THE DANGER OF A SINGLE STORY Flashcards
“I’m a storyteller”
I’m- personal pronoun-engages the audience
” although I think four is probably close
to the truth”
ethos- establishes credibility
“All my characters were white and blue-eyed. They played in the snow. They ate apples. And they talked a lot about the weather, how
lovely it was that the sun had come out.”
extensive listing- monotonous- uninspiring
” We didn’t have snow. We ate mangoes. And we
never talked about the weather, because there was no need to.”
contrasting to what she said and what her reality was.
Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye
alluded to African authors- establishes credibility
” loved” and “ unintended consequence “
use of careful language - doesn’t want to sound accusatory or bitter about British and American books.
“Their poverty was my single story of them. “
critiques herself- brings her closer to the audience
” I had learned to speak English so well” juxtaposed against “ English as its official language “. “tribal music” juxtaposed against “Mariah Carey”.
roommates expectations versus Adiche’s reality
” She assumed that I did not know how to use a stove. “
one sentence para- emphasises her roommate’s limited view.
” a single story of Africa. A single story of catastrophe”
parallel sentence structure- change of “Africa” to”catastrophe”
” No possibility of feelings more complex than pity. No possibility of a connection as human equals. “
anaphora- technique
“I too am just as guilty”
taking responsibility
“So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become. “
repetition-emphasizing the seriousness of stereotypes
“stories matter…stories have been used to…stories can break..”
repetition- shows possibilities stories hold
