Danger of a Single Story Flashcards
What does the title ‘danger of a single story’ tell us.
It foreshadows her main argument that it is harmful to provide one narrative about a person or culture, which can lead to misunderstanding
How should you address the receiver’s of adichie’s speech when writing
her audience, because it is a speech
What does “I’m a storyteller’ tell us
It is a simple declarative sentence with a personal pronoun that engages the audience and implies that stories will be important
Adichie uses a light-hearted tone which is anecdotal
WHy does adichie use humour
to feel more reltable
‘they played in the snow,, they ate apples,, and they talked a lot about the weather’
lists what the white characters do, has monotony and is uninspiring
juxtaposes her previous commentry of her life in nigeria
what does the collective pronoun ‘we’ tell us
encourages a sense of unity
‘Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye’
Proper nouns provide a pivotal point and gives credibility to the authors
WHy does adichie compliment the British and American authors
she doesn’t want to accuse the authors of ‘harming’ her, she appreciates them
Why does achichie use humour
to seem more relatable, as being told off by parents is a universal experience (FIde)
‘My single story of them’
she critiques herself, proving it is a mistake that everyone can make, she includes herself
Why does adichie mention mariah carey
reference to popular culture has contrast between the ‘tribal’ music and mariah carey
‘She assumed I did not know how to use a stove’
short sentence shows limited view
‘well-meaning’
language choice explaining the roommate does not ant to offend her
ln55-60 adichie builds an argument of how she has been guilty also
it is difficult to appreciate difference if you are only offered one narrative, has shared credibility
‘that sort of thing’
has a dismissive tone, implying she no longer believes that
ln 67 tdoass
lack of conjunctions makes an endless list and offers contrast to her expectations
‘bought into’
suggests choice rather than foce
repetition of ‘over and over’
emphasises a cultural problem that repeats itself
anaphora of we tdoass
collective pronoun shared responsibility
List 3 of adichie’s thoughts and feelings
> stereotyping is dangerous
-cautionary tone ‘the danger,,’
-repetition of ‘over and over’
-parallel structure, ‘a single story of catastrophe’
-juxtaposition of antithesis of stories and reality
> Stories can be empowering
-juxtaposition of great possibilities (ln75-77)
-contrast ‘paradise’
-optimistic tone
-collective pronoun of ‘we’
-importance of African stories
> We are all guilty of stereotyping
-collective pronoun ‘we’
-self critique
-personal anecdotes
-language choice is empathetic ‘well-meaning’
