August 17

English 4 and 1A Assignment — Adichie’s Argument Against a Single Story

The Danger of A Single Story: TEDtalk with Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie

View the above TEDtalk. You may activate the closed caption service and read along with the talk. As you listen, make note of Adichie’s position. Answer the following questions:
Include your name and class 4 or 1A in your response.

1) How does the author introduce her topic?

2) Why is it relevant that she began in this way?

3) What evidence does she provide to support her position?

4) Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.

Directions: Click the title, then scroll down. You should see a white box titled, “comment”. That’s where you will type your answer. Be sure to copy your work before you click “submit”. Type your email address or at least one that looks like an email address in the blank. You do not need to type a website address on that line; but, you do need to type the spam filter code. Again, be sure to copy and save your work before you submit because sometimes student’s work is lost. Then submit.

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Posted August 17, 2017 by tashak38 in category Uncategorized

About the Author

I live in the San Francisco Bay Area--Big Up to the East Bay

48 thoughts on “English 4 and 1A Assignment — Adichie’s Argument Against a Single Story

  1. Jennifer

    Jennifer Timbol
    English 1A

    1) How does the author introduce her topic?
    Chimamanda Adichie introduces her topic by introducing “single story” to the audience and telling us the types of books that she started reading.

    2) Why is it relevant that she began in this way?
    It’s relevant that she started that way because she then continues to tell the audience how this certain experience in her childhood affected her thinking. I think in a way, it’s how “single story” became a “thing”. So that the audience can see deeper into her words knowing where the roots are from.

    3) What evidence does she provide to support her position?
    I think the perfect example for this was when she finally met Fide’s family and she was shocked at the fact that they were able make things but she had a hard time seeing them as anything else but poor.

    She then tells the audience about her college roommate and how the experience with Fide’s family applies to this certain moment; except this time she’s in Fide’s family’s position where her roommate has a close mind.

    4) Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.
    After watching this video it definitely made me rethink a couple of situations.
    But one that stood up to me was when my family and I moved back to the Philippines when I was in 8th grade. We came back to the United States a year later. 9th grade in high school, many of my schoolmates and friends from middle school would asked me if I had to live in a Bungalow or if I lived in the jungle. I just thought it was funny because they just thought Philippines was a poor country (it is, but we don’t live in bungalows). In fact, the Philippines is actually very americanized. They have stores like H&M and Starbucks.

    Reply
  2. Angelika Ramos

    1.)How does the author introduce her topic?
    The author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie introduces her topic by telling us her personal experiences of her early life; reading children’s books and writing stories. However the books she read were British and American, they contained stories of “white boys with blue eyes” and talked about the weather. Thus, 7 year old Adichie writes stories similar to those books, presuming that when she wrote stories they had to contain foreign characters and do foreigner things. In other words Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has also fallen victim in believing the single story.

    2.)Why is it relevant that she began in this way?
    It is relevant that Adiche started that way because it leaves an impact by letting us know that she to has also believed in the single story. For instance she wrote stories similar to the British and American books because she believed that books had to have British and American people in them. Also, the experiences that she listed can relatable to us.

    3.)What evidence does she provide to support her position?
    The evidence that Adichie provides to support her position is that she gave personal experiences like, “My American roommate was shocked by me. She asked where I had learned english so well, and was confused when Nigeria happened to English as its official language.” Adichie explains “My roommate had a single story of Africa: a single story of catastrophe. In this single story, there was 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.” Other evidence contained experiences other people have gone through. For example, America has a single story of Mexicans. “And, as often happens in America immigration became synonymous with Mexicans. There were endless stories of Mexicans as people who were fleecing the health care system, sneaking across the border, being arrested at the border, that sort of thing.” Adichie states.

    4.)Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.
    No, I don’t believe in single stories of a group or person. When I hear these single stories, I just listen nothing more. The reason I do this is because it may not be true or because it’s their personal experience. I don’t judge a situation by some else’s experience but my own. For instance people will tell me my best friend is provocative, however she isn’t. It’s just these boys don’t know how to contain themselves. Just because of that my best friends has a bad name for herself, which she shouldn’t because she’s a good person.

    Reply
  3. Jhon Yu Liao

    Jhon Yu Liao

    ENGL 1A

    Yuhoijhon@gmail.com

    1. The novelist Chimamanda Adichie introduces her topic by comparing her experiences in Nigeria with the American and British stories she read in her childhood.

    2. The way she began her speech is relevant because it provides a first impression with the audience, and how it later the author shows her point of view or main topic.

    3. Evidences that support her positions are her experiences about Mexicans where the Americans think that it is normal for them to immigrate to the USA, and they are painted or illustrated as violent, but she went to Guadalajara, Mexico and saw how the people were normal: ” I remember the first day, I was walking in Guadalajara… Watching the people going to work,.. smoking laughing.” Another evidence is when she came to the USA, and the Americans thought that Africa was a country, and people called her African because they did not know her country.

    4. Yes, I have experienced that some people say the Colombian culture is related with drugs or violence. They usually associated this country with Pablo Escobar, but there are many famous people that are good influence for the society like Shakira, James Rodriguez, Juan Pablo Montoya, Grabiel Gracia Marquez or Juanes. The Colombians are helpful, kind and friendly.

    Reply
  4. Milan Lopes

    1. The author begins her topic by telling us about her childhood. Letting us know a little bit about herself then jumping straight into the issue. All the books she read where depicted with white children and she couldn’t relate.

    2. I think it’s significant she began this way because she’s letting the audience know that she was exposed to the “single story” as a child. That the stories in her mind where portrayed by white characters like the books she was reading. It brings the issue to the forefront; that better cultural representation is needed in literature and media, because children are impressionable and vulnerable at a young age, they should be exposed to more than just an Anglo Saxon viewpoint.
    3. She explains how Americans have a single story for Africa and used an example of a writing from an English merchant in the 1500’s who call her people beasts. He was the beginning of Africa being seen as a place of darkness and difference.
    4. I never had to give other countries much thought during high school except for to say maybe world history. While going to college I started to meet many more different people from so many different backgrounds. I’m ashamed to say I’ve had a narrow viewpoint of other countries. It wasn’t until I met someone from Africa that I found that its not all rural and undeveloped or in war like with the tootsie genocide. My friend told me all about his life there, and I started to think maybe it be better not to live in America, where we think were the greatest and only care about ourselves. My friend ended up moving back when he left I asked him why and he said he couldn’t take the constant completion. The constant need for money, the way everyone has to show off, he says its different where he’s from more simple. sometimes I wish I knew a simpler life too

    Reply
  5. tiffanymcheung

    Tiffany Cheung- English 4

    How does the author introduce her topic?
    Chimamanda introduces her topic with her own experiences, her childhood and how she too fell captive to the “single story” narrative that plagues us all at one point or another. She shares her experiences as a reader and a storyteller, and how it transitions into having one single viewpoint or stereotype of a person or group of people, and just how dangerous that can be at times.

