In the danger of a single story there is a women named Chimamanda Ngozi who started off her speech with talking about her experience in Africa and her experience reading books based on a culture she cant relate with. In her speech she talks about her reading English, American Children’s books that have characters with blue eyes, blonde hair with white skin. At this point in time she didn’t read any other form of books and would write her own books based off the books she’s read. She felt that all books had to be foreign, couldn’t be something she could relate to personally. Due to this fact she became tunnel visioned, Eventually she had to write a paper for school and upon submitting her assignment her professor felt that her work didn’t describe her African heritage. This shows that the danger of one story keeps her having one perspective but as she began to read books that were towards her on a personal level she realized how many views there can be. She realizes not just in her heritage and life but that when it comes to how America tells there stories or anyone who tells a story in general how it could be told. America often tells stories starting off with what happened secondly. Instead of saying Columbus discovered America start of with the native Americans were here first. She mentions a family in Africa that are neighbors to her that are hardworking but if you hear is that there poor. The point she trying to make is that based off how you tell your story or start your story changes narrative on how its perceived. This view shows how the danger of a story impacts the way people view each other and on themselves.
My interpretation off this speech was that she was right because if people aren’t open minded it could lead to having a view on something that isn’t valid. Additionally their will be no room to grow as people because if everyone has the same thought process or opinions then how does that promote change. It only popularizes and idea that isn’t all the way valid. It can lead to people idolizing they view personally and not being satisfied where they at or envy another persons lifestyle.
