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The Danger of A Single Story Assignment

Adichie discusses the danger of having a single story about other people and places. A single story robs people of their dignity by only focusing on their differences rather than their similarities. It can lead to stereotyping places like Afghanistan or Norway based on limited information. To avoid this, we should seek out multiple perspectives on issues and talk to people from different backgrounds to gain a more complete understanding. Power dynamics often allow those in power to define the dominant narrative about others. We need to make an effort to hear diverse voices and stories to combat the reductionism of a single story.

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1K views2 pages

The Danger of A Single Story Assignment

Adichie discusses the danger of having a single story about other people and places. A single story robs people of their dignity by only focusing on their differences rather than their similarities. It can lead to stereotyping places like Afghanistan or Norway based on limited information. To avoid this, we should seek out multiple perspectives on issues and talk to people from different backgrounds to gain a more complete understanding. Power dynamics often allow those in power to define the dominant narrative about others. We need to make an effort to hear diverse voices and stories to combat the reductionism of a single story.

Uploaded by

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Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Name: Maggie Baumgarten

Period: 3

“The Danger of a Single Story”

1. On what topics might you have a single story?


I might have a single story on most other peoples and countries, since I have never been there and only know
so much about them. For example, I only know the single story of what I have heard about Afghanistan, which
is that it is a terrorist base when not left in check, and that the people are poor, and have no leadership. I may
also have a single story on rich countries, such as Norway. I have been told that Norway has an HDI (human
development index) score higher than any other country. This means that they have wonderful education,
long life expectancies, and excellent healthcare, among other things. All I see is how well off they are.
However, I am sure that there is another side to the story that may be less perfect.

2. What stories do you tell about yourself? Which ones make you who you are?
The stories that I tell about myself are often what I do in my free time. I dance, and do a lot of musical things,
which really make me who I am. Without music, my life would be completely different, so those stories make
me who I am.

3. According to Adichie, what is the danger of a single story?


According to Adichie, the danger of a single story is: that it robs people of dignity, and it emphasizes how
people are different instead of how they are similar. She gives many examples of this, like her own
experiences with people devaluing African culture because it is supposed to be ‘poor’ or somehow different
from their own.

4. What is the connection between power and stories? How does this text deal with human rights?
The connection between power and stories is that those in power often tell single stories of those who have
lesser power. Conquerors often portray themselves as more benevolent than they were, and they were
portrayed as heroes. The stories of victims are often suppressed. This deals with human rights in that the
voices of peoples who are not in power are often unheard, and the single story continues to dehumanize
them.

5. How can we learn more perspectives and hear more stories?


We can learn more perspectives and hear more stories if we look for both sides of an argument, or find
multiple conflicting perspectives on our own. We can do this by talking to people in different places or reading
their books to find out their views and perspectives. We can also have an open mind about different things. If
we look for perspectives and do not have an open mind, then it is pointless to assume that we will learn
anything new.

General Notes
- As a child, she wrote stories similar to those of the foreign books she read
as child, with white people and things that she could not identify with.
- Her discovery of African writers saved her from thinking that there was
only a single story.
- When she went to university in the United States, her roommate had only
the single story of how Africa was poor, and didn’t consider that she could
be her equal.
- She thinks that the single story from Africa comes from English
literature.
- It is impossible to talk about a single story without talking about power-
those in charge (nkali) have the ability to tell the stories and the quantity of
them
- She says to only focus on her negative memories would make her
incomplete, and it is just as important to engage with positive stories and
negative stories.

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