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The danger of a single story
"The danger of a single story" essay analysis
The danger of a single story
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Adichie build an argument to persuade her audience of the danger of a single story, From using reasoning, evidence, and stylistic / persuasive elements. Adichie provides a clear understanding of why a single story can be dangerous. A theme and famous quote that can go with her speech is “Never Judge a Book by it’s Cover”. Ironically it goes with the fact that a single story creates a single stereotypical view. Adichie uses reasoning to support her claim of a danger of a single story to show / explain how or why her story makes sense. She talks about how her roommate, who was expecting her to speak a different language and have different cultural ways was disappointed when she spoke english and played Mariah Carey instead of stereotypical tribal music. These single stories of a certain group of people create a negative stereotype against the mentioned group. The danger of a single story is that people will see you in one specific way. Adichie herself was saved from having one rational idea of white people. She states “it's saved me from having a single story of what books are.” She even says “If I had not grown up in Nigeria… I too would think that Africa was a place of beautiful landscape… incomprehensible people, fighting senseless wars, dying of poverty and AIDS...” She is …show more content…
Her real life examples serve as a personal opinion as to why a single story can be dangerous. Adichie’s use of stylistic evidence like describing, “My characters had blue eyes…” makes the audience realize how she would write out the characters all because of all stories she has read or been told. Her persuasive style has helped a majority understand how the danger of a single story can immensely affect the way many think and or feel about other races or
Last but not least, O’Connor confirms that even a short story is a multi-layer compound that on the surface may deter even the most enthusiastic reader, but when handled with more care, it conveys universal truths by means of straightforward or violent situations. She herself wished her message to appeal to the readers who, if careful enough, “(…)will come to see it as something more than an account of a family murdered on the way to Florida.”
Since the emergence of literature, thousands upon thousands of characters have graced our imaginations. From trouble maker Bart Simpson of the celebrated cartoon television series The Simpsons to Mr. Darcy of Jane Austen’s renowned novel Pride and Prejudice, the world has witnessed a plethora of characters in literature. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, and Billy Collins, distinguished American poet, as well as countless other authors, share the utilization of characters in their literary works. The manner in which these authors use the literary element of characters varies immensely.
Often, when a story is told, it follows the events of the protagonist. It is told in a way that justifies the reasons and emotions behind the protagonist actions and reactions. While listening to the story being cited, one tends to forget about the other side of the story, about the antagonist motivations, about all the reasons that justify the antagonist actions.
A compelling story reveals a deeper level of meaning without committing the error of defining it. In Ursula K. Le Guin’s short story, “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, Le Guin utilizes allegory, realism, and symbolism. By applying these literary elements into her short story, Le Guin has made “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” effectively compelling.
In “Flight Patterns”, Alexie shows that many people can be ignorant in getting to know someone just because of a preconceived idea based on someone’s skin color. People look past all a person has overcome and dealt with in life just because of the color of their skin. Stevens also aids this idea by saying that the media helps people see race distinctly because of leading roles in movies being often white characters and how even history stories focus on the white race. Both stories bring these issues to light and want readers to understand that there is still a problem with race relations and that media and preconceived ideas play a major part in blurring history and allowing us to forget that skin color is not the only thing that defines a
She repeatedly mentions “the single story”, particularly after each story she tells. For example, after discussing a time of financial hardship in her childhood, Adichie emphasizes that “to insist only on those negative stories is to flatten her experience and to overlook the other stories that formed her.” She goes on to reiterate that “the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete, and they make one story become the only story”(Ted, 12:48-13:09). This restatement of the same phrase and idea of the single story reminds us of and emphasises the main point of her speech, that single thoughts, ideas, or opinions of an individual create an incomplete generalization of said person without regard to who they actually are and what they have
Narratives are an important part of an essay as they create a sense of tone needed to describe a story or situation with ease. If the narrative is not correct, it can leave a false impact on the readers or viewers because it lacks the main tone of the story. Having a perfect narrative can not only enhance a story, but it can also prove evidence. In her essay, “An Army of One: Me”, Jean Twenge provides some of the best examples of how narratives enhance a story and she also emphasizes on how the tone of storytelling matters on the impact that the story would have on its readers or listeners. Apart from Twenge, Tim O’Brien also focuses on how the narrative of the story can help in understanding the truth and falsity of the story in his essay, “How to Tell a True War Story.” In addition to O’Brien, Ethan Watters also emphasizes on the narrative of cultural progress in his essay, “The Mega-Marketing of Depression in Japan”, when he talks about the anti-depressants to be sold in Japan. All three authors agree to the fact that narrative, the art of telling a story or explaining a situation, has a major impact on the story and on how it is taken by the audience.