    2) Why is it relevant that she began in this way?
    it’s relevant she began this way because it’s something we can relate to. We have all heard different stories and viewpoints on other nationalities, minority groups, and different kinds of people in general- and stuck with that assumption until something changed it (or we can still be thinking it today), but it’s relevant because it makes us think back to our own childhoods and perhaps the preconceived notions our family and close friends have imposed upon us before we began to think for ourselves. We are all blinded by our own frames of reference which allows us to form our own identities but can also capture us in narratives of others that may not necessarily be false or untrue, but simply incomplete. It has the potential of narrowing an entire group of people to an act, a misfortune, or negative tale, when we are all so much more than that.

    3) What evidence does she provide to support her position?
    The evidence she provides includes stories in her life and other lives, including someone coming up to her pitifully saying that it’s such a shame that Nigerian men are so abusive- based on ONE story of ONE Nigerian man, and she clapped back with her American Pyscho comeback posing that not all young Americans were serial killers and shut it down right away. She makes it simple and easy for us to understand because we’re all victims of seeing life through a single story lens. It isn’t about guilt and shame, she poses it as awareness and education. We can ALL learn from her stories.

    4) Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.
    Yes, I have rethought my own opinions of a situation or condition throughout my life based on what I have been told by my parents and close family members. When you’re growing up, it’s all you know, and it’s hard to expand your knowledge when your circle is so small. I have also had flat views about others until I took the time to get to know them and their experiences. In my own life, I have been asked very ethnically-based questions about my heritage and culture as if I were the spokesperson for my entire ethnicity and I knew all the answers because of the way I looked.

    Reply
  6. Kiera Thomas

    ENG 4

    1) The author introduces her topic by describing what her life was like as a child living in Africa and the American and British stories she read growing up.
    2) It is relevant she begins this way because it is a perfect example of what a single story is and how it is portrayed on us at an early age up until we are grown.
    3) One piece of evidence she provides is when she came to America for school, her roommate assumed she listened to cultural Nigerian music and did not know how to use a stove.
    4) For most of my life I assumed Africa was nothing but a poor continent. I assumed none of the children had clothes on their backs, no shoes on their feet, and barely had roofs on top of their heads until I recently read the book “I am Judging You” by Ajaya Luvvie where she proved me and I’m sure thousands of other people wrong.

    Reply
  7. Nicholas Pynchon

    Nicholas Pynchon
    English 1A

    1. Adichie introduced her topic by using stories that she wrote in her youth and explaining why they consisted primarily of characters or situations that were uncommon in her own society. She felt that she could only write stories that fell in line with the foreign stories that she read as a child.

    2. By beginning her talk with her youth, the audience is able to glean how she developed and how her perspective on “stories” changed as she grew older, met new people, and experienced different cultures.

    3. Adichie refers to a roommate that she had in college who, similar to Adichie as a child, only had one “story” which she applied to all Nigerians. This prejudice was not ill-intended, rather it was based on what little she had heard, seen, or read of Nigerians. Adichie also cites authors Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye as helping open her eyes to the possibility of characters like herself existing in literature.

    4. When I was young, I lived in a small, predominantly white city in the Midwest. Caucasians were all I knew. When I was nine years old, my family moved to the Bay Area and all of a sudden I was seeing so many people who were different from me in not only skin tone, but also language, culture, and belief. I had become the minority in many of my school classes. This helped me glimpse how minorities struggle with identity and finding belonging when everyone seems different from you. Until that point in my young life, I had believed that everyone would look and think like me. The melting pot of diversity and culture that is the Bay Area drastically changed how I would come to look at people and the expectations I would have of them.

    Reply
  8. cameronjmoniz

    Cameron Moniz
    English 4
    *NOTE* I previously (8/22) posted this in the comment section beneath the video provided, posting here as well just in case.

    1. Ms. Adichie introduces her story by creating a setting, describing her childhood growing up in Nigeria. She goes on to explain that literature opened up her world and imagination, and that African writers saved her from having a single story of what books are, of how to perceive.

    2. The relevancy of Adichie’s introduction is that it shows the misconception people have of people/cultures that they do not know or understand. We jump to conclusions that we have no real evidence of other than the non credible word of those around us.

    3. Adichie’s roommate, whom she had never previously met, assumed based on her African background that she listened to “cultural” music of Nigeria, was then disappointed when Mariah Carey began to play. She also explains how people assume Africa is a beautiful land filled with uneducated people fighting AIDS when most people with this assumption have never seen Africa.

    4. In my life I have done a lot of traveling and in doing so have been proven wrong many times. When visiting countries like Mexico, Jamaica, Haiti, etc. I assumed I would be entering a poverty stricken country and would be constantly surrounded by danger. I was then surprised to find that I was welcomed by good people, with good intentions who posed no threat for harm. I’ve learned to have an open mind and to ignore the way modern day media makes us perceive and view other countries.

    Reply
  9. Kassey Lucero

    1. How does the author introduce her topic?
    Chimamanda starts off by talking about how she would read stories about Americans and British people. Because of what she read, the stories she wrote had some of the same concepts. For example she wrote about white blue eyed colored people, ginger beer, and the weather.
    2. Why is it relevant that she begins this way?
    Its relevant that she begins this way because it shows how ones perspective of someone or something can influence people that that’s the only way they are living or the only way something can be.
    3.What evidence doe she provide to support her position?
    As a child, Chimamanda met a little boy who was from a poor village and didnt think much of him. Her mother and herself visited his village and was surprise to see the poor boy’s family weaving a basket. She thought that poor people werent capable of doing anything else than to be poor. Another example would be her roomate. Her roomate wanted Chimamanda to play some tribal music and was confused when she played Mariah Carey.
    4.As a kid, I am a shamed to say that I as well didnt think of Africa or Nigeria as more than a safari tour with hundreds of animals running wild and a place of poverty. I didnt know much about these places and most of my conclusions came from Madagascar the movie or Oprah donating hundreds of dollars to those in need.

    Reply
  10. ogzac72

    Omar Garcia
    English 1A
    1. The author introduces the topic as personal stories in her life that she refers to as “the danger of the single story,” and her childhood in Nigeria.

    2. It is relevant that she started it this way because she showed her own personal transgressions in life and how she was someone who too only saw a single story before learning the truth of others. It makes her topic more relatable and personal.

    3. She uses different examples that we see on a day to day basis. For instance using the example of how she also only saw one story when she thought about Mexicans and how the single story was Mexicans being only “immigrants.” What she showed was how when listening to the news and media this is what we hear and learn, but when she went to visit the country was ashamed of herself for thinking like this the “single story” way and soon realized there is so much more to Mexicans and the country than what we see in the media.

    4. I used to only think that homeless people where drunks and drug addicts. I would pass them on the street and think that they should get a job and get their lives together. I have been educated and have a new view on the situation now. I am married to a social worker and she has opened my eyes to other reasons of homelessness. I now understand that actually most homeless are women and children and that what I had seen in the past in my “single story” didn’t speak for all homeless.

    Reply
  11. Betel Etafe

    Betel Etafe
    English 1A

    1.How does the author introduce her topic?

    The author introduced her topic by talking about her childhood in Nigeria.

    2.Why is it relevant that she began in this way?

