People who lack first-hand experience of different phenomenons and cultures tend to rely on stereotypes fostered in media and popular culture. As a result, their worldview is very limited and flawed. This is one of the main ideas in The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The speaker tells a few stories from her life to supporting her point. To show how common it is for humans to believe in a “single story”, Adichie continuously juxtaposes cases where she was a victim of stereotyping and a person who wrongly judged others. Upon her arrival to the US, she was often treated with “patronizing well-meaning pity” because of her African descent (Adichie 00:04:48-00:04:53). Years later, when she visited Mexico for the first time, she perceived the local population as “abject immigrants” (Adichie 00:09:04-00:09:12). She was embarrassed when she realized she treated Mexicans the same way she was treated in the US by Americans. The strategy Adichie uses is compelling because she is not afraid to expose her weaknesses. It helps her to establish a connection with the audience and earn their trust. Hence, the viewers feel inclined to consider the instances in which they might have displayed similar behavior. Towards the end of the speech, Adichie uses an anaphora to emphasize the importance of knowing more than a “single story”. She continuously asks rhetorical questions starting with “what if” to engage the audience and show them how differently people could see other cultures if they made an effort to learn more about them. The inspiring stories of Nigerian individuals are effectively used as supporting evidence to prove her point.
Work Cited
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. “The Danger of a Single Story”. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading, 2009, Web.