories to us, except that stories are always new, or else there is always something new in stories.” (Pp132.)