"When we reject the single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind of paradise"
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story”, demonstrates how crucial it is to not base one’s understanding of a culture using just one story, because it is not truly representative of an entire culture. The speaker uses ethos by describing her childhood in Nigeria, where she was exposed to various English and American works of literature. Growing up, she would write about characters similar to the ones she read about, which were all white. To her, this proved “how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story, particularly as children. Because all I had read were books in which characters were foreign, I had become convinced that books by their very nature had to have foreigners in them and had to be about things with which I could not personally identify” (Adichie). Afterwards, the speaker began reading books of African origin and realized that girls like her could have a story too. The speaker relies mostly on pathos during her presentation by using humor to maintain the interest of the audience and to prove points. For instance, when describing the actions of her college roommate in America, Adichie states that “She asked where I had learned to speak English so well, and was confused when I said that Nigeria happened to have English as its official language. She asked if she could listen to what she called my ‘tribal music,’ and was consequently very disappointed when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey” (Adichie). The speaker used a combination of both ethos and pathos to illustrate her main idea of how people often form stereotypes of an entire culture based on a single perspective. Adichie does many things well in her presentation, such as using personal experiences to engage the audience and describing situations in which many people can relate to. Theses situations include assumptions formed based on only one side of the story. This is evident when she claims that “the single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story” (Adichie).
The content of this presentation relates to the introduction of Dr. L. Robert Kohls’ book, The Values Americans Live By, when Kohls states that, “The different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs, assumptions, and values of that particular group” (Kohls). This claim supports Adichie’s main idea that stereotypes are formed when one particular culture receives only one perspective of another culture. Also, in order to truly understand another culture, one must immerse themselves in that culture’s beliefs and values.
The presentation also connects to Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, during a conversation between two Nigerian characters. The conversation goes as follows: “‘Does the white man understand our custom about land?’ ‘How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad” (Achebe). This interaction between the two characters proves how easily one culture can form an opinion about another culture, and then that opinion becomes the only perspective to view the culture.
The speech illustrates American values by expressing the individuality of each person that makes up a culture, and how an entire group of people can not fit into one mold because each person is unique. Adichie’s presentation relates to the Global Dream by enforcing the need for equality when an entire continent is received as a single, deficient culture with the same oppressive values, and is therefore ignored or viewed as inferior.
The speech was very persuasive and inspiring. Adichie not only exposed the under-representation of people of color in literature, she also undermined the foundation of stereotypes formed from a singular perspective. The speaker kept the audience engaged by using humor and relatable experiences.
Adichie’s presentation teaches people to keep their minds open when it comes to other cultures. There are numerous negative and positive stories that make up a group of people, and everyone is unique. Therefore, opinions should never be based off of a single story.
The content of this presentation relates to the introduction of Dr. L. Robert Kohls’ book, The Values Americans Live By, when Kohls states that, “The different behaviors of a people or a culture make sense only when seen through the basic beliefs, assumptions, and values of that particular group” (Kohls). This claim supports Adichie’s main idea that stereotypes are formed when one particular culture receives only one perspective of another culture. Also, in order to truly understand another culture, one must immerse themselves in that culture’s beliefs and values.
The presentation also connects to Chinua Achebe’s book, Things Fall Apart, during a conversation between two Nigerian characters. The conversation goes as follows: “‘Does the white man understand our custom about land?’ ‘How can he when he does not even speak our tongue? But he says that our customs are bad” (Achebe). This interaction between the two characters proves how easily one culture can form an opinion about another culture, and then that opinion becomes the only perspective to view the culture.
The speech illustrates American values by expressing the individuality of each person that makes up a culture, and how an entire group of people can not fit into one mold because each person is unique. Adichie’s presentation relates to the Global Dream by enforcing the need for equality when an entire continent is received as a single, deficient culture with the same oppressive values, and is therefore ignored or viewed as inferior.
The speech was very persuasive and inspiring. Adichie not only exposed the under-representation of people of color in literature, she also undermined the foundation of stereotypes formed from a singular perspective. The speaker kept the audience engaged by using humor and relatable experiences.
Adichie’s presentation teaches people to keep their minds open when it comes to other cultures. There are numerous negative and positive stories that make up a group of people, and everyone is unique. Therefore, opinions should never be based off of a single story.
Author's Notes
I personally enjoyed Adichie's presentation very much. She eloquently described the formation of stereotypes based on a single perspective. Since listening to this speech, I have become more aware of how I perceive different cultures.