Aim for the A*: The Danger of a Single Story

This powerful extract from Adichie’s TED talk consists of a number of anecdotes from her personal life. Adichie uses these effectively to explain, advise and warn readers on the ‘danger’ of having one fixed (unchanging) view of a person, country, or way of life. The use of ‘danger’ is evocative: it suggests that this matter is not to be taken lightly. 

She emphasises the importance of personal narratives (‘stories’), as she believes that they have a singular importance in helping readers understand the world. Throughout her discourse, she repeats the importance of keeping a broad mind, and being willing to change one’s fixed ideas about the world. 

She mentions that she has been a victim of narrow streams of thought. However, she confesses that she herself has been guilty of the same charge. 

Adichie begins her speech with a short statement, that succinctly spells out her vocation in life. 

She provides rich, personal details on her precocious childhood. She critiques the selection of (Western) books she was exposed to, stating that all her childhood books had ‘white, blue-eyed’ characters. This comparison is significant as it is a reference to ‘typical’ Caucasian features. She uses the phrase ‘impressionable and vulnerable’ to great effect, to reiterate the possible danger she was in- of growing up emotionally side-lined, and realizing that only white individuals could be part of literature. 

In the following paragraphs, she details how her attitudes thankfully changed due to her exposure to proud African writers. She describes her enlightenment as a ‘mental shift’. The use of the verb ‘saved’ is important, as it adds gravity to her sentiments. Furthermore, her vivid descriptions of African beauty (‘skin the colour of chocolate’) is testimony to her jubilant mood. 

In the next paragraph, Adichie provides information about her family. She also offers an example of how she herself became a perpetrator of narrow-minded ways of thinking. She believed that her household help, who came from an impoverished background, lived a very grim and dismal life. Her eyes were opened when she paid a visit to their houseboy’s village, where she saw the immense talent his brother displayed at handicrafts. She realised that in spite of a lack of material wealth, Fide’s family were incredibly gifted in other ways. 

The final sentence of this paragraph is noteworthy. She could be referencing the Western world’s preoccupation with a ‘single story’ of Africa, namely that of one of abject poverty. 

In the following paragraphs, Adichie again gives two more examples of how the narrative of a ‘single story’ had come into her life. Interestingly, she points out how a person’s position, and the relative privilege they have in crafting a single story, can change with the context and setting one is in. For example, she was a ‘victim’ in the States, where her college roommate stereotyped Adichie’s experience of Africa. Adichie later states that after some time in America, she came to understand why her roommate had held opinions as such. She criticises mass media (‘popular images’) for painting an one-dimensional picture of Africa (‘beautiful animals’, ‘incomprehensible people’ etc.). 

Her willingness to empathise with her roommate’s positions is testimony to the personal growth Adichie has experienced. She shows further example of this in the coming paragraph, where she confesses how the tables were turned and she herself became a perpetrator of stilted ways of thinking – she had held a view of Mexicans as being criminals and illegal immigrants. One can also say that Adichie shows immense courage in being candid about her own shortcomings. 

Adichie closes her talk by reminding us that stories are important. (‘Stories matter. Many stories matter’). She recalls the danger of narratives; how they can be used to ‘dispossess and malign’, and thereby dehumanise people. But she counteracts this by telling of the incredible power of good, stories can offer, and how they can help put an end to racism, bigotry and hatred; and help uplift people. 

In summary, some of the major themes that are explored in this piece of writing include prejudice, self-actualisation, the dangers of stereotypes, cultural identity, judgment and last but not least, the importance and power of personal narratives. 

Adichie uses a first-person narrative to take the reader chronologically through events in her own life. Recollections and memories form part of her speech. She uses a range of linguistic techniques to craft an extremely well-written, powerful piece of writing. Can you find examples of these (listing, patterns of three, repetition, etc.)?