Authors often write not only to tell a story, but to communicate personal ideas and opinions to the readers. Even more personal beliefs can be read through the bias that the author uses, often the product of society or race. In the novella Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad displays his opinions through the attitudes and actions of his main characters Marlow and Mr. Kurtz. Similarly, Chinua Achebe shows his personal beliefs through the character Okonkwo in Things Fall Apart. Both authors, whether intentionally or not, show their opinions on the relations between Native Africans and European colonists in the Victorian era, and the races themselves.
By retorting with, “I had just read a novel called American Psycho … such a shame that young Americans were serial murderers.” Adichie appealed to Americans’ knowledge of themselves, showing the audience how absurd this claim was. Her sarcasm not only serves to make an absurd idea amusing, but also reverses the single story on the audience. She proves to the listener that it is through accurate knowledge and multiple stories that our opinions should be formed. In the same way, Adichie uses levity yet again when she says, “I learned, some years ago, that writers were expected to have had really unhappy childhoods to be successful, I began to think about how I could invent horrible things my parents had done to me. But the truth is that I had a very happy childhood, full of laughter and love, in a very close-knit family.” Her humor again draws attention to the danger of just one story. For instance, Adichie says, “writers were expected to have had really unhappy childhoods to be successful.”
In the minds of many, legendary director Alfred Hitchcock’s infamous shower scene in the 1960 classic Psycho brought the phrase “point of view” into the language of the general public. What most do not realize is that those in the many spectrums of entertainment have been taking full advantage of the benefits brought on by an audience being dealt a limited field of vision for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Prior to the advent of film and theater, the best place to find this method in use was literature. The origin of the point of view in literature can be traced back to the earliest forms of literature, where much of what was dictated and recorded was recounted from life experiences. It is of no surprise to most that the idea of point of view stayed, and evolved into many subsections, thanks in full to the fact that every story has a point of view. In the 19th century, point of view hit a creative peak, with the wildly inventive writers of the period finding new avenues to pursue with their works. Stories from that time period authored by individuals such as Edgar Allen Poe and Ambrose Bierce are still read today. What allows Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” and Bierce’s “Occurrence of Owl Creek Bridge” to be taught as shining examples of wonderful literature are not expert characterizations, moody settings, or heart-wrenching themes as one may expect after studying their other works. Instead, it is the point of view methods that both authors employ that make their works so revered.
Some of the characteristics of Modernism are: a desire to break conventions and established traditions, reject history, experiment, remove relativity, remove any literal meaning, and create an identity that is fluid. The rejection of history sought to provide a narrative that could be completely up for interpretation. Any literal meaning no longer existed nor was it easily given; essence became synonymous. Narrative was transformed. Epic stories, like “Hills Like White Elephants”, could occur in the sequence of a day. Stories became pushed by a flow of thoughts. The narrative became skeptical of linear plots, preferring to function in fragments. These fragments often led to open unresolved inconclusive endings. This echoes in the short story’s format. The short story functions in fragmented dialogue. Focusing on subjectivity rather than objectivity. Creating characters with unfixed, mixed views to challenge readers.
Adichie begins by confessing that she is a storyteller, and through this confession she reels in the audience and prepares them for her “few personal stories” regarding the concept she christened ‘the danger of a single story’ (1). Even in the beginning of her speech, she is able to immediately connect with the audience by shedding light on how her mother says that she “started
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.)
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
Racism and sexism thinly veiled by xenophobia in America, Adichie portrays these two factors in society. Generally by putting her main character through a consistent stream of seemingly routine events involving one or even both of the factors. Often times she deals with micro-aggressions about her hair, which does not fit the American standard of beauty and elegance. Often showing how people are quick to assume that she is unintelligent simply by her skin and her accent. Often times Adichie portrays Ifemelu as the object of criticism and envy. Ifemelu is merely struggling to survive in a new environment. An environment that by all accounts constantly attempts to tear her down, her psyche and emotional stability constantly suffering damage.