What kinds of expression does Adichie use? How do you view her message in terms of what you have learned in this module?
Adichie's (2009) lecture on 'The Danger of a Single Story' is reflective on her own experiences in being influenced by stories whether it was through literature and novels or spoken gossip through one-on-one conversations. She utilizes the expression of thoughts that are based in conclusions and interferences drawn from her own value judgement (McKay, Davis, & Fanning, 2009, p. 35). The concern that she comes to realize is the underrepresentation of certain elements from being biased against a person to stereotyping on a cultural level based on ethnic differences. This idea of a single story skewing the perception she had started out at a young age where she consumed only American and British novels leaving her to believe that people like her could not exist in these written tales. However, as she discovered some African writers that were just as influential helped to widen her perception from having a 'single story' mentality. Adichie (2009) was able to see beyond a single view and moved towards achieving a multitude of views to understand a something in its entirety.
This recognition of her partiality made her realize her own biases and prejudices. She relates this to her personal experiences of her family having a house boy and her mother's comments about how poor his family was. This single-story view of him was all that she had and that is all that he became in her mind. However, when she and her family went to visit his family, she realized that they were hard workers too. This leads to her expression through observations that used her senses in understanding of his story (McKay, Davis, & Fanning, 2009, p. 35). Her first impression of their poverty was dispelled when she realized there was more to their story than what her mother had told.
Adichie (2009) then follows this pattern of the 'single story' perspective and retells tales of other experiences where it appears. She focuses on her roommate unintentionally patronizing her based on her ethic background and the single story of catastrophe that Africa has been commonly depicted as. This is followed by another story with her professor who told her story was not 'authentically African' enough because it was considered too relatable. Adichie (2009) then relates this issue with a single story within herself and her impression of Mexicans as the abject immigrants from the media. This particular expression was on feelings and was influenced by her surroundings and what she became to believe from the media.
The point that is heavily substantiated by Adichie (2009) is that when listeners only hear a single story over and over again about a particular person, place, or thing then that storyline what they become in the minds of the listener. One of the main concerns is that this can lead to stereotypes that cause people to become prejudice. These preconceived notions can be dangerous even when they are positive because they subject that person to become that viewpoint. If they are unable to become what is expected then it can lead to their own failure (Devarajan, 2018). Adichie (2009) notes that stereotypes are not untrue, but rather incomplete because they only tell one side of the story. She goes back to the expressions of thoughts and her own conclusions on what the impact of a single story is and how it can be dangerous.
Adichie (2009) then shifts slightly to the expression of need for people to tell stories holistically because there is so much that is made unaware to the public. This statement to help bring light to the whole story of places like Nigeria, that have a certain image based on a single narrative, can be fixed. She aims to show that it is possible to show the good sides through springboard stories and utilizes this as a call to action to avoid only listening to single stories (Denning, 2010, p. 59). This is a motivating moment because of her delivery is authentic and is sincere through her tone of voice and body language.
This leads to her second point on the subject of power that these single stories can hold when they are told as one-sided by the media or public figures. The impact is that stories do matter in the narratives of people's lives because they can be used to malign or empower. It is not justified when only a single aspect of a story is told or focused on without being able to engage in the full story of the subject. When a single story is told it can rob a person of their dignity making it difficult for us to recognize the truth. However, when we are able to see the truth, Adichie (2009) sums this up beautifully saying, "Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity."
References
Adichie, C.N. (2009, October 7). The danger of a single story [Video File]. Ted Conferences, LLC. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcript
Denning, S. (2011). The leader’s guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative (Revised and updated edition). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Devarajan, K. (2018, February 17). 'Strong' black woman? 'Smart' asian man? The downside to positive stereotypes. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2018/02/17/586181350/strong-black-woman-smart-asian-man-the-downside-to-positive-stereotypes
McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The communication skills book (3rd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.
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