The danger of a single story, C. N. Adichie

Question 1

Author

Answer 1

Adichie

Question 2

Genre

Answer 2

Speech

Question 3

Audience

Answer 3

anyone who speaks english

Question 4

Subject

Answer 4

dangers of stereotyping, cultural identity, narrow-mindness

Question 5

Purpose

Answer 5

to inform and make audience reflect on this problem

Question 6

Perspective

Answer 6

1st person, present tense

Question 7

Structure

Answer 7

1) Adichie’s recollections of her early reading stories
2) Introduction to african literature
3) Narrative and reflective approach as taken through Adichie’s experiences
4) short, one-sentence paragraphing
5) Patterning and repetition of sentences

Question 8

Adichie’s thoughts and feelings

Answer 8

• Stereotyping is dangerous
• We are all guilty of stereotyping
• Stories can be empowering

Question 9

Stereotyping is dangerous

Answer 9

• Cautionary tone “the danger of…”
• Juxtaposition + antithesis of stories and realities (books, Fide, Roommate, Mexicans)
• Repetition “a single story of catastrophe”

Question 10

We are all guilty of stereotyping

Answer 10

• Collective pronoun “we”
• Language choice “unintended”, “wel-meaning” empathetic tone, doesn’t blame audience
• Use of personal anecdotes to show her guilty
• Self-critique, establishes credibility

Question 11

Stories can be empowering

Answer 11

• Juxtaposition of great possibilities (75-77)
• Can make people think a certain way
• Rejecting a single story, makes us powerful, as we gain knowledge
• Colon (27) emphasizes benefits of hearing a story correctly, saving from dangers of a s.s.