    It is relevant because she is telling her personal experience (story) of how she saw someone. And also she began this way to tell us how we saw someone after we hear their “single story” without knowing the truth and how we react to their single story.

    3.What evidence does she provide to support her position?

    To support her position she use evidence from our world and her American roommates. Her roommates assumed that people from Africa don’t speak English and don’t know how to use stove.

    4.Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.

    There is a time when I rethought my opinion about white people dating black people because before I moved to America I used to watch American movies in my country and in the movies black date black and white date white people and I believed all things i saw in the movie but when I came here all the things I saw in the movies was different and i change my mind after seeing them dating each other.

    Reply
  12. Sergio Gomez

    Sergio Gomez
    English 1A
    1. Chimamanda Adichie introduces her topic by giving a story about herself and her experience of writing and reading and how she saw the world because of the access there was so few books that have Africans in them.
    2. It is relevant that she started her story like this because it shows how her hole life she was told this single story of how people are suppose to be even tough it isn’t true.
    3. Chimamanda uses her own experiences of living in america and her room mate had this image of Africans and how her roommate was shocked how similar they actually are. Adichie also use her example of when she visited mexico and how ashamed she was of falling for the single story of people from mexico and how they are just the same as her but she let her self believe they were not.
    4. I personally had a similar experience as Adichie when it comes to viewing other contries in a certain way. For example I come from an immigrant family but I was born in the U.S but as I grew up all I would be told by my parents is that I should appreciate what I have because people in mexico have nothing. So I just assumed that that how it was over there until I visited for my self and saw that it was nothing like I expected and was actually embarrassed for the way I thought. That is why I try my best not to think that way.

    Reply
  13. Sarah Rojas

    Sarah Rojas
    ENGL1A
    1) How does the author introduce her topic?
    Chimamanda Adichie starts her topic by first letting us know she is a story teller, and using her childhood as an example for her topic “the danger of a single story”.
    2) Why is it relevant that she began in this way?
    The way she starts is relevant because she’s giving personal information of her life for the audience to really understand the definition of a “single story”. Giving her experience to explain this.
    3) What evidence does she provide to support her position?
    Chimamanda shares with us how she would hear about debates going on about immigration before, and hear stories about Mexicans crossing the border and getting arrested at the border. Then, she lets us know how she saw Guadalajara with her own eyes and how everyone was just living their normal day and she admits to us how she bought into the single story of only an immigrant.
    4) Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.
    When I used to work at a hotel, I once got these guests to check in, they were two tall well dressed white men. They had I think a British accent or some kind of foreign accent. They looked like they were French, or from Britain. As I was checking them in I asked them where they were coming from and they answered, Africa.
    And I asked them how it was over there. They said it’s gorgeous and how I need to visit, all the beautiful animals were amazing. So, that being said I really a different view of Africa also sort of like Chimamanda’s roommate.

    Reply
  14. Satara Ahrari

    Satara Ahrari
    English 4

    The author Chimamanda Adichie introduces her topic by giving a personal example of the influence single stories, stories that reflect only one perspective, had on her. She described the impact British and American books had on her imagination and writing. Further, she shared a story of how she fell victim to the single perspective narrative of single stories when she was eight years old.

    By proving how easy it was for her to fall for a single story, she makes the viewer/reader think about their own experiences with single stories. The author shows how her opinions and judgement were altered and biased because she had only heard on side of a story. Her views were limited and she had specific assumptions and expectations that were not satisfied when she realized that in reality people are more than their single stories.

    Adichie tells the story of her encounter with her American roommate, who had a single story about Chimamanga even before she had met her, that was based on the way western countries portray people from Africa. She encountered this single story again when one of her professors criticized her work for not being ‘’ authentic“ enough. His expectations, which were altered by the way he imagined people from Africa to be, led him to believe that Africans cannot have a similar lifestyle to him.

    I have recently encountered someone, who, I was sure I would not get along with at a party. He is a Trump supporter, and to me that’s someone who incomprehensibly unintelligent, someone I would never get along with. I was urged by our mutual friend not to bring up politics, not to ruin the mood. In my mind someone like that does not have any interests in foreign cultures, is xeno- and islamophobic and all in all ignorant. Once, I got to talk to him, about his interests and mine, I discovered that he is rather intelligent and cultured. We had a lot in common, and even shared the same views on a lot of things. I was surprised to find that I got along with someone who supports Trump. I also had a feeling that he was kind of lost in his views of what’s right and what’s wrong. Nevertheless, I learned that people with differing political views are not monsters, but just people who think what they believe in is best for them and their country.

    Reply
  15. Vanessa vigil

    1) How does the author introduce her topic?
    The author introduces her topic by telling that she is a story teller and the story she’s going to tell is the danger of the “single story” which she gives background information about her childhood and how some of that information has influenced the single story.
    2) Why is it relevant that she began in this way?
    It is relevant she began that way because it helps the audience understand in depth of the single story, and how easily things can be misinterpreted through an early age.
    3) The evidence she provides is how she would read and write at an early age about British American stories and make her characters like how she would read them in those books, also when her roommate thinks her standards aren’t up to hers just judging on where she came from. Little did her roommate know she knew a lot more. Don’t judge a book by its cover the story is not always what it appears to be.

    4) Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.
    Honestly I might have had flat view of people when I was more little. I was more raised on not to judge people because you don’t know what their going through. I do remember before I met my boyfriend which is Mexican and from Mexico , I use to think Mexico was all poor and that was because American stories would betray it as that and nobody ever really told me how it really is. That was the only thing I heard, but of course I was wrong. We should never judge a person or a place by a single story.

    Reply
  16. Lyanne Nisperos

    Lyanne Nisperos
    English 4

    1. Chimamanda Adichie introduces her topic of by telling her audience about her childhood and how her discovery of African writers saved her from having a “single story” of what books are. She never knew people like her could exist in the books she read before then.
    2. It is important that she started this way because if she never discovered these writers she would only have that one view of the world which she got from British and American books. There’s always going to be more than one side to a story and she wouldn’t have gotten that if she never read the stories from African writers.
    3. Adichie shares her experience reading and hearing stories from British and American writers realizing she really couldn’t relate to them. She began writing stories and shared with her professor. He mentioned how they were not “authentically African” because they sounded a lot like the average American’s story. Adichie focuses on how hearing one side of the story does not reveal the whole truth and how there will be misunderstandings from a single story. She also mentions her roommate from college who had a single story on Africans but realized Adichie was not very different from herself.
    4. Up until I was about in high school I feel like I wasn’t very exposed to the world and I thought I knew a lot about everyone. I judged people a lot without knowing anything about them. I was very antisocial in high school until I started reaching out to people and joined clubs/sports. it was really awakening for me because I became friends with a lot of people who I never would’ve thought I would speak to and it has made me way more open minded.

    Reply
  17. Alexander Ruiz

    1) The author introduces her topic by describing the education and work she did during her childhood.

    2) It is relevant that the author starts this way to show how the stories she read narrowed her view on how literature should be written and thus caused here to write and illustrate in a very similar way.

