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Single-Source Essay:
Summary, Argument, Analysis, and Response
The Danger of a Single Story
Purpose:
By writing this assignment, students write a well-developed six-paragraph collegiate
essay. To complete the assignment, they will learn essential writing strategies:
summarizing, incorporating quoted passages to support an argument, analyzing rhetorical
devices, and responding to a text. In doing so, students will practice the skills of
condensing ideas to summarize, incorporating and documenting quotes in MLA format,
choosing precise words, including vivid details, and creating smooth transitions. In
addition to essential writing skills, this assignment helps students practice effective
reading strategies, such as annotating and analyzing.
Description of the Assignment:
For this assignment, students will turn in a six-paragraph essay using MLA format and
the outline provided. In the introduction, begin with a hook. Then provide background
information about the topic, Chimamanda Adichie, the title of her TED Talk, and your
thesis. In the body paragraphs, summarize the article, present the author’s three strongest
points, analyze her rhetorical strategies, and provide your own personal response to the
subject. In the conclusion, evaluate the effectiveness of her argument and leave your
readers thinking about the danger of a single story.
Prompt:
In her TED Talk, Chimamanda Adichie explains her main point that there is danger in a
single story. Summarize, analyze, and respond to Adichie’s essay, ultimately stating
whether you agree or disagree with her argument.
Directions:
Read and annotate Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk, “‘The Danger of a Single Story”
Be prepared to turn in your annotated transcript with the Preliminary Work Packet.
In the introduction of the essay, provide a hook to capture your readers’ attention, move
seamlessly into the background information (a brief one- to three-sentence description of
the TED Talk, the title of the TED Talk in quotation marks, the author, and the general
point of the essay. Then transition smoothly to a clearly stated thesis, which must
prepare readers for the content of the essay. Throughout the introduction, guide your
readers from point to point, utilizing transitional words, phrases, and sentences.
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In the first body paragraph summarize Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk “The Danger of
a Single Story.” First, return to the summarized annotations in the margins of your copy
of the TED Talk . Then, following the same order as Adichie’s TED talk, state the main
point of every section, staying true to her information. Unlike other assignments, DO
NOT INCLUDE details, quotes, or editorial (personal) comments. Finally, add
transitions to move readers smoothly from point to point, so the information reads as a
coherent paragraph.
In the second body paragraph, identify, quote, and explain what you believe to be
Adichie’s three most significant claims, using quoted passages from the TED Talk to
illustrate your reasoning. For each of Adichie’s claims, introduce the point with a general
statement of support (SOS), explain the context of the passage to set the stage for the
quote, introduce the quote with a verb, quote the passage, document the page number
using proper MLA format, and explain Adichie’s claim, emphasizing its importance in
her TED Talk.
In the third body paragraph, discuss and analyze Adichie’s use of rhetorical devices,
citing and explaining quoted passages from the article to illustrate your reasoning. For
each example, begin with a general statement of support (SOS), explain the context of the
quoted passage, introduce the quote with a verb, quote the passage, document the page
number using proper MLA format, and explain Adichie’s use of each rhetorical device
(be specific) and how it strengthens her argument.
In the fourth body paragraph, agree or disagree with the author’s main idea. Then,
describe a detailed example from your own experience, someone you know, or from the
media to vividly illustrate your argument for your readers. Include journalistic details of
who, what, when, where, why, and/or how to help your reader visualize your connection,
imagining it as it happened. Show us the experience rather than simply telling about it.
Also, employ at least five rhetorical devices, such as dialogue/monologue, action verbs,
alliteration, or a simile or metaphor to strengthen your writing. (Be prepared to highlight
and label these rhetorical devices before submitting your essay for a grade.)
Conclude your paper by evaluating the effectiveness of Adichie’s argument and leaving
your readers thinking about the topic.
Required Work—Be sure you have included the following:
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
An engaging hook
An introduction to the TED Talk, the author, and the general point of the essay
A clear thesis statement, preparing the reader for the content of the essay
Topic sentence to introduce every body paragraph
In body paragraph one, a clear summary that highlights the main points (with no
details) of Adichie’s TED Talk in proper order
_____ In body paragraph two, three carefully chosen and explained quotes from the TED
Talk that reflect Adichie’s main points about the danger of a single story
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_____ In body paragraph three, an analysis of at least three of her rhetorical devices and
an explanation of how they strengthen her argument
_____ In body paragraph four, your clearly stated opinion about the danger of a single
story
_____ In body paragraph four, descriptive language and rhetorical devices (at least five
highlighted and labeled) to illustrate and strengthen your argument
Simile and/or metaphor
Action verbs
Dialogue or monologue
Proper nouns—names, places, products
Alliteration
Short powerful sentences
Sensory details/descriptive words
Rhetorical question
Purposeful repetition
_____ A combination of transitional words and phrases to move readers from
paragraph to paragraph and from point to point
_____ Concluding sentences in all body paragraphs
_____ A relevant conclusion that evaluates the effectiveness of Adichie’s argument,
restates your opinion, and leaves the reader thinking about the danger of a single
story
Focusing on grammar, review the rules for using commas, semicolons, and apostrophes
(see BS Student Workbook), and be sure you have used them correctly in your
paper.
