Summary
“The Danger of a Single Story” is a speech given by a Nigerian writer named Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who grew up in eastern Nigeria. All Adichie read were British and Amercian childrens books. As a writer she wrote what she read about. Her characters in her story were white and blue eyed. The American and British books influenced her to have a desire to drink ginger beer because of the British books she read. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie later describes how everything changed when she discovered African books. They were rare to find. Adichie later moved to the United States where she met her roommate and realized her roommate just had one story of Africa that influenced how she thought about the country and didnt notice how she read a single story and based all her assumptions on that one story. She then later realized to embrace her African roots. The writer later describes how a single story from any part of the world narrates how the person views that specific country and people. The writer also explains John Locke and his references to black Africans and his ignorant assumptions. One sided stories create false narratives. When stories are told it all depends on power. The misconceptions one story can tell can put people down and very easily have the opportunity to generelize people. She also goes on to talk about her trip to Mexico and she herself generalized the Mexican community but felt embarrassed that she didnt educate herself enough that she only held on perspective from one story she read. When you read, read from all perspectives, not just one. One single story can affect the way you think of others and it’s best to read more than one story so you can grasp an idea better and escape the trap one single story can have on the way you think.
Response
I loved TEDtalk and enjoyed listening to the author explaining her experiences and what she learned. Growing up in Nigeria with a little representation of her community impacted her writing greatly. Many people make assumptions about others based on news, articles, posts, what they read and what they watch. It greatly influences how you think of others. Having one perspective of a story is like looking at a corner of a painting and judging the painting of that one corner. When it’s a huge painting, you can step back and actually look at the bigger picture. I love how the author explained how she first started writing and the books she read as a child influenced her writing. Adichie now has a writing workshop where others share their own stories and I love that. Having people share their wonderful stories creates a bigger and better perspective on anything talked about. Writing is beautiful communicating because you share your ideas and thoughts.