    3) The evidence the author gives are the books she eventually found written by African writers that showed people like them could be in literature, the house boy’s family and how they only knew them as poor, and their roommate who couldn’t believe they could speak English

    4) I used to believe that being in a relationship with someone would be a distraction and cause me to see my education as second. I had this flat view on people I saw with girl/boyfriends because I always thought they had bad grades and they cared more about what they could do together outside of school. It wasn’t until I met my present girlfriend that I realized a relationship is not a distraction but helpful in a way because this other person is there to support and cheer you on through anything and everything from education to your hobbies.

    Reply
  18. Adrian Gallegos

    Adrian Gallegos
    English 4
    1. What the author did to introduce her topic is that she told about when she was a child and was reading American and English books while growing up. She also gave an example of her neighbor File and his family about their life style and poverty they have.
    2. The reason why it’s relevant that she began this way is that people compare one to another to see how different one’s lifestyle can be. It’s a way to tell how people can separate someone because of their race or how poor he or she is.
    3. She supported her position with the evidence that she talked about during video. She talked about how her roommate who asked where did she learn how to speak English because she thought that spoke no English at all. She also thought that the author listens to a different type of music from her tribe, but she listens to artists that are from the United States.
    4. I did rethink on situations from my own opinions. When I was around 3 year of age, I was diagnose with autism. My parent were shocked when they heard this especially my mom. I didn’t what was going on at that time, but my mom thought that I would be a challenge while I was growing up. She cried through the situation that she was going on, thinking I have something so severe that I might not be mentally stable. Like saying that I’m not able to bathe myself, feed myself, nor anything that I’m independent on. Not even using the toilet at all. There are people who have that situation, and it could be a challenge for most people, but soon or later, they can make it in life. There are people who can depend on others or they are already independent. That’s what makes people different and mom realized that when I was growing up. I can dress, I can feed myself, I use the bathroom whenever I have to go, and I typing this without anyone helping me. Because it makes me different. I don’t think I ever have a flat viewed anyone.

    Reply
  19. Karina Barillas

    Karina Barillas
    English 4

    1. The author introduces her topic by giving background information about her childhood, showing that the influence of single stories start from a very young age.

    2. Beginning this way is relevant because she is proving her point about the power of the single story, and how from a very young age, single stories take a huge toll on the way we view people, the World, and different things. If it is all we are exposed to, then it becomes all we know.

    3. From the beginning of her talk she gives many examples and evidence about her position on the damages of the single story. As a child she was exposed to books with foreign characters and about things she couldn’t relate to, so she began to write about the same things she was reading, despite her lack of relation. In college in America, her roommate knew a single story about Africa and the people from there. Her roommate was shocked to learn that Adichie was not so different from her after all. Western literature from the beginning of time exposed Americans to the poverty, savagery, and negativity of Africa. A college professor even believed Adichie’s novel lacked African authenticity because the characters were too much like him. Adichie herself fell victim to feeding into the single story of immigrants being synonymous with Mexicans, a popular American view thanks to the media.

    4. I often find myself rethinking my own opinions of a situation or condition because I try to be mildly open minded. For example, I consider myself to be fairly liberal. In today’s political climate, I find myself having a very specific view of those who see things differently than me–conservatives and Republicans. I’m glad she mentioned that after spending time in America she began to understand her roommates view of Africa, because it proves how truly powerful the single story of Africa is in the eyes of Americans. I still find myself having flat views of those who aren’t from the United States in general. I’m very aware that people from other places can be very similar to the people here, but it’s very easy to generalize people who are thought to be different. I believe we all feed into to these stereotypes and these single stories, unfortunately. These are things that we’re exposed to early on, daily, and through out our lives many times.

    Reply
  20. Ti Faotusia

    1) How does the author introduce her topic?

    The author, Adichie, begins her talk by introducing herself as a storyteller followed by her topic: “The dangers of a single story”. She then provides some background information related to her childhood and upbringing.

    2) Why is it relevant that she began in this way?

    By providing her own personal experiences and connection, Adichie’s introduction allowed the audience to understand why her talk would be focused on the dangers of a single story.

    3) What evidence does she provide to support her position?

    Adichie utilized many of her own personal single stories, including her American roommate’s to support her position. She also incorporated stereotypes and quoted many authors such as John Lok, Rudyard Kipling, and Mourid Barghouti.

    4) Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.

    In 2015, I visited my parents’ home island, the Kingdom of Tonga, for the first time. Before I arrived I expected a bunch of huts, dirt roads, people walking around without shoes, no internet connection and a scarce amount of cars. However, when I arrived and exited the airport I was surprised to see everyone well dressed, cellphones in use and many in-shape, well running cars everywhere. Also, everyone lived in houses that looked very much or even better than my own home in America. Throughout my 18 years of life, my parents continuously sent huge wooden boxes filled with clothes and food to our family in Tonga. My parents always lectured my siblings and I about being grateful for things we had in America because our family in Tonga had very little. My teachers all throughout elementary and high school would remind me that my family came from a 3rd world country. Upon my arrival I felt ashamed and embarrassed to have such low standards of my parents home island. My views of Tonga had changed tremendously. Although Tonga is a third world country and they do not have as much variety for clothing and food, it did not look like my perceived standard of a 3rd world country. The island was beautiful and full of fresh air. The culture was beautiful. Tons of people spoke English, which was a surprise and relief because I thought I would have to travel with my cousins everywhere due to my minimal ability to speak Tongan. What I thought would be a month in Hell turned into a month in paradise.

    Reply
  21. Rosemarie Compton

    1. How does the author introduce her topic?

    Chimimanda introduces her topic of the single story with her own life experience. With the single story the American and British books were telling her, she couldn’t know that books about things she could relate to could ever exist. The only experiences with books that she’s had are stories about white children, snow, and ginger beer.

    2. Why is it relevant that she began in this way?

    It is relevant that Chimimanda begins like this to help the audience to understand that this is not uncommon. It establishes a common ground between herself and the audience, opening them up to understanding since she is not exempt from the single story. If anyone is told only a part of a story, there will be a misunderstanding.

    3. What evidence does she provide to support her position?

    Chimimanda’s evidence includes stories from mainly her own life. Speaking about how she feels about book characters, her domestic house boy, and college roommate. She proposes that even though we are hearing a story of something, it does not mean that it’s the full and complete story.

    4. Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.

    I have. I was raised in a home where heat-up food reigned supreme. I liked baking, but I always used ready to go cookie dough or boxed brownies. My dinner every so frequently consisted of a piece of meat, canned green beans, and powdered mashed potatoes. I viewed food as sustenance, only as something you eat.
    Then I met my boyfriend’s family, where I was greeted with home-cooked meals that were prepared with fresh ingredients and created with care. I ended up savoring each bite, marveling at how wonderful fresh split pea soup and biscuits taste. We ended up making intelligent dinner conversation about the arts, recent events, and new thoughts and ideas.
    My eyes were opened to how wonderful and fulfilling meals could be; how fresh ingredients and laboring over a stove could create such a wonderful meal, and especially how the people you spend it with make all the difference.

