Danger Of A Single Story Flashcards

"Her default position towards me, as an African, was a kind patronising, well-meaning pity"

Plosive alliteration emphasises her anger at the stereotypical views and ignorance of her American roommate.

"What this demonstrates, I think, is how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story, particularly as children."

Emotive language used to create more serious tone - emphasises how stories can shape people's views from a young age and encourages people to question what they read.

"We didn't have snow, we ate mangoes, and we never talked about the weather." "They played in the snow, they ate apples, they talked a lot about the weather."

Collective pronouns - contrasts her experiences in Nigeria with English experiences she read about - highlights how alien what she was reading was to her.

"His mother showed us a beautifully patterned basket ... that

his brother had made. I was startled. It had not occurred to me

that anybody in his family could actually make something. All I

had heard about them was how poor they were."

Juxtaposition - contrasts this creation with the families' poverty - highlights her surprise that they could make things - had a single story of them.

"She assumed that I did not know how to use a stove."

Short paragraph - shock audience and highlight the power of stories, especially since she was middle class.

"They stirred my imagination." "They opened up new worlds for

me."

Highlights the power of books and highlight American and English lit's influence on her. "New worlds" - their experiences were alien.

"I'm a storyteller." "Stories matter." "Many stories matter."

Repetition and short sentences - emphasises impact of stories can have on understanding. Storyteller implies someone writing fiction but text is about how stories impact life

"I wrote exactly the kinds of stories I was reading: all my characters were white and blue-eyed, they played in the snow, they ate apples, and they talked about the weather..."

Lists - emphasises the effect that stereotypical stories had on her and made her have stereotypical views as well.

STRUCTURE

Speaks in chronological order to demonstrate her shifting attitude throughout life.

"My American roommate was shocked by me. She asked me where I had learned to speak English so well ... she asked if she could listen to what she called my "tribal music" and was disappointed when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey"

Anecdote - shows she was suprised by her roomate's ideas of her and enlightened her on how people percieve Africans.

"I remember first feeling slight surprise. And then, I was overwhelmed with guilt. I realised that I had been so immersed in the media coverage of Mexicans that they had become one thing in my mind, the abject immigrant"

Anecdote - creates common ground with audience by showing that she too is capable of stereotyping.

"no possibility of Africans being similar to her in any way, no possibility of feelings more complex than pity, no possibility of a connection as human equals."

tricolon and repetition - emphasises how single stories can make people narrow minded and cause divides.

my characters were all white and blue eyed, they played in the snow, they ate apples, and they talked a lot about the weather..........we didn't have snow, we ate mangoes and we never talked about the weather

Juxtaposition emphasises how alien these things were to her and how disconected she felt from it.

"Her default position towards me, as an African, was a kind of patronizing, well-meaning pity,"

Polosives emphasise her anger and indignance

'fleecing', 'sneaking' and 'being arrested'

Semantic field of criminal intent

Anecdote about time in Mexico + 'laughing'

humanises mexicans

'Stories have been used to dispossess and

to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize.'

antithesis emphasises differing power of stories

we regain a kind of paradise."

noun paradise has connotations of peace and perfection and harmony