THE DANGER OF A SINGLE STORY

"I think now more than ever it is important for storytellers to continue. This is what has always kept human beings going. We have gone from sitting around that camp fire, and now we are writing books. It is fundamentally the same thing. It is the idea of remembering that you are not alone, that human emotions are universal. ... Now, in a world that ... feels very unsteady, I think it is just so important to tell human stories; not necessarily stories about politics. I find myself reading poetry a lot, because it’s important for me after reading the news to just remember simple things. The sacrifices that a parent makes for a child; what it means to experience heartbreak. That kind of things. Hope, love."

REFLECT: How is reading stories about simple things helpful?

1. According to Adichie, how is a "single story" created? And why is it dangerous?
   

2. Adichie says, “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete.” Do you agree? Why or why not?
   

3. What are the examples of single stories that Adichie shares in her speech? How are they incomplete?
   

4. In the end, what does Adichie want us to do? Do you think this is possible?

1. Think of children's stories from your culture. How have they affected your understanding of the world and other cultures? Did they give you a single story of a people or place?
   

2. Adichie claims that power affects which stories are told, how they are told, and which stories become accepted and believed. Give an example of a story that has been accepted because a powerful group has told it in a certain way.
   

3. Adichie argues that beginning a story with “secondly” can completely change the story. Give an example of a story which can become a completely different story if you change the order of events -- or if you omit the first event and start instead with the second event.
   

4. What are some ways we can "reject the single story" in our lives?