    Rosemarie Compton -English 1A

    Reply
  22. Joseph Wong

    Joseph Wong
    English 1A

    1. Adichie introduces her topic with a short telling of the kinds of books that she grew up reading as a child and how that affected her writing in her youth and also mentions a quick story about her perspective on a boy she knew from her childhood.
    2. These little parts of her youth become more relevant when she brings up her topic of how single stories heard or seen from one perspective may create a certain, maybe even a biased outlook of what is actually true.
    3. Adichie supports her topic by beginning to speak about all of the moments where she was placed into a certain box when people heard only a single bit of information about her. Such as, when she met her first dorm mate who assumed that Adichie did not know how to use a stove or how marveled she was when she saw that Adichie spoke English. Another example would be how a professor critiqued her novel as not “Authentically African,” because it didn’t portray Africans as Western media did. With both stories Adichie brings up that both people, her roommate and the professor, were seeing Africa through a single image. Both thought that it was impossible for anyone in Africa to be living with the same luxuries as the people in the united States. Adichie also mentions how she too, has made predetermined outlooks on people because of a single story seen from one perspective,
    4. I’ve definitely been guilty of placing people into certain boxes because of a single thing that was heard of them, whether it was a rumor or petty feelings of how that person would act because as a twelve or thirteen year old I thought the world was against me and didn’t have a better understanding of myself. But, I had a complete change in mindset of this when I realized that people come with their own life stories and mostly everyone goes through hard times and has felt all these different types of emotions of not feeling understood or listened to which completely changed my outlook of how I saw people. Also as a kid I grew up with highly conservative people who used to make fun of people who were gay or lesbian or anything in between, as well as made fun of boys who didn’t fit how boys should act or how girls should act so I used to be very conscious of how people saw me or that people were going to hate me because I wasn’t acting the way they wanted me to act. After experiencing life outside that bubble and seeing more to those stereotypes I realized that it doesn’t matter what others think and everyone should embrace who they are and not be ashamed to show their true selves. This helped me to come out and be openly gay and not really care of what others have to say about me anymore.

    Reply
  23. Roxanna Mata English 4 2:30 class on Tue. and Thur.

    1.The Author introduced her topic by giving us some insight of her childhood and growing up in Nigeria. She explained what she had as a form of information of what was out side of her world and how the world functioned.

    2.It was important that she began that way because it made us understand where she was coming from and connect with her. It made you think of similar situation that you experienced and say “Yeah I have thought that.” or “Yeah that has happened to me.”

    3. She provides actual situation in which she her self has thought that way and all so when people have all so judged her in that same matter. Like when she went to the village of the boy who worked for her family, or her roommates point of view of her.

    4.There have been a few times that I have seen someone or others have a flat view but it was not of me more so but of my father. At first glance you see my dad and you see what people call your typical Mexican work boots work shirt speaking Spanish. Never would you imagine he spoke English nor that with out an formal education he would be able to have his own business let alone own property and own a home. So when ever we go some where people automatically assume he does not know what they are saying or there to just browse. If they want to communicate with them they automatically come to me and speak to me as if he is not there, but once he starts to speak the acknowledge him and apologize. so as growing up I learned and tried to put my self in the shoes of others that just quite don’t fit or expectations of what and educated well of person should look like. But I can say that in some cases I am surprised when I learn something new about someone else or another culture or place.

    Reply
  24. Christian Valle

    1. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie introduced her topic by telling us about how she began with literature when she was a small child and author. She mentions that when she began writing and reading as a young child she always thought there was one way in doing so, and that was with foreigners always being the main focus. She mentions she did this because that’s all she knew growing up where there was more British/ American literature and not to much of African literature. She thought there was only one way of writing and telling her story.

    2. This is relevant that she began this way because it showed the British/American way in which led her to find and explore her own personal way. By doing so she started to realize the “Single Story” she had been living in and was being told throughout these books she had been reading. There was more out there then “the white girl, with blue eyes.”. In which she started to learn and pick up writing African Literature. This showed her there were more to stories which made her into who she is today.

    3. She mentions when she came to the United States for school, the encounter her and her roommate had about the country Chimamanda Adichie had came from. Like any other person from the United States you believe what you hear about different places and start to put stereotypes on different cultures and living. As she states ” This single story of Africa ultimately comes I think from Western Literature.” That in fact tells you that we believe in what we hear and not in what we experience. I think this quote she uses tells it all, “The Single Story creates stereotypes and the problem with stereotypes is not that they aren’t true, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” This quote speaks volumes because that’s exactly what happens and the problem we face today is believing that there is one way and no other.

    4. Personally, i’ve had thoughts and opinions to where I judged a book by a cover. My first instinct is always the negative side of them based off what you hear not only around you, but on social media, etc… Looking over her video, I actually took time to look back to my mistakes on judging one by its cover. Because of,”the consequence of the similar story is that is robs people of dignity and make our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar,” she made me rethink on not cultural judgement, but overall humans. Everyone is the same and shouldn’t be treated differently due to one’s physical and internal appearance.

    Reply
  25. Poonam Khatri

    English 4
    1. Chimamanda Adichie begins her topic by speaking about her childhood and the stories she came across were mostly British/american stories. She talked about her views on these stories while she was child in Nigeria.
    2. Chimamanda Adichie began this way to inform people about the single stories and how reading them created an certain stereotype that influenced her perspective on the world. She wanted the audience to connect with her so that she could prove how she felt reading books that were British/american about things written in the books she couldn’t identify.
    3. When she has an conversation with her roommate she realizes the stereotypes and that there are a lot of things her roommate just assumed about her. Like not being able to understand or speak english,turn a stove on or even listen to tribal music in Nigeria.
    4. I have never had a flat view on people. I have been in situations were i’ve had second thoughts about my opinions regarding an situation. That is the time when i have rethink my decision and point of view on my situation. When i was in high school i wasn’t serious about my education and didn’t take advantage of the opportunities I had. That experience helped me realized that i needed to start taking school seriously.

    Reply
  26. Aaron Gesmundo

    Aaron Gesmundo
    English 1A

    1- Adiche introduces the topic by describing her childhood experiences and the different types of books that she read. She ties her experiences to the danger of a single story.

    2- It is relevant that she starts this way because it shows that the formation of a single story can start as early as when we learn how to read. During our childhood we have already formed these single stories and we are not aware of that.

    3- Adiche uses her own personal experiences and she connects those experiences to her topic of the danger of a single story. For example, she uses her single story of Mexico to explain how see one story over and over again can lead to the development of a single story.

    4- I have rethought my opinion on many situations. For instance, in high school, many of my classmates would use the word gay as an insult. At first I thought it was okay for that word to be used in such a negative way, but when I start hearing it, I have a need to stand up because it is implying that being gay is wrong. I used to have a flat view of the gay community because all I hear about it is femininity and makeup. Being part of the LGBT community, I learned that being gay doesn’t mean you have to act more like the opposite gender and people are a combination of both feminine and masculine.

    Reply
  27. Audrey Xiao

    English 4

    1.The author, Chimamanda Adichie, introduces the topic by telling an anecdote of her childhood and the consequences of listening to only a single story or viewpoint.

