A Single Story

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED story was so eloquently spoken. She portrays a message that everyone in our society today should definitely be reminded of every once in awhile. Not only does she speak so beautifully, but also she speaks with truth, compassion and intelligence. Adichie has so much insight on the idea of the danger of a “single story,” and also acknowledges the fact that she is guilty in the single story as she describes her experience in Mexico. She too, has been caught up with stereotypes and felt quite surprised when she was in Guadalajara. She describes her feeling as being “overwhelmed with shame.” Prejudice is something that is very hard to escape from in the society we have all grown up in. Whether or not one wants to admit it, we all have formed some bit of prejudice against certain groups of people. As individuals, as communities, as societies, and as a world all together, we need to work on clearing these preconceptions about people. Individuals should not be grouping certain types of people under one umbrella, because no individual is the same. We need to let our ignorance of our single stories go. When Adichie came to America, she shocked her roommate. Her roommate couldn’t understand how she had just moved from Nigeria and was able to speak English so well. She was also shocked that Adichie knew who Mariah Carey was and knew how to use a stove. As Adichie put it, her roommate had a “default position towards her” and felt as if she had to feel pity for her before she even knew her. Her roommate knew one single story of Africa. She had one idea, one conception. She didn’t know anything. And everything she thought Adichie represented was incorrect.

“Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie