The Danger of a Single Story

1. Prepare a write up based on "The Danger of a Single Story" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Answer :

        The Danger of a Single Story

 Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "The Danger of a Single Story" Ted Talk reveals the negative influences that a “single story” creates in human life. According to Adichie  the single stories are the results of one’s misunderstandings and lack of knowledge about others. Adichie asserts that media and literature often only tell one story of something or someone, which causes people to generalize and make assumptions about a group of people.

Adichie gives us some personal experiences to prove her argument about how single story becomes danger . She first talks about  her ‘single story’ about books and literature. In her childhood she read only British and American books. And of course, she wrote exactly the kinds of stories she was reading. All her characters were white, they played in the snow, ate apples and talked about the weather. She believed that were the only those types of stories to exist in literature. But later, when she discovered the books of some African writers, she realised that people like her with skin the color of chocolate, could aldo exist in literature. Hence African writers saved her from having a single story of what books are.

The second incident is a single story that Adichie made about her house-boy, Fide. Adichie's mother used to remind her that Fide's family was very poor and had nothing to eat. So, Adichie got a single story about them as how poor they were. But, her single story came to an end when she happened to see a beautiful basket of dyed raffia that Fide's brother had made. At first Adichie couldn't believe that anybody in Fide's family could make something. Their poverty was her single story of them.

 Adichie’s American roommate had a different version of single story about Africa. When she knew from Adichie that English was the official language in Nigeria she got exclaimed. In her perspective, Africa is a country and the people lived there were helpless and waiting to be saved by a kind white foreigner.  Similarly, her Professor said that her novel was not “authentically African” because her characters were educated, middle classed men, they drove cars and they were not starving!

Adichie concludes by saying that the single stories are not completely wrong, but they are incomplete. The single story creates stereotypes. They make one story become the only story.

2. Adichie went to Fide's house and was surprised to see the beautifully patterned basket made by his brother. She never thought that anybody in his family could actually make something. She jotted down her thoughts in her diary that night. Prepare the likely diary entry.

Answer :

 20 May 202

Sunday 

It was an unforgettable day in my life today. I visited Fide's house . Found a beautiful basket of dyed raffia that Fide's brother had made. Got surprised! I had a very foolish single story about Fide's family. It was their poverty. My mom would  say that Fide's family was very poor and they had nothing to eat. It had not occurred to me that anybody in his family coulda actually make something. So, his brother's creativity made me very much confused. Now I realized my mistake. Single story will lead us to great mistakes. Hence, I will never judge anything or anyone through one sided perspective. Anyway thank God, the visit to Fide's house taught me a good lesson. I'll never keep such foolish idea in my brain in future.

3. After reading Adichie's speech you decided to interview her. Prepare 6 questions you might ask her.

Answer :

> When did you start writing?

> What or who did inspire you to write?

> What is your greatest career coup?

> What book had the biggest impact on you? Why?

> What is the biggest challenge you have ever faced in life ?

> What gives you hope about the world today?

> What are your strengths and weaknesses?