    2.It was relevant that she began this way because it provided the background of her video, of how she was easily deceived by books showcasing a single point of view of white people that she read as a child.

    3.She provides evidence of her American roommate who automatically assumed that she was not exposed to modern technology and music and felt obligated to teach her based on the single story of Africa that she was presented of. Also, Chimamanda Adichie was also a victim of the single story because she believed that their domestic helper, Fide’s family who her mother told her was poor led her to assumed that poor people aren’t capable of making such beautiful creations when they visited their family. Adichie also felt shameful when she assumed that all Mexicans were immigrants, something that the media repeatedly portrayed Mexicans as.

    4.I used to think that students in private schools were wealthy and pretentious people. Television shows and books often presented students in private schools as snobby and privileged making me believe that that is how they really are. Until I befriended students who used to go to private schools, I only had a single perspective of those students who were in fact not pretentious at all.

    Reply
  28. Diana Perez

    1) How does the author introduce her topic?
    Adichie introduces her topic with telling us about a time when she would read British stories and had come to believe that like the man in her stories all Americans drank ginger beer and played in the snow.
    2) Why is it relevant that she began in this way?
    Begining this way shows how even as a child she had unintentionally created a single story. She had believed that books had to have foreigners in them. Also things or places that she had never encountered.
    3) What evidence does she provide to support her position?
    She later discovered books written by African authors. These authors would write about Africa and about women with “skin the color of chocolate whose kinky hair could not form ponytails.” Her mind was then opened to the reality that there are also stories about African women.
    4) Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.
    Growing up I used to play with Barbies a lot. All my barbies had light skin, blonde hair and really long legs. I had the mentality that only women with those characteristics were beautiful. I dreamt of one day having light skin, blonde hair and long legs. It wasn’t until I was in middle school that I began to notice that you did not have to meet those traits to be considered beautiful. I began to embrace my dark skin, dark brown hair and short legs. The single story of what I thought beauty was changed and I realized beauty comes in all shades, shapes and sizes.

    Reply
  29. Annalese Mallory

    English 4

    1. The author, Adichie, introduces the topic of “The Danger of a Single Story” by describing and explaining her experiences as a child and her first encounters with the single story.

    2. It is relevant that she began her story in this way because it gives us a background on her experiences and reasoning as to why a one sided story can be harmful. She explains how as people, and especially as children, we can be very impressionable and will believe what we are told if it is the only thing we know about a certain subject, even if the information we are fed isn’t exactly the whole truth or the whole story.

    3.To support her position, Adichie begins her TED talk with a story from her childhood. She describes how she would read books written by British and American authors and when she began to write her own stories, she was writing about things she was personally unfamiliar with, but knew about through the foreigners writing and felt that was what literature was supposed to be. She felt that people she could personally relate to did not exist in literature, but after finding stories written by African authors, she realized that wasn’t true. Another example she uses to support her position is a story about her first meeting with her roommate in America. Upon meeting her new roommate, Adichie’s roommate made an assumption that Adichie listened to “tribal music” and would not know how to operate a stove or speak english well based on what information she was told about Africa.

    4. Growing up, there have been different times where I’ve rethought my opinions and thoughts on certain situations. One of the first times I can remember is when I had to go from a private school to a public school. All of my friends were from a private school and all that I had known about public schools came from movies and tv shows, which I realize now are not similar to how public schools really are. At the time, I was scared and nervous to have to go to a public school because movies portrayed everybody as standoffish or as a bully; but soon after getting to my new school, I realized that my expectations for how a public school would be was completely different from how it actually was and I was happy being there.

    Reply
  30. Lyzette Madero

    Lyzette Madero
    English 4

    1. The author introduce her topic by talking about how she is a storyteller and how books she would read would influence her idea of the world and the people around her. This would give her a “single store” of the people and the world around her that she does not yet know there full story.

    2. Its was relevant because it showed how everyone idea of a type of people or ethnicity has a “single store” type that they have grown up to assume that they are nothing more to them then that stereotype. If they don’t fit this stereotype anything they are surprise and hopefully later realize how they should not judge people before they get to know them.

    3. To support her position she would use examples from her life. Adichie’s tells they store of when she was little that there family would help give clothes and food to a poor family that they knew. One day they visit there home and she was surprise to see how they can make a beautiful basket. She always say poor people as someone that needs help, she never thought they where capable of doing something anything else.

    4. When I was little I used to have a flat view of people with autism. Even thought I myself have a learning disability I did not know that much about autism and I did not know to many people that have it in tell I joined a special needs class in the the 4th grade. I used believe that all people with autism would behave bad, not talk very well, and spend a lot of time alone. But as I got older and got to know more people with different types of disabilities I realize they are more to them then people think. I specialty notice this when my nephew was dignities with autism. I started learning more about autism and the different levels that can effect their behavior and how they learn. I learned that not all autistic people are the same.

    Reply
  31. Anonymous

    Jose Quilez
    English 1A
    1) Adichie starts her Ted Talk by informing the audience that she is a storyteller and starts to tell personal stories from when she was a child. Using these stories she begins to describe “The danger of a single story”.
    2) She uses the stories to describe how people use what they hear and create a stereotype and a single story about it becomes known. She talks about when she came to the United States at 19 and her roommate. Her roommate held a default position about her as an African.
    3)She tells the audience of her college professor who told her that the stories she was writing was not authentically African. That the people in her books were to much like him for it to be considered an authentic African story.
    4)Growing up as a minority in a society that assumes I’m apart of the majority because of my skin color has always confused people. I’ve been around racism from everyone. I’ve seen people of all races assume stereotypes and honestly believe them. Many times in my life I’ve rethought my opinions as my perspective grew. I believe that’s the beautiful thing about life because everything we go through changes us in some way.

    Reply
  32. Jose Jacinto Jr

    1) Adichie introduces her topic by informing her audience that she is a story teller, using her personal stories, she talks about what she likes to call “The danger of the Single Story”.

    2) The relevance of beginning this way can be found in the stories themselves. For instance, her story about being an early reader at age four and an early writer at age 7, and how the most common literature in Nigeria was predominantly British and American. Digging a little deeper, in her story about her house boy, Fide, and how the Single Story she knew about him was that he was poor. Her mother would send his family yams, rice and their old clothes. She knew nothing more than that he was poor making it impossible for her to see anything other than their poverty. These stories are why Adichie may have felt it necessary to begin this way.

    3) The evidence supporting her position is found in her other personal stories. When she first came to the U.S. at age 19, her american roommate was shocked by her, she was curious on where Adichie learned to speak english so well and was surprised to find out english is Nigeria’s official language. Her American roommate would ask to listen to her “Tribal Music” and was consequently disappointed when presented with a Mariah Carey tape, going on to also assume Adichie didn’t know how to use a stove. Adichie was struck when she realized her roommate felt sorry for her before even seeing her. Her roommate had a Single Story of Africa, a story of catastrophe.

