A Danger of a Single Story - ENG LANG

“I’m a storyteller.”

Technique = This declarative short sentence...

Analysis = establishes her authority and credibility to the listeners by inviting them to trust her insights about her stories.

“the danger of a single story”

Technique = the use of the noun “danger”…

Analysis = foreshadows the listeners to potential harm by denoting how harmful it is to associate something by one meaning .

'“poor mother was obligated to read”

Technique = Speaker shares her stories by having empathy through anecdotes…

Analysis = Ths phrase “poor mother” evokes sympathy, making the sudience reflect on Adichie’s passion for stories, making her seem relatable and trustworthy.

1st paragraph context: grew up in Nigeria, questions stereotypes…

As Adichie grew up in Nigeria, she witnessed how stories (especially Western ones) shape people’s views on Africa, so she urges the listeners to question their sterotypes and build empathy for people from around teh world.

“they played in the snow… we didn’t have snow”

Technique = juxtaposes images of Western stories and her reality by using parallel sentences.

Analysis = By contrasting foreign expirences, from her own, Adichie sets a clear example of how ‘alienated’ she felt towards her surroundings, as she couldn’t relate to the stories she was taught about.

“impressionable” and “vulnerable”

Technique = emotive adjectives

Analysis = depicts how easily childrens’ perspectives’ are shaped by the narratives they encounter, especially if only one is displayed.

“we”

Technique = collective pronoun

Analysis = how single stories impact whole groups and not just individuals

“But because of writers like Chinua Achebe”

Technique = by using a turning point through conjeunction…

Analysis = she credits those who has opened up her viewpoint in literature

“mental shift”

Technique = noun…

Analysis = implies such drastic and deepening level of discovery that Adichie had gone through

“saved”

Technique = the verb…

Analysis = no longer feeling a sense of otherness towards the books she has grown up reading.

About Fide’s family:

provides thos by mentioning Fide’s family as it provides evidence to the listeners that she is credible about her stories.

“did not know how to use a stove”

Technique = Through short, impactful sentences…

Analysis = the speaker underscores the ignorant assumptions she had faced as her roomate assumed that she …

“single story”

Technique = by repeating a…

Analysis = it spotlights her central theme, and warns the readers how simplified views can cause harm.

“ashamed” and “guilty”

Technique = Emotive language like…

Analysis = reveals her own regret

“single story about them”

Analysis = humanises Adichie, allowing the readers to feel more trustworthy by being able to view her as someone with flaws and not just entirely criticism.