Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story
by Ms. B. on Dec.05, 2010, under Blogging
About this talk
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice — and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
About Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies all but forgotten by recent generations of westerners, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novels and stories are jewels in the crown of diasporan literature.
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Monday « Our daily assignments
December 5th, 2010 on 11:05 pm[...] We will be commenting on a Ted Talk. [...]
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Wednesday, December 8th « Our daily assignments
December 8th, 2010 on 8:10 am[...] You need to make sure that you have posted your response to the Ted Talk. [...]
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Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story | Scholar's Talk Back
November 13th, 2011 on 3:32 pm[...] Click here to read the student responses [...]
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December 7th, 2010 on 8:12 am
The lady in video was totally different than i thought African Americans were. She had a house boy and was very wealthy. She was raised by a great family.
December 7th, 2010 on 8:58 am
Have you ever made a single story of someone? We all have made a first impression on someone, and Chimamanda is no different. She made first impressions or single stories on everyone she met like her house boy and Americans.
In Chimamanda’s talk, she described the single stories she made of others. First off, Chimamanda thought all Americans talked about the weather, drank, ate apples, and played in the snow. She achieved these ideas from the American Literature she read when she was a little girl. Secondly, she thought her house boy could have no-one talented in his family because he was poor. Although it was wrong, it was all she could think about because all she heard about the house boy, from her mother, was how poor he was. If all you heard about someone was how poor they were, wouldn’t you too have a single story of someone? She made single stories of everyone but little did she know that later in her life someone would make a single story of her and she would not be too happy about it.
When Chimamanda went to college, she had a roommate. This roommate had a single story of her. Since Chimamanda was from Africa (Nigeria), the roommate thought she spoke no English and asked her where she learned English so fluently. The roommate also thought Chimamanda did not know how to use a stove since she was from Africa thinking they used handmade fires. The roommate thought Chimamanda was poor being from Africa which is said to be a country on poverty. Finally, the roommate thought of Chimamanda as listener of tribal music and was surprised when she liked Mariah Carey.
I think Chimamanda did very well explaining the dangers of single stories. She taught me to get to know someone before you make a single story of someone. She also taught me that it really can harm and hurt people by making single stories. Like the cliché says, Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Chimamanda talked all about how she judged others and how others judged her. She eventually learned how harmful and dangerous single stories are. So next time you want to make a single story of someone, think of how you would feel if someone make a single story of you.
December 7th, 2010 on 8:59 am
Chimamanda Adichie believed that people are one story or many stories depending on how you are, you act and, your personality. Normally when people see her they think she’s from Africa so what would she have to say isn’t really important. But really what she had to say came from her and she deeply believed it.
Chimamanda talked about her first impression of her house boy. Her mom always told her that her house boy was poor. Her mother use to say stuff like “girl finish eating your food people like Fide and his family have nothing to eat”. So as far as she knew he was poor and since he was poor she thought he nor no one in his family would be talented. But she was wrong later on she founded out that his brother was talented he was able to make baskets and stuff like that.
When she went to college she had a roommate and her roommate was American so she already knew things would be different. Then she started talking about what if her roommate knew all these things about her and her family. Her roommate thought she didn’t know how to use a stove, not knowing how to speak English, thought she was poor because she lived in Africa, and thought she listen to Tribal music. But she was all wrong about her because she was not poor, her family had money, and she knew how to use a stove. She knew how to speak English because in Africa they speak English as well, and the music she liked Mariah Carey and music like that. So from what I heard I’m guessing after she founded out about her and how she was wrong she was shocked.
Chimamanda Adichie speech was about how she judged people and how people judged her. But really I think that people learned from her that you shouldn’t really judge people until you know them because at the end your all wrong about them. Their a better person then you think they are. So I think that her speech did get threw some people and I agree with all that she says.
December 7th, 2010 on 8:59 am
Ted Talks: Chimamanda Adichie
After I watched the Ted Talks video,the speaker, Chimamada Adichie said many important things and they all had good points. She talked about her life in Africa and people’s first impression on her and her country. She explained that you should get to know people and places before you judge them. When I think of Africa, I think about people living in poverty and starving. Chimamanda explained that wasn’t always true.
Throughout the video,Chimamanda told stories about her personal life and experiences. She described events when people thought her life was filled with poverty and she didn’t understand why.One example would be when they got a houseboy named Fide.Her mother had told them that his family was very poor and didn’t have many things like them.She said that their family would send their old clothes that didn’t fit them to his family.When they visited Fide’s family,she saw that his brother had a talent in which he beautifully designed baskets. Another example would be when she was at college in the United States and she met her roommate and figured out that Americans had an image of Africans which was different from hers.Her roommate figured that Chimamanda was a person who was born in poverty.She thought that Chimamanda didn’t know how to use a stove.Another thing was when her roommate asked to hear what she called her “tribal music.”Chimamanda put on a tape of Mariah Carey.Her roommate didn’t understand many things about her.
