Danger of a Single Story

By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
STRUCTURE
1. It takes us chronologically through key times in the writer’s life.
  1. It starts with her recollection of her early reading of western stories and how they influenced her own youthful writing.
2. There is a narrative and reflective approach
  1. 3. As a visitor to Mexico, where she was guilty of stereotyping.
  2. 1. Taken through her early life in Nigeria
    1. When she stereotyped Fide's family to be poor and unable to be happy
    2. Talking about how she came from "a conventional, middle-class Nigerian family"
  3. 2. When she went to America and faced her roommate's default stereotypical expectations of her
3. Use of short, one-sentence paragraphing
  1. Effective: It emphasises key points, including her final point
4. Often use of repetition
  1. Effective: Shows she is trying to focus on the particular message
LANGUAGE
1. "They opened up new worlds for me"
  1. Metaphor: opened her eyes up to new cultures
2. "a few personal Stories"
  1. Anecdote: learning about her life
3. "All my characters were white and blue eyes, they played..."
  1. Listing: Stereotypes of western culture
  2. Juxtoposing to "We ate mangoes, and we never.."
    1. Repeated pronoun of "we" - uniting all Nigerians
4. "I'm a storyteller"
  1. Declaration: she is giving the audience a statement so they trust her
  2. "I" = personal pronoun
    1. Connection with the audience
  3. Takes the audience straight into the story
    1. Gives immediacy to the text
5. "conventional, middle-class Nigerian family"
  1. She accepts that she is priveliged
6. "British and American children's books"
  1. Declaration/Fact: dominant cultures
7. "Tribal music"
  1. Juxtoposing to: "Mariah Carey"
8. "I was startled"
  1. Juxtoposing to: "My American rommate was shocked by me"
"Single Story" - sibilance --> mystery, intriguing

Next up

Danger of a Single Story

Description

Resource summary

Similar

	Created by Daisy Swanbraugh over 6 years ago