    4) For as long as i can remember i can’t recall a time where i had a “Flat View” of other people. I come from a place where the “Minorities” were the “Majorities” and regardless of peoples exterior I always knew there was more to them, because there was always more to me than the Single Story people always had of me, but thats a story for a different time. People are taught racism and stereotypes and fortunately enough for me I grew up in a place where those effected by racism and stereotypes thrived; however, as I reflect on Adichie’s story and answer the assigned questions I begin to realize that my “Flat Views” may not be Race based, but based on financial status. I used to think that Upper class people were arrogant, greedy and egotistical. That they only ever cared about themselves and things that effected or compromised their extravagant way of life, and while this may still apply to some this was my Single Story, my flat view of people who rank on the “Upper” level of society. It wasn’t until i was about Seventeen when i began to pay attention to the things happening outside of my own brain. I opened my mind to a much broader setting i didn’t know existed. Getting older and meeting a few people part of that group gave me a different view, a different story. Paying more attention to current events and pop culture i became more aware of people of the upper class who came from a similar background if not worse and doing so much for others, starting foundations and programs designed to provide support and a “Safe Haven”, if you will, during time of need. Ive come across different philanthropists, ambassadors and Artists who dedicate time and money to assist in the well being of the less fortunate. As time goes on I’m provided with countless stories that aid in changing my views that were constructed from a Single Story.

    Reply
  33. Jacquelyn Garcia

    English 1A

    1. The author introduces her topic by telling us about her childhood in Nigeria, and how British and American books gave her a certain perspective of the world.

    2. The author began this way to explain to us how stories can create imaginations within an individual that aren’t quite accurate when compared to the real world.

    3. The author supports this with her time with her American roommate who was shocked to find out that Adichie did not listen to tribal music but preferred Mariah Carey, and spoke English so well because it was the main language in her country.

    4. I used to have a flat view of people by the way they presented themselves on social media. I assumed everyone’s life was a certain way because that’s what their social media brought me to believe, but I would later find out that what I would see was not really their reality.

    Reply
  34. Krystal Cooper

    1)Chimamanda Adichie introduces her topic by telling of Fide and his family and how she saw them as poor and nothing else because that was all she was told about them.

    2)It is relevant because it is a personal story of how she saw people as simple and two dimensional instead of complex and three dimensional just like her.

    3)In order to support her position Adichie tells of a story of how she was labeled and put into a box based upon where she was from and the other person’s limited knowledge.

    4)When I was younger I thought people lived in motorhomes because they could not afford to live in a house or apartment. As I grew older and traveled more I found that there are other reasons to live in motorhomes, such as not needing a lot of space, or because it was easier to see the world while still having the comforts of home.

    Reply
  35. Marya Alhujaili

    Marya Alhujaili
    English 4

    1- The author introduced her topic by illustrating her childhood life back home in Nigeria, and the lessons that her mother taught her throw her childhood life.

    2- She started her speech by introducing her background and where she came from, so she could get audience’s attention by telling them how did she start her life by discovering other cultures and reading their authors’ books. She also found out that there are African writers. She also mentioned that we are all the same and everyone is talented in their own way.

    3- The author supported her speech by telling her childhood stories and how she used to view her thoughts towards others. Yet, she realized that people should not judge others before knowing their background life style, also she related her experience in America with her roommate to her story in Nigeria with house boy story and how she used to think about his family and their life until she visited his family and saw the style of life they live.

    4- I grew up in Yemen. ( a country in the middle east ),where I know about different cultures and their life style. I came to the United States seven years ago. When I first attended high school, students would ask me if we rides camels as a transportation; they did not know that we have the same life as they do. They also asked me about my scarf if I take it off or not and if I have ever seen my hair or anyone else did. However, I do take my scarf off, the only time i wear it when I go out.
    I have never had a flat view of other people because I know that sometimes the appearance do not represent who you really are.

    Reply
  36. Emily Barnhart

    English 4

    1) Adichie introduces her “single story” topic by sharing an anecdote from her childhood, about a house boy named Fide.

    2) The story Adichie tells about Fide is relevant to the topic because she is telling the audience that she too is guilty of having a single view of someone. She’s letting them know that what she’s calling everyone out on is something she too has done, proving that a person can be aware of their negative views and then work to change them.

    3) The evidence used is real world experience. Adichie gives the example of her American roommate who believes that people from Nigeria listen to tribal music and don’t speak English. She also gives another example of herself when she travels to Guadalajara and until being there, viewed all Mexicans as immigrants sneaking into the US because of the way the media portrayed them.

    4) There have been times in my life when I have rethought my opinions of a situation or a condition. The one that stands out the most to me is that when I was younger I was afraid of homeless people. I thought that they were crazy dangerous people because majority of the times I saw them, they were yelling to themselves or at other people. As I got older I started to realize that they all have a story and reason for where they are. Some of them came on hard times and couldn’t recover, some of them weren’t given access to proper medical care, etc. But whatever the reason they are still people and they still have feelings and hopes and dreams. They work hard everyday to make sure they have something to eat, or a safe space to sleep. They might have less, but it doesn’t make them less.

    Reply
  37. Mitchell Reed

    English 4

    1.) Mrs. Chimamanda Adichie introduces her topic with her own personal story with the purpose of demonstrating how impressionable and vulnerable people are as kids listening to stories.

    2.) It is relevant that Mrs. Chimamanda Adichie began her speech in this fashion so her audience could connect with her story right off the bat to strengthen her argument and showcase her mistakes as well for the people who get overly defensive about their subconscious prejudices and think that they are being labeled as a racist ( When in reality there are not ).

    3.) Mrs. Chimamanda Adichie uses her own experiences as evidence to support her position. When she was young she use to read books about foreigners and thought that only foreigners existed in literature until she discovered African books. Her family had live-in domestic help. When she turned eight years old, her family got a new house boy named Fide. She always just thought that Fide’s family was very poor and untalented ( or unskilled ) until she went to visit his family and saw a beautiful basket made by Fide’s brother. Years later when she went to college in America, her roommate, an American, viewed her in the same fashion she had viewed Fide and his family. Her roommate didn’t think that she would know how to use a stove or speak English fluently.

    4.) I would say the only time I have rethought my opinions on people is when I realize that I have something in common with them because I always just think that I wouldn’t get along with many people because I don’t like many things that other people like, like social media, I have a Facebook account to stay in contact with my high school friends but that’s it. I’m barely on it too. The only flat view I have on people is that I don’t think we would get along when I first meet new people which gives off a bad first impression, at least in my mind, but I am always cool with everyone I meet and no one has ever told me I give off a bad first impression, I just feel that way but sometimes I’m just trippin ( I know that’s not precise language but there is no other way to put that ). I only have that flat view on people because I have grown up around people of different races, countries ( Latinos, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, Chinese, Vietnamese, British and Arabic ), and learned some things about different cultures so I know what is reasonable and what is just flat out ignorant to think, about other people.

    Reply
  38. Thanh Ton

    English 4

    1) Chimamanda Nogiz Adichie introduces her topic by saying, “I’m a storyteller.”, then follows with her personal stories about her childhood and the activities she did growing up. She speaks about how her books were mainly British and American children’s books which had your typical children’s book characteristics consisting of blue-eyed and of white skin color who played in the snow and ate apples. She said “Now, this despite the fact that I lived in Nigeria. I had never been outside Nigeria.” All of her stories were just based off of what she read, this shows that children are easily influenced by everything.