Next, add a typed list of the following at the bottom of the paper:
_____ Five of the following rhetorical devices:
One example of purposeful alliteration (the repetition of similar
sounds at the beginning of neighboring words)
A creative comparison: a simile or metaphor
At least five sensory details/descriptive words
At least five action verbs
Dialogue or monologue in the personal response paragraph
Short powerful sentence
Rhetorical question
Proper nouns—names, places, products
Purposeful repetition
_____ A compound sentence
_____ A complex sentence
_____ A compound-complex sentence
_____ A bridging transition (reminding readers of previously explained information)
_____ A sentence with a correctly used semicolon
Highlight the thesis in one color, topics sentences in a second color, and the general
statements of support in body paragraphs two (2) and three (3) in a third color.
Finally, run spell-check through your work (two misspelled words lower the grade to a “D.”)
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Name: ________________________
Outline for the Single-Source
Summary and Response Essay
Directions for the Introduction: In the introduction of the essay, provide a hook to
capture your readers’ attention, move seamlessly into the background information (a brief one- to
three-sentence description of the TED Talk, the title of the TED Talk in quotation marks, the
author, and the general point of the essay. Then transition smoothly to a clearly stated thesis
(provided below), which must prepare readers for the content of the essay. Throughout the
introduction, guide your readers from point to point, utilizing transitional words, phrases, and
sentences.
Write
“___________________________________________________
page
____________________________________________________
number
_________________________________________________ here.
________________________________________” (Adichie ___).
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
A thesis Statement (must be included in the introduction of your essay):
Consider using one of the samples below or write your own thesis:
Adichie effectively explains her main idea, providing powerful statements and rhetorical
devices to emphasize her main point that danger resides in a single story, ultimately
leaving me in agreement/disagreement with her main point.
Adichie explains her main idea, providing powerful statements and rhetorical devices to
emphasize her main point, ultimately leaving me in agreement/disagreement that danger
resides in a single story.
Providing powerful statements and rhetorical devices, Adichie explains her main point
that danger resides in a single story, ultimately leaving me in agreement/disagreement
with her main point.
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Directions for body paragraph #1: In no more than one page, summarize
Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story.” First, return to the
summarized annotations in the margins of your copy of the TED Talk . Then, following the
same order as Adichie’s TED talk, state the main point of every section, staying true to her
information. Unlike other assignments, DO NOT INCLUDE details, quotes, or editorial
(personal) comments. Finally, add transitions to move readers smoothly from point to point, so
the information reads as a coherent paragraph.
Topic sentence for body paragraph #1: ___________________________________.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Concluding statement:
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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Directions for body paragraph #2: In the second body paragraph, identify, quote, and
explain what you believe to be Adichie’s three most significant claims, using quoted passages
from the TED Talk to illustrate your reasoning. For each of Adichie’s claims, introduce the point
with a general statement of support (SOS), explain the context of the passage to set the stage for
the quote, introduce the quote with a verb, quote the passage, document the page number in MLA
format, and explain Adichie’s claim, emphasizing its importance in her TED Talk.
Topic sentence for body paragraph #2: ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
When
explaining the
context of the
quoted
passage,
briefly state
the subject
matter of the
section from
which the
passage is
borrowed.
Here are some
examples: “At
the beginning
of her TED
Talk when
Adichie
describes the
stories she
read as a girl,
she states, . .
.” or “When
describing her
roommate’s
single story,
Adichie
recalls, . . .”
Statement of Support #1:
_______________________________________________________________________
Context:
_______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Quote: Adichie __________ (add action verb of choice: states, asserts, etc.),
“___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________” (
Include
the page
number
here.
).
Explanation: ____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Statement of Support #2:
______________________________________________________________________
Context:
______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
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Quote: Adichie __________ (add action verb of choice: states, asserts, etc.),
“__________________________________________________________________
Include
the page
number
here.
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________” (
).
Explanation: ____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Statement of Support #3:
______________________________________________________________________
Context:
______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Quote: Adichie __________ (add action verb of choice: states, asserts, etc.),
“___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________” (
Include
the page
number
here.
).
Explanation: ____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Concluding remark:______________________________________________________
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Directions for body paragraph #3: In the third body paragraph, discuss and analyze
Adichie’s use of rhetorical devices, citing and explaining quoted passages from the article to
illustrate your reasoning. For each example, begin with a general statement of support (SOS),
explain the context of the quoted passage, introduce the quote with a verb, quote the passage,
document the page number using proper MLA format, and explain Adichie’s use of each
rhetorical device (be specific) and how it strengthens her argument.
Topic sentence for body paragraph #3: ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
Statement of Support #1:
____________________________________________________________________________
Context:
____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Quote: Adichie __________ (add action verb),
“________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________” (
Include
the page
number
here.
).
Explanation: _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Statement of Support #2:
____________________________________________________________________________
Context:
____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
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Quote: Adichie __________ (add action verb),
“________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________” (
Include
the page
number
here.
).
Explanation: _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Statement of Support #3:
____________________________________________________________________________
Context:
____________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Quote: Adichie __________ (add action verb),
“________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________” (
Include
the page
number
here.
).
Explanation: _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Concluding remark:____________________________________________________________
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Directions for body paragraph #4: In the fourth body paragraph, agree or disagree
with the author’s main idea. Then, describe a detailed example from your own experience,
someone you know, or from the media to vividly illustrate your argument for your readers.
Include journalistic details of who, what, when, where, why, and/or how to help your reader
visualize your connection, imagining it as it happened. Show us the experience rather than simply
telling about it.
Also, employ at least five of the following rhetorical devices:
Simile and/or metaphor
Action verbs
Dialogue or monologue
Proper nouns—names, places, products
Alliteration
Short powerful sentences
Sensory details/descriptive words
Rhetorical question
Purposeful repetition
(Be prepared to highlight and label these rhetorical devices before submitting your essay for a
grade.)
Topic sentence for body paragraph #4: ___________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(See next page.)
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___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
Directions for the concluding paragraph: Conclude your paper by evaluating the
effectiveness of Adichie’s argument and leaving your readers thinking about the topic.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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Student Sample Paragraphs
from the Single-Source Essay
Student Sample Introduction
“Psychologists once believed that only bigoted people used stereotypes. Now the study of
unconscious bias is revealing the unsettling truth: We all use stereotypes, all the time, without
knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality, and the enemy is us,” states Annie Murphy Paul
in her article “Where Bias Begins: The Truth about Stereotypes” in Psychology Today. It is a
common notion that people who use stereotypes are haughty and strongly opinionated people,
but that is a stereotype in itself. Most times, people inattentively use stereotypes. Perhaps both
bigots and liberal thinkers are guilty of using conventionalized stories. Many people have fixed
images about specific faces and places. Nigerian writer Chimamanda Adichie addresses these
stereotypes in her TED Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story.” Adichie makes it clear that no
place has a single story and explains how what one hears is not the whole truth; the danger in it
lies in our permanent interpretation of it. What we retain from a single narrative could leave a
powerful impression in our minds that determines our definitive thought about the subject.
Throughout her TED Talk, Adichie effectively explains her main idea, providing powerful
statements and rhetorical devices to emphasize her main point that danger resides in a single
story, ultimately leaving me in agreement with her main point.
--Claudia
Student Sample Single-Source Body Paragraph #1—Summary (not provided since
students’ paragraphs are too similar)
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Student Sample Single-Source Body Paragraph #2—Significant quoted passages
Directions: While reading this paragraph,
___ highlight the student-author’s use of context to set the scene of the quoted passages
___ highlight (in a different color) the explanations of the quoted passages
___ circle the use of transitions to guide readers from point to point
Throughout her speech, Adichie touches upon several eye-opening points. First, she
makes an interesting claim about self-identification. A particularly startling example is when she
describes how her life had changed after coming to the United States, and she expresses, “I must
say that before I went to the U.S. I didn't constantly identify as African” (Adichie 2). This
statement is particularly moving because it is something that most people do but is often not
talked about publicly. Everyone who lives on Earth has an ethnicity and a culture; however,
people often do not consciously identify with their culture until their culture itself is challenged.
This was the case for Adichie. Before she left her home in Nigeria, she was not really African;
she was simply a woman who lived in Africa. It was only after moving to the United States and
being exposed to a different culture that ultimately did not know much about hers that she
became conscious that she is an African woman. Likewise, her next driving claim is that people
often miscalculate reality based on their single story. For example, due to Adichie’s love of
literature she wrote a novel which took place in Nigeria. After presenting the novel to her
professor, he in turn presented her with unexpected critiques about the state of her characters and
story and, Adichie recalls him saying, “. . . my novel was not authentically African” (Adichie 2).
This begs the question: what is African authenticity? Africa is such a dramatically broad place
full of so many different types of people that it is impossible to pinpoint a specific authenticity
that is apparent in every part of it. However, Adichie’s novel was not full of starving, uneducated
characters. It contradicted and, more importantly, challenged what her professor had viewed as
African, so it was therefore incorrect in her professor’s eyes. Her final crucial claim was her
opinion on the source of single stories. Furthering her discussion of single stories, Adichie
claims, “It is impossible to talk about the single-story without talking about power” (Adichie 3).
Adichie explains that many single stories are simply a result of what is seen in the media and
what people in positions of power tell their audiences on the news. Information is spread
internationally through nations’ leaders and the media. By the time the information reaches the
public, it is impossible to tell how much of the story has been marred or altered in order to have
the desired effect on its audience. For example, if the president gives a speech on war, he will
likely make out the opposing side as being aggressive and relentless. If a Facebook Feed wants
its users to view Africa as a place which is solely filled with starving children, then that is what
will be shown. Through her own experiences, Adichie informs us about how others perceive us
and how single stories are used to sway our opinions.
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Student Sample Body Paragraph #3—Adichie’s use of rhetorical devices
Directions: When reading the following paragraph,
___ highlight the three general statements of support
___ highlight the explanation in which the student-author quotes from the quoted
passage to strengthen her explanation. (Attempt to do this in your own writing.)
Although at first glance a writer's use of rhetorical devices might not be evident, the
message would not be as powerful without them. Adichie applies rhetorical devices to her
writing to illustrate her experiences. One example is the artfully placed use of her mother’s
monologue. As a child, the speaker was taught to be grateful for what she has because others do
not have much. At the age of eight, she had a definitive thought about Fide and his family; they
were not anything else but poor (2). The reason she felt this way was partly because her mother
asserted, “‘Finish your food! Don’t you know? People like Fide’s family have nothing’” (1). Her
mother used those words to persuade her to finish her food because there are others who are less
fortunate and yearning for a meal. These words initially stuck with Adichie and shaped her mind
into thinking Fide’s family actually had nothing, not a single thing. Although the words were
spoken by her mother, the speaker includes them into her writing as pathos to exhibit how
powerful the word “nothing” was to her. It created this image of poverty and poverty only.
“Nothing” clouded her thoughts, causing her to neglect to think about what Fide’s family did
have. As the writer continues to speak about the stereotypes she has encountered, she uses a
powerfully placed metaphor when referring to a London merchant, John Locke. She addresses
the metaphors that Locke took from the accounts he kept when he voyaged to West Africa.
Locke refers to Africans as, “‘beasts who have no houses… They are also people without heads,
having their mouth and eyes in their breasts’” (2). Adichie finds this writing from history
important to point out because it shaped the stories of Africa in the West. This jarring
comparison to beasts is extremely degrading to Africans, and it harshly emphasizes how Locke
viewed them. Someone with as much credibility as John Locke could leave an impact on the
stories told about Africans in the future. Adichie emphasizes this concern through her use of
repetition. Further discussing the creation of single stories, she states, “... that is how to create a
single story, show people as one thing, as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what
they become” (3). Just as important as the metaphors of Locke and pathos of her mother's words,
Adichie uses the repetition of “one thing” and “over and over” in that single sentence to explain
the creation of the single story and help the audience realize how a story can skew an idea in a
negative or positive direction. A story such as Locke’s was repeated just enough so that it would
begin to shape stories about Africans. Adichie’s use of rhetorical devices supported her message
greatly by emphasizing the stereotypes and the importance of telling a story from many points of
view. --Claudia
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Student Sample Body Paragraph #4—Personal response
Directions: When reading the following sample paragraphs, note and highlight the
following rhetorical devices:
___ Simile and/or metaphor
___ Short powerful sentences
___ Sensory details/descriptive words
___ Action verbs
___ Dialogue or monologue
___ Rhetorical question
___ Proper nouns—names, places, products ___ Purposeful repetition
___ Alliteration
Brought about by Adichie’s experience with people in the United States, I too realized
that many people have characterized me based on stories they have heard, which is why it is
important to understand Adichie’s main point about how a single story has the power to diminish
or exalt the contents of its tale. During the 2016 Presidential Election, the particular topic about
undocumented Mexican immigrants was one of the top matters of discussion in the media. This
topic quickly arose after a particularly droll speech was made by President Trump in which he
said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re sending people
that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs.
