An Analysis Of Bright Continent, By Nicholas D. Kristof

Many people think of wars and catastrophes when they are asked to think about Africa. Could this perhaps be the media’s fault? Or is it the people's fault for believing only the bad things they've been told? Though Africa has had its fair share of tough times, it has also progressed as a continent. However, no one seems to be talking about its joyful moments. The article “Bright Continent” by Nicholas D. Kristof was read and examined as well as the video “A danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. “Bright Continent” focuses on telling the audience that the media is at fault for the way people view Africa. “A danger of a Single Story” shows the audience how people believe and make assumptions over one thing they hear about a person

In “Bright Continent” the author wants to show how people think of Africa being an atrocious place and how the media misperceives Africa. The author in “Bright Continent” uses his voice in his writing. He tells his point of view using his experience to back him up and he talks with the use of facts. The author also talks about what he and others are doing wrong, he does this by often using the word "we". “We in the news media and in the aid world can and should do a much better job providing context and acknowledging successes” (Kristof 2,) the author admits that the media can do better job shedding light on Africa's progression. “I've thought a lot about these issues, partly because I often write columns about war and disaster in Africa” (Kristof 2,) he talked about how he has contributed to the misconceptions that people believe about Africa. The author also uses tone as a way to talk to his audience. His attitude toward the subject switches from sarcastic to optimistic,realistic,and semi-judgmental. “Mention Africa in polite company, and those around you may grimace, shake their heads sadly,and profess sympathy. Oh, all those wars! Those diseases! Those dictators!” (Kristof 1,) here you can see how he uses sarcasm to show how people tend to think negatively of Africa refusing to think about the good that goes on in the continent. When people only have bad

In the video “A danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, one can see how people misjudge Africa because they only hear about the bad things going on. In the video Chimamanda uses her experience to tell the audience how one story can make people believe so many misconceptions. “I realized that I had been so immersed in the media coverage of Mexicans that they had become one thing in my mind, the abject immigrant. I had bought into the single story of Mexicans and I could not have been more ashamed of myself. So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become” (Adichie 09:25,) this shows how powerful the impact of one single story can be. When people are handed negative stories about Africa that is all they focus on, they believe that only bad things are happening and completely forget about the good stories. She also uses tone as a way to reach her audience, in the following evidence you can see that she's using irony and sarcasm. “But it would never have occurred to me to think that just because I had read a novel in which a character was a serial killer that he was somehow representative of all Americans” (Adichie 11:29,) she says this to make a point, one cannot judge something or someone