    2)The way she began the TedTalk was relevant because it gives us background about what she did as a child and how she has always liked reading and writing at an early age. She also began this way to show us how other’s perspectives, stereotypes and such can change your own perspective completely even through a children’s book. Children are easily influenced by everything because they do not know anything of the world but they only know what is in front of them or what adults tell them.

    3)When she had first met her roommate, her roommate had all these assumptions of her already such as, not knowing how to speak English, how to use a stove and assumed that she listened to “tribal music”. This is evidence that supported her position that was viewed by others just based off of her looks and origin of birth. Her roommate knows only one single story about Africa which shows how one single story can influence your views on a whole race, tradition or ethnics. The roommate did not even know that English was the official language for Nigeria or that not every African person listens to “tribal music”.

    4)I was born in Vietnam and was raised there till the age of 4, then my family was able to live in the United States because we were referred by my mother’s sister. Coming to a whole new country with zero knowledge about the country was very scary. I remember going to school for the first time in America, I did not know a single word of English and there was no other Vietnamese people around me. When I tried to communicate with my teacher at the time, I spoke in Vietnamese and she just looked confused. I did the same with the other kids in that classroom, they all looked at me weird and confused because I was not able to speak their language. I had thought that everyone would view me as the odd one out all the time forever. At the time that was my flat view of people around me for the time being. Now my views on everyone has changed, I do not have a flat view of other people because not everyone is the same as another.

    Reply
  39. Diego 1A

    1.) She introduced her topic by telling the audience how when she was growing up in Nigeria, the books that were widely available where ones from countries that are pro-dominantly white.

    2.)The reason why she started this way was because there weren’t many books people can read about the real life in Africa. All of the information about Africa is being produced by the media which blinds people to believe certain things.

    3.)One piece of evidence she gives is when she tells the story about her college roommate. She tells the audience how misinformed her roommate is about things in Africa. She didn’t know that people can speak English, didn’t know they listen to regular music like ours or similar.

    4.)Growing up I’ve been that people who are gay are bad, evil and are not loved by God. So, for most of my life i never befriended any gay people. I didn’t want anything to do with them. Once i went to high school, that all changed. I became more open minded and met people in the LGBT community and I realized that they are just like me they just have different sexual orientation. They have normal lives, like normal things. Once I came to realization what I was taught about them was a big lie I just felt ashamed. Now, my best friend happens to be gay.

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  40. Raymond Cadion

    English 1A

    1. Chimamanda Adichie introduced her topic by sharing a personal story. She talked about how British, American, and African books inspired her to become an author. She also talks about how some people view an ethnicity based on stereotypes.

    2. The way Adichie introduced her topic helped her with her TEDtalk. She talked about her past experiences and how it connects to her topic. The introduction also gave us an snippet of what her TEdtalk was going to be about.

    3. She believes that stories matter. In the video, Adichie says that “stories can break the dignity of people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity.” She believes that books can help people realize what is true and what is not.

    4. There are many times where I rethought my opinion on a situation. When I was in high school, I never really took advantage of materials that would help me enroll into a 4 year university. I didn’t really take my education and the advice my teachers gave me seriously. Now that I’ve graduated, I regret not taking high school and people’s advice seriously. This experience helped me realize that I shouldn’t take advantage of any help I can get that will help me succeed. I can’t really think of any situation where I had a flat view of people.

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  41. Presley Cheng

    Presley Cheng
    ENG 1A

    1. How does the author introduce her topic?

    The author introduced her topic by giving us an insight of her childhood: getting the impression of definitive story characters from British and American children’s books, and the story of Fide, a new house boy from a poor family who came into their home when the author turned eight.

    2. Why is it relevant that she began in this way?

    The author began in this way is to inform us that single stories create stereotypes and impressions that can influence one’s perspective to a great degree, thus, can consequently lead to a good amount of false imaginations made by incomplete facts.

    3. What evidence does she provide to support her position?

    The author uses her realization after the conversation with her American roommate to support her position, ” If I had not grown up in Nigeria, and if all I knew about Africa were from popular images, I too would think that Africa was a place of beautiful landscapes, beautiful animals, and incomprehensible people, fighting senseless wars, dying of poverty and AIDS, unable to speak for themselves.”

    4. Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.

    Before entering a highly competitive high school, I used to assume that the school with be filled with quiet students who don’t like to go out and will rather invest all their time into studying without any rest, but I was completely wrong, sporty and enthusiastic students were everywhere, all the basketball courts inside the school will always be taken, and most of the people were always energetic and cheerful, it turned out the school was extremely full of life.

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  42. Shane Singh

    Shane Singh
    English 1A

    1. The author introduced her topic by talking about her childhood views in Nigeria.

    2. The author began this way to show how a person’s perspective can influence how they see people and the world.

    3. The author supports this with her time with a roommate. Their roommate thought the author would not know how to use a stove or listened to tribal music.

    4. There were times during my life where I thought about how my bad situations could turn out better than it did. I used to have a flat view of people during high school. I believed some of the students at school were spoiled because I see them with new electronic devices that I wanted. After graduation, I learned that there were some students who actually worked hard from their part-time jobs to earn it.

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    1. Jenella Jiang

      1) How does the author introduce her topic?
      Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie introduced her topic by starting with “I’m a storyteller” to sharing her personal stories and experiences. She emphasized how “single stories”and other regions books could change one’s opinions towards life, and how the environment could easily influence children’s mindset by keep telling them single stories.

      2) Why is it relevant that she began in this way?
      She began in this way to criticize how single story form stereotype that influence people’s perspective. As a child, she doesn’t know anything about outside world. The only source she can get in touch with the outside things is the book, and social media. Which the children who grow up in the US. could easily influenced by their environment.

      3) What evidence does she provide to support her position?
      Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie support her position by providing her college roommate’s assumptions about Africa. Which her roommate thought African people like Ngozi cannot speak English very well and they do not know how to use a stove and though she will only listened to tribal music. Which she was viewed by her roommate just based on her color of skin and race. It shows one single story about Africa can easily influence one’s point of views toward race, and traditions.

      4) Apply her reflection to your own experiences. Have you ever rethought your own opinions of a situation or condition? Have you ever had a flat view of other people? If so, explain. Be precise.
      I was born in Houston, when I was four, I moved to China with my parents for twelve years. The first time I went to school in China, I was overwhelmed and thought school in China would be like a prison. Because I have read and heard about a ten years old child who choose to end his life due to the educational pressure and bullying in campus. Which this article influenced me a lot and make me think all the school in China would have bullying and inhumanly educational system. But after twelve years in China, my own experiences proved that my assumption of school in China was totally wrong. I made lots of good friends, and I’m really enjoyed the time in school. Around four years ago, I choose to move back to America to attend high school. Once my classmates heard I’m from China, the most disappointed things is, they will both ask me a question: “Do Chinese people eat dogs?”

      Reply

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