After I watched the video,I agreed with what she said. People assumed a “single story” about Africans.She admitted that she also thought of Mexicans as the “abject immigrant” and regular people like everyone else.I especially agreed with this story. As she said,”There were endless stories about Mexicans fleecing the healthcare system ,sneaking across the border,being arrested at the border,that sort of thing.”People assume many things about Mexicans and other races because they hear one story and create their own “single story.”No one imagines that people living in Mexico are just like them.They are hardworking,go to school,take care of their families,and do many things just like Americans.What I want to say is that people should get to know other people from whatever country before they imagine their life which is a lie compared to the truth.
In conclusion,Chimamanda Adichie had a good point in what she said.People should find out the truth before they assume lies.Whether you are talking about Mexicans,Africans,or any other people from any other race or country,you shouldn’t make up a “single story.”
December 8th, 2010 on 7:59 am
What is the Talk about?
I think she was talking about how her life was when she left nigeria.
Why did she want to tell her story?
Because she wanted to let poeple know how it feels when your from a country like africa and you come from africa.
•What are some of the “single stories” she shared in her Talk?
One of them was about is she was a child from africa she would think that africa was a place for pretty skin animals.
one of them were about that if she was a child born in africa she would have said that africa was a place with beautiful animals.
•How did this shape her?
It help her felt that she needed to tell people about nigeria
•What did she mean by “default” setting?
she meant like if she saw a darjk skinned man with an africa n accents she could imeadilty say thats he brother froem another mother and father.
December 8th, 2010 on 8:41 am
Chimamanda Adichie is an African woman who was from Nigeria. She is telling people about the single stories. She is telling us about how wrong that first single stories can be.
One of the many single stories she talks about is the one with her houseboy. She always thought that he was poor because of what her mother told her. Her mother would tell her to eat all her food because Fide didn’t have a lot of food so she felt pity. Until one day she and her family went to go see Fide’s family and village. When they got to his village and met his family she felt sad until she saw Fide’s brother, but since her mother had told her about how poor they was she couldn’t see how wonderful his talent was. Fide’s brother was very talented in making pots. He was a very good and smart individual. That was the first single story she knew about and she really noticed that.
Another story she talked about was she thought all white people had blonde hair and blue eyes. She had thought this because all the books she read had blonde hair and blue eyes.She also they thought that they always played in a lot of snow so the characters had a lot of the same information that they read her books.She also thought that they ate a lot of apples most of the time.She thought that people alwasys talked about how the weather is and how the sun was.Chimamanda also thought they drunk a lot of ginger beer so her character had ginger beer.That was her first impression on American people in the United States she always thought that they were white,blonde hair,blue eyes,and they drunk a lot of ginger beer.When she got to the U.S she saw that it was different and that her single story was wrong.She also had changed her mind about the people in the U.S.
I do think people should listen to Chimamanda because a single story can really change your opinion on something.A single story can make you think wrong about something because you heard so much and it can make you think wrong about people too.You shouldn’t think of a single story yourself because when you think of one someone else is thinking of one about you and you won’t know anything unless you talk to them. You have to speak and get your information before you make a single story about anyone or anything so your information can be right and you speak to someone. You should watch the Chimamanda Ted Talk because it is true and what she is telling you is true also.You just can’t look at someone and think their a killer you can’t do that because they are probably a very sweet person like “Killer D.”My single story about Killer D was that she was a crazy person with anger promblems but really they were cool people and my single story had change.
December 8th, 2010 on 8:48 am
I believe the talk of Chimamanda Adichie because all of us have a single story from different sides of the world. She is also a great reader and she also mimicked the stories she was reading and all of her characters are white and blue eyes.
Chimamanda was middle class family and her father is a professor and her mother is an administrator. When she turned eight they got a new houseboy and was very poor her mother told her. And when she can’t finish her dinner her mother yell at her to “finish your food! Don’t you know people’s like Fide’s family got nothing to eat”. Then one Saturday morning they went to his village and found out that the brother of Fide is talented. She was shocked she can’t believed that one of him of his family members have a talent.
When the time she moved to the United States she got a room roommate and asked to him that how she learned how to speak english. And she just said that the Nigeria have English as their official language. The girl also think that Chimamanda only know tribal music but her roommate was just shocked when he pulled out her tape of Mariah Carey. When she was in United States she realized that some blacks are not treated equally.In the time she traveled around the world she just realized that one country don’t have only one single story but more than one. This is why she don’t want to descriminate people because of their physical character.
My opinion in this video that all people in the world have a single story in a certain place. She is a nice and wealthy african and she is not just like not others that think all can be get using a money. She tried to be a good and humble person. She strived to inspire other African or other race be a good and not discriminate people. All I can say in this video is that she got her ideas evolve or spread it out because she have been to many places that she considered as home and she also seen many faces that can be good or bad.
I therefore conclude that, Chimamanda is a good citizen in her country. She is also a person who knows how to read the mind of other people. She also don’t judge people in their physical view but in inside and out.She don’t discriminate people cause he/she is different from her.