They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” It was
interesting to see how even the leader of a country may be led on by a single story. Was it
possible that the only story he has encountered about Mexicans is that they are instigators of
crime? In reality, Mexicans are valiant mothers, diligent fathers, selfless grandparents, and
accomplished children. They work persistently to reside in a country that can provide them with
the fundamental human right of opportunity. It is prejudicial to Mexicans when the supposed
leader is challenging their integrity. Most speeches the President gave were about immigration
enforcement, which then struck conversations among my high school peers. I was astonished at
the number of students that had given into the single story that Mexicans were of little value to
the United States, therefore, they should be “sent back”. By “sent back” I assume they mean,
deport Mexicans to Mexico. Many of my peers in high school, along with several American
citizens, are supporting what they do not identify as unjust. Most do not know that I, along with
many fellow Mexicans, was born in the United States. I like to call ourselves Chicanxs, a genderneutral term for people who are American citizens and come from Mexican descent, MexicanAmerican. I was born in the smog-filled “City of Angels” that is Los Angeles, California. I am a
natural born American citizen, but I am still Mexican; should I be “sent back?” My mother
daringly immigrated to the United States without legal documentation. The only thing she
possessed were thirteen wrinkled Washingtons that were once wadded into the size of spitballs
for the purpose of keeping them hidden from her thirteen invasive siblings. She used the little
money she had to get her adult life started. She came to America and worked weeks without end
at several measly paying jobs so that she would be able to pay for classes in flower design and
support our family in Mexico. She showed perseverance when building her reputation, and it
ultimately outweighed every preconceived idea of her when she finally earned her American
citizenship. My mother is an American citizen who pays her taxes and has a criminal record that
is as clean as fine china. She is, above all, a strong woman who effectively teaches her children
valuable life lessons with love and she does this all while being Mexican. If my peers and the
President heard these unpublished stories would they still question our value? Could they now
begin to see us as determined workers and not aliens? Many may see my family and me as just
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Mexican, but to us, Mexicans are powerful people making powerful changes. People can learn so
much when they begin to push aside single stories and perceive people, places, and things with
open minds. –Claudia
While reading Adichie’s article, I agreed with what she stated. Granted, I had no clue
what a single story was until I read her speech, but I continued to agree with what she said.
Growing up, my mother was a hardworking, loving and giving woman who became a single
mother. My parents went through a divorce when I was eight. I then moved to Arizona to be near
my grandparents in a time when my mom needed support. I did not like Arizona. It was humid
and dry. We could not afford air conditioning, even in 110 degree heat, but,that was alright with
me. My mom did the best she could with situating us. We settled for a small trailer on the
outskirts of Phoenix. When we arrived, I grabbed my suitcase and ran to the front door to find
that the trailer had been vandalized. There were gang markings on the side of the house as well. I
did my best to ignore it. I recall my mom saying, “As long as we have a roof over our head, and
food in our bellies, we’ll make it out okay, right, Junebug?” I was constantly worried about my
mom. She was my strongest rock, even if there was a few chips. I was enrolled to the local
middle school, where I was more than excited to make new friends to play ball during recess, or
a few girl friends to gossip about the cutest boy in the 5th grade. Unfortunately, people started to
ask where I lived. When I told them what trailer park, they ridiculed me and called me “white
trailer trash.” I thought the trailers were nice. Even though my mom worked three jobs and still
managed to take care of me, we made it work. Like I said, as long as my mom and I were not
homeless, I was happy. Yet, others did not feel the same way. Others did not have to hear my
mom cry in the hours of the night. Others did not see my mom's light dim like I had to; they did
not have to see her smile downturn when we had to have Campbell’s 99 cent soup and Saltines
for the third week in a row. The others did not have to suffer like I suffered, so they did not care
when they created a single story about me and my living situation. My character today is based
off of my past living situation, which I learned from at a young age. After being judged and
feeling attacked, stereotyping and assuming have never been a thought of mine. I learned from
my single story.
--Alexis
Student Sample Conclusion
Directions: Note the student’s use of rhetorical devices in this paragraph
It is an effortless task to believe a story of an unfamiliar topic perhaps because it has been
exposed to the public repeatedly in one way, but it is just as simple to turn the story around and
tell it differently but accurately. Adichie made it evident that the knowledge we acquire through
the years could always be a single story that has been prolonged to turn into a unnoticeable
normal notion. When a story is prolonged, the audience will begin to believe it. It is important to
acknowledge stories about unfamiliar places, cultures, ethnicities, and race because it expands
one's knowledge. Keeping an open mind is key to understanding and connecting a variety of
single stories. It is important to make sure that our thoughts are evenly shaped by positive and
negative stories. Impressions are powerful. Make them count.
--Claudia
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Incorporating Quoted Words and Passages
into Academic Writing
General Information:
• Use present tense when writing about another written work.
• Never assume your reader understands why you have used the quoted
words or passage.
• Make the transition from your writing to the borrowed material as
smooth as possible.
Quoting words and passages:
Be sure to do the following:
• Introduce or explain the context of the quoted material.
