summary text: The danger of a single story | Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Nigerian well-known young author - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie presented the TED Talk "The danger of a single story" in 2009, explained how a story could significantly influence individual views. Discuss and debate that if people only hear about a person or situation from one aspect, they risk accepting one experience as the whole truth. Adichie began her talk by mentioning her childhood, sharing that western books were the only things that allowing her to perceive the outside world since she had never been outside Nigeria. Eventually, she acknowledged that people like her could be mention in literature as she discovered African books. Additionally, she recognized how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story, especially as children. After moving to America for further study, she has encountered people and observed their points of view on Africa. She understood and remembered times people turned to her whenever mentioning the word "Africa", and why her professor said her works were not Africa authentically. She continued by giving an example of her experience being stereotyped, describing her college roommate's surprise on meeting Adichie and perceiving she did not meet her preconceived notions of someone from Africa. These anecdotes emphasize how stereotypes developed as a result of insufficient and biased information. Subsequently, Adichie related her experiences while living in America and indicated to the audiences how has historically been the single story about Africa. She immediately ascertains the danger of a single story, which one fault perspective can lead people to erroneous assumptions, conclusions and decisions that may lead to misunderstanding throughout their lives. Therefore, she encouraged people to tackle social norms and dispel the stereotype. Hence, disrupting simplistic idea about how people of Africa was fighting senseless wars, how her people were dying from poverty and AIDS, unable to access education and mistreated, waiting to be liberated by a white foreigner. However, instead of censure people who acted privileged, Adichie empath with them and understand that if she had too, live in that misconception, she would too think the same way. The fundamental factor that creates a person’s life and shaped her became her today were from various events and stories, not just from a “single story”, which do not define a person is. The biggest issue Adichie identified is that power can be used to manipulate, through controlling how stories are told, who tells them, when they were told, and how many stories are told. She recounted time “single story” has also influenced her. It was shown by Adichie’s trip to Mexico when she was immersed in the American media coverage of Mexicans. She automatically connected all Mexicans with illegal immigration, sneaking across the border and being arrested. This was shown by Adichie’s trip to Mexico, she recounted that she was also influenced by the “single story”, showing that when she was immersed in the American media coverage of Mexicans she automatically connected all Mexicans with illegal immigration, sneaking across the border and being arrested. Finally, she reminded people that stories matter. It can dispossess and malign people, but it can also use to empower people. Her talk ends with her saying to the audiences to pursue diverse perspectives and tell stories based on their experiences, which helps break down the power of cliches and stereotypes.