December 8th, 2010 on 8:52 am
After watching the Ted Talk video, I had a different point of view of Africa. I understood what she was talking about. She really had a good point of view, and she explained it really good. Some people don’t explain things good.
She talked about how her houseboy was poor, and she thought him and his family wasn’t cable of nothing. How her mother used to say, “eat your food don’t you know that some families don’t have nothing.” Then when she went to where his family lived she was surprised at how they were able to make things.
Then she talked about how she went to college in the U.S and how everyone thought she was poor. How her professor thought she couldn’t used a stove. Then everyone thought Africa was full of provety and wild animals and stuff.
Like I said after watching it I have a whole different point of view. She said that no one should make up a single story about people. That you should get to know them first before you make up lies. I totally believe.
December 8th, 2010 on 11:59 am
Chimamanda Adichie is an African woman that grew up on a university campus in Nigeria. She is a known storyteller. She tells personal stories that she call “danger of the single story”. It touches a lot of people in many ways.
One of her single stories tells about her and a fellow roommate. Her roommate felt pity for her because she was from Nigeria. She assumed that she didn’t know how to use a stove. Her roommate even thought that she couldn’t speak English. She made an impression that Chimamanda didn’t listen to American music. This shocked her.
TED talk is about the dangers in believing in a single story. The media can tell you one thing, but they don’t know the whole story behind it. It’s like you judge a person before you even get to know their life story. Since Chimamanda is from Africa, people assumed she was poor and homeless. She actually lives in a house and drives cars. She lived like anybody else in America.
My opinion of the talk is that it made me realize to never make a first impression about someone before getting to know them. The argument is very demanding. She tells how the experience shaped her and opened her eyes to a new world. This speech is very persuasive because she has a lot of background information. She shows you what the media puts out there isn’t always what it seems. This has really made an impact on me as a person.
In conclusion, You can see that Chimamanda Adichie has grew as a woman and a person. TED talk is an inspiring story. She teaches you to never judge a book by it’s cover, without reading the pages.
December 8th, 2010 on 1:14 pm
In Chimamanda’s talk, she described the single stories she made of others. First off, Chimamanda thought all Americans talked about the weather, drank, ate apples, and played in the snow. She achieved these ideas from the American Literature she read when she was a little girl. Secondly, she thought her house boy could have no-one talented in his family because he was poor. Although it was wrong, it was all she could think about because all she heard about the house boy, from her mother, was how poor he was. If all you heard about someone was how poor they were, wouldn’t you too have a single story of someone? She made single stories of everyone but little did she know that later in her life someone would make a single story of her and she would not be too happy about it.
My opinion of the talk is that it made me realize to never make a first impression about someone before getting to know them. The argument is very demanding. She tells how the experience shaped her and opened her eyes to a new world. This speech is very persuasive because she has a lot of background information. She shows you what the media puts out there isn’t always what it seems. This has really made an impact on me as a person.
I do think people should listen to Chimamanda because a single story can really change your opinion on something.A single story can make you think wrong about something because you heard so much and it can make you think wrong about people too.You shouldn’t think of a single story yourself because when you think of one someone else is thinking of one about you and you won’t know anything unless you talk to them. You have to speak and get your information before you make a single story about anyone or anything so your information can be right and you speak to someone. You should watch the Chimamanda Ted Talk because it is true and what she is telling you is true also.You just can’t look at someone and think their a killer you can’t do that because they are probably a very sweet person like “Killer D.”My single story about Killer D was that she was a crazy person with anger promblems but really they were cool people and my single story had to change.
After watching the Ted Talk video, I had a different point of view of Africa. I understood what she was talking about. She really had a good point of view, and she explained it really good. Some people don’t explain things good.
She talked about how her houseboy was poor, and she thought him and his family wasn’t cable of nothing. How her mother used to say, “eat your food don’t you know that some families don’t have nothing.” Then when she went to where his family lived she was surprised at how they were able to make things.
I believe the talk of Chimamanda Adichie because all of us have a single story from different sides of the world. She is also a great reader and she also mimicked the stories she was reading and all of her characters are white and blue eyes.
December 8th, 2010 on 1:16 pm
A single story
I’m embarrassed, that I to have a single story about Africa. I embarrassed to say that when I think of Africa I think of people having aids and living in a hut with a whole bunch of children. Her single story was about that when other people think about Africa they think about the skin colors of animals. They poor and the children’s don’t eat and they hungry and can’t find no food to eat.
It shaped her because it opened her mind to let her realize that if this how people think of a place then they needs to change the way they think because it could offend lots of people like when she first came to college down here in America and her roommate ask her to play her tribal music and she pulled out her tribal music. This I think helped her open her mind and gave that speech that she did.
When she said default settings I think it means that the first thing that you think of about Africa are the default settings. For example Africa has black people there; they have tall black people that are poor. Some of those are the default settings.