When explaining the context of the quoted passage, briefly state the subject
matter of the section from which the passage is borrowed. Here are some
examples: “At the beginning of her TED Talk when Adichie describes the stories
she read as a girl, she states, . . .” or “When describing her roommate’s single
story, Adichie recalls, . . .”
• Carefully copy the material word-for-word.
• Place quotation marks around the borrowed material.
• After the quoted passage, cite the author’s last name (if not previously
identified) and page number in proper MLA format.
• Explain why you have used the quoted words or passage or how it
supports the main idea of the paragraph and/or the essay.
• If eliminating a word or phrase, use an ellipsis—brackets with three
consecutive periods and spaces in between [. . .].
• When adding a letter, word or phrase to clarify a quote, use brackets [ ].
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Samples of Quoted Words and Passages
1. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. states, “We must
use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right”
Use only the
author’s last
(253).
2. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (256), states King.
3. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given
by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed” (259), insists King.
name (not
the first
name) after
the entire
name has
been stated
previously.
4. King explains the inappropriateness of using “immoral means to attain moral
ends” as he explains the demands of nonviolence (268).
5. It is unfortunate that “clouds of inferiority” form in the “mental sky” of
King’s children (259).
6. In the story, Orwell is concerned about what the townspeople will think of
him. Statements like “some of them would laugh” and more importantly “that
would never do” (204) are indications of his fears.
7. In order to support the need for nonviolent protest, King insists that “We
must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do
right” (253).
8. “He [the Indian] was lying on his belly with arms crucified and head
twisted sharply to one side” (78), George Orwell states in his essay “Killing
an Elephant.”
9. Often groups use their time differently: “people of ill will have used time
much more effectively than have the people of good will” (King 263), thus
bringing forth new problems that arise daily.
Note the added words the Indian
placed inside brackets in the
quoted passage. They have been
added for clarification of the
preceding word he.
Use a colon to introduce a quote
when the preceding words form a
complete sentence.
Use present
tense when
writing
about
another text
or work of
art: novel,
short story,
essay, letter,
poem, play,
film, etc.
19
Name of Evaluator: _______________________________
Peer Evaluation for the Single-Source Essay
Directions--Check “yes” or “no” on the checklist below, provide helpful feedback on your peer’s paper,
and draw a squiggly line under awkward or confusing wording.
If you check “No” on the lines below, make suggestions directly on the essay.
Yes
___
___
___
___
___
___
No
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
First read the introduction . . . has the writer provided the following?
a hook?
the author’s/speaker’s name and information about that person?
the title of the TED Talk in quotation marks?
a brief description of the TED Talk
a clearly stated thesis, which prepares readers for the content of the essay
transitional words, phrases, and sentences to guide reader from point to point
Next, highlight the thesis statement in one color.
Highlight the topic sentences in each body paragraph in a second color. If they
are missing, state so.
Then read body paragraph #1.
___ ___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___ ___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
Does the paragraph summarize the main points of Adichie’s TEDTalk and stay
true to her information?
Does it follow the same order as Adichie’s speech?
Is it devoid of . . .
specific detailed examples
the student’s editorial comments?
quoted words and passages?
Does it include transitions to move readers smoothly from point to point?
Next read the second body paragraph.
Are there three quoted passages in the paragraph to illustrate Adichie’s main
points?
Do the three passages support the student’s thesis?
Does body Paragraph #2 follow the required format in the outline form?
Are there three meaningful, well-chosen quoted passages?
Are there general statements to introduce each quoted passage?
Is the context of each passage described before the quote to set the stage
for the information in the quote?
Is the MLA documentation correct?
Is there an explanation for each of the three passages and how they
illustrate Adichie’s main ideas about the danger of a single story?
Next read the third body paragraph.
Does the paragraph identify three rhetorical devices employed by Adichie
to further her argument?
Does body Paragraph #3 follow the required format in the outline form?
Are there general statements introducing each rhetorical device?
If necessary, is the context explained before each quoted example?
20
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
Are there three meaningful, well-chosen rhetorical devices in the
quoted passages?
Is the MLA documentation correct?
Is there an explanation for each of the three quoted examples, relating the
quoted material back to the main idea of the paragraph—that the
rhetorical devices help Adichie further her argument?
Now read the fourth body paragraph.
Does it agree or disagree with a specific point from the author?
Does it explain a specific example from the student’s own experience or that
of someone he/she knows in narrative form (telling a story)?
Is the example described with vivid details?
Does it cover journalistic details of who, what, when, where, why, and/or how to
help readers visualize the student’s example?
Does it include at least five of the following to illustrate and/or strengthen the
student’s argument?
___ Simile and/or metaphor
___ Short powerful sentences
___ Sensory details/descriptive words
___ Action verbs
___ Dialogue or monologue
___ Rhetorical question
___ Proper nouns—names, places, products
___ Purposeful repetition
___ Alliteration
Now read the concluding paragraph.
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
Does the conclusion restate the thesis in different words?
Does the conclusion evaluate the effectiveness of Adichie’s speech?
Does the conclusion leave readers thinking about the topic?
___ ___
Return to the thesis. Does the body of the essay support the thesis? If not, give a
suggestion for how the student could revise the thesis to reflect and accurately
introduce the content of the paper.
Circle transitional words or phrases. Has the student used a combination of basic
and bridging transitions, moving readers from one paragraph to the next and from
one point to the next in the body paragraphs? If not, state so.
Return to the title. Does the title relate to the content of the paper? Is it creative?
If you’ve marked “No,” make suggestions.
At the bottom of the page, list two strengths and two suggestions for further
improvement. Consider the following: Does the paper follow the required
outline format? Are the examples specific? Are there helpful transitions to move
you from one point to the next? Has the writer chosen his/her words carefully?
Does the essay follow MLA format? Please check the top of the first page for
student’s name, instructor’s name, class, date, header, and title; check to make
sure it is double-spaced throughout; and check the parenthetical citations.
Please write your last name in the upper right hand corner of your peer’s paper
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
Thank you for your thorough evaluation.
Peer Evaluation
for the Single-Source Essay
21
Name of Evaluator: _______________________________
Peer Evaluation for the Single-Source Essay
Directions--Check “yes” or “no” on the checklist below, provide helpful feedback on your peer’s paper,
and draw a squiggly line under awkward or confusing wording.
If you check “No” on the lines below, make suggestions directly on the essay.
Yes
___
___
___
___
___
___
No
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
First read the introduction . . . has the writer provided the following?
a hook?
the author’s/speaker’s name and information about that person?
the title of the TED Talk in quotation marks?
a brief description of the TED Talk
a clearly stated thesis, which prepares readers for the content of the essay
transitional words, phrases, and sentences to guide reader from point to point
Next, highlight the thesis statement in one color.
Highlight the topic sentences in each body paragraph in a second color. If they
are missing, state so.
Then read body paragraph #1.
___ ___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___ ___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
Does the paragraph summarize the main points of Adichie’s TEDTalk and stay
true to her information?
Does it follow the same order as Adichie’s speech?
Is it devoid of . . .
specific detailed examples
the student’s editorial comments?
quoted words and passages?
Does it include transitions to move readers smoothly from point to point?
Next read the second body paragraph.
Are there three quoted passages in the paragraph to illustrate Adichie’s main
points?
Do the three passages support the student’s thesis?
Does body Paragraph #2 follow the required format in the outline form?
Are there three meaningful, well-chosen quoted passages?
Are there general statements to introduce each quoted passage?
Is the context of each passage described before the quote to set the stage
for the information in the quote?
Is the MLA documentation correct?
Is there an explanation for each of the three passages and how they
illustrate Adichie’s main ideas about the danger of a single story?
Next read the third body paragraph.
Does the paragraph identify three rhetorical devices employed by Adichie
to further her argument?
Does body Paragraph #3 follow the required format in the outline form?
Are there general statements introducing each rhetorical device?
22
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
If necessary, is the context explained before each quoted example?
Are there three meaningful, well-chosen rhetorical devices in the
quoted passages?
Is the MLA documentation correct?
Is there an explanation for each of the three quoted examples, relating the
quoted material back to the main idea of the paragraph—that the
rhetorical devices help Adichie further her argument?
Now read the fourth body paragraph.
Does it agree or disagree with a specific point from the author?
Does it explain a specific example from the student’s own experience or that
of someone he/she knows in narrative form (telling a story)?
Is the example described with vivid details?
Does it cover journalistic details of who, what, when, where, why, and/or how to
help readers visualize the student’s example?
Does it include at least five of the following to illustrate and/or strengthen the
student’s argument?
___ Simile and/or metaphor
___ Short powerful sentences
___ Sensory details/descriptive words
___ Action verbs
___ Dialogue or monologue
___ Rhetorical question
___ Proper nouns—names, places, products
___ Purposeful repetition
___ Alliteration
Now read the concluding paragraph.
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
Does the conclusion restate the thesis in different words?
Does the conclusion evaluate the effectiveness of Adichie’s speech?
Does the conclusion leave readers thinking about the topic?
___ ___
Return to the thesis. Does the body of the essay support the thesis? If not, give a
suggestion for how the student could revise the thesis to reflect and accurately
introduce the content of the paper.
Circle transitional words or phrases. Has the student used a combination of basic
and bridging transitions, moving readers from one paragraph to the next and from
one point to the next in the body paragraphs? If not, state so.
Is there a concluding sentence at the end of every body paragraph?
Return to the title. Does the title relate to the content of the paper? Is it creative?
If you’ve marked “No,” make suggestions.
At the bottom of the page, list two strengths and two suggestions for further
improvement. Consider the following: Does the paper follow the required
outline format? Are the examples specific? Are there helpful transitions to move
you from one point to the next? Has the writer chosen his/her words carefully?
Does the essay follow MLA format? Please check the top of the first page for
student’s name, instructor’s name, class, date, header, and title; check to make
sure it is double-spaced throughout; and check the parenthetical citations.
Please write your last name in the upper right hand corner of your peer’s paper
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
___ ___
Thank you for your thorough evaluation.
Peer Evaluation
for the Single-Source Essay
23
Sentence Skills in Context
Directions:
Read the following student sentences, and add commas, semicolons, periods and
apostrophes where needed.
1. To emphasize her claims Adichie uses multiple rhetorical devices.
2. When we leave the negative single story and replace it with the positive we
gain a kind of paradise.
3. Towards the end of her speech she uses a brief powerful sentence to describe
the importance of stories she asserts “Stories matter” (5).
4. When speaking about her trip to Mexico and her experience with her house
boys family she states “So what if before my Mexican trip I had followed
the immigration debate from both sides, the U.S. and the Mexican? What if
my mother had told us that Fide’s family was poor and hardworking?” (4)
5. Furthermore she puts herself in her roommates shoes.
6. The most abundant books in Nigeria were written by British and American
authors therefore Adichie read only about a particular group of people that
lived in a very different environment than her own.
7. When she grew up she moved out of Nigeria and decided to go to a
university in America.
24
25
Revising and Editing Checklist for the
Single-Source Essay
Directions:
After reviewing your peer evaluations, return to the computer and make all necessary changes in
content and organization.
Then, be sure you have included the following:
_____ An engaging hook
_____ An introduction to the article, the author, and the main point of the article
_____ A clear thesis statement
_____ Topic sentences in the body paragraphs
_____ In body paragraph one, a clear summary that highlights the main points of
Adichie’s speech in proper order
_____ In body paragraph two, three carefully chosen quotes with signal phrases
_____ In body paragraph three, three carefully described rhetorical devices with
explanations, explaining how the author uses them to further her argument
_____ In body paragraph four, a clear opinion and a detailed narrative to illustrate it
_____ A combination of basic and developed transitions to move readers from
paragraph to paragraph and from point to point
_____ Concluding sentences in all body paragraphs
_____ A relevant conclusion leaving your readers thinking about the effectiveness of
Adichie’s speech and the general topic of the danger of a single story
Using the checklist above, make any necessary changes in the typed draft of your essay. If
you have made changes in the draft, print a new copy and read your work carefully,
highlighting any of the following. Then hand-write the necessary corrections between the
lines or in the margins.
_____ Fragments (two points deducted for each error)
_____ Run-ons (two points deducted for each error)
_____ Slang
_____ Clichés
(Turn page)
26
_____ Capitalization errors
_____ Repetition, especially at the beginning of sentences
_____ Use of the word "you" unless addressing the reader directly
_____ Use of absolutes like “always” and “never”
_____ Use of bland words like “nice,” “good,” “thing,” “really,” and “great”
_____ Incorrect use of MLA format to document sources; page numbers in parenthetical
citation
Focus on grammar, and be sure you have included . . .
_____ Commas in lists of three or more items
_____ Commas after introductory words, phrases, and clauses
_____ Commas before FANBOYS when connecting to independent clauses
_____ Commas around “scoopable” information
_____ Commas to set off a verb phrase from a quoted passage
_____ At least three correctly used semicolons
Next, add a typed list of the following at the bottom of the paper:
_____ At least five of the following used to illustrate and/or strengthen the essay’s
argument:
___ Simile and/or metaphor
___ Short powerful sentences
___ Sensory details/descriptive words
___ Action verbs
___ Dialogue or monologue
___ Rhetorical question
___ Proper nouns—names, places, products ___ Purposeful repetition
___ Alliteration
_____ A compound sentence
_____ A complex sentence
_____ A developed transition (reminding readers of previously explained information)
_____ A sentence with a correctly used semicolon
Highlight the thesis statement in one color, the topic sentences in a second color, and all
general statements of support (SOSs in body paragraphs two and three) in a third color.
Finally, run spell-check through your work (two misspelled words lower the grade to a “D.”)
Name: _____________________
Essay Score: ___/100
Preliminary Work Score: ___/20
27