Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's The Danger Of A Single Story

Voltaire posits tolerance is the consequence of humanity and that we must accept each other for our differences. This enlightenment focuses on human compassion and understanding in all cultures to live harmoniously, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s artistry in TED Talks “The Danger of a Single Story” is reflective of the importance of discarding cultural assumptions. The ability to see the nuances of anything challenging, interesting, or even mundane in life allows one to broaden their horizons regardless of stereotypes and false assumptions. Adichie’s “single story” narrative provides contextual support of how people often misjudge or misinterpret others who have not had the same life experiences. Adichie gains the reader’s attention through
Adichie discusses that her first attempts at writing were based on her own understanding of the world based on things she read, British and English books. In early writings the limited worldview of literary influence was evident in her choice to write about “ginger beer because the characters in British books [she] read drank ginger beer” (Adichie, 1:26). One would argue that this is common among many novice writers as they draw on their own experiences, but Adichie actually drew on readings instead. This is where she begins her cautionary message of the danger in the single story since her writing encapsulates the perspective of things you are exposed to as real and important. Adichie further addresses a misnomer that good writers were unhappy children, or subjects of devastating tragedy; then describes her awakening to the idea that these negatives only “flatten [her] experiences” and overlook stories that formed [her], creating that single story “and the problem with stereotypes” is “they are untrue” and “incomplete” (Adichie, 13:14). Her cautions illustrate the need for deeper understanding of others before drawing conclusions. The metaphor is a powerful message that she repeats throughout “The Danger of a Single Story,” which can be an effective tool to
Support for this is driven by her race and place of birth, Nigeria. The preconceived notion about her origins provides those she comes in contact with to fall back on the ill-informed stereotypes we have about African nations. The strategic steadiness of the anaphoric technique builds the foundation for her argument of the danger of making biased presumptions. Upon Adichie’s arrival to the U.S., her encounter with her new college roommate to an interesting turn. The young girl was surprised Chimamanda spoke fluent English since she was from Africa, unaware that its the official language of Nigeria, and then had the audacity to ask to listen to her “tribal music” (Adichie, 4:33). The fact that her favorite artist was Mariah Carey would likely shock most people. The danger Adichie is attempting to reveal through her anaphoric method is yet again expressed through her discussion of John Lok and Rudyard Kipling’s literary works, which depict African natives in a less than flattering light (Adichie, 6:39; 7:23). This is dangerous because there are many cultured, educated people from all continents and it seems her goal is to illuminate her audiences to bridge the cultural divides and arrive at all people are human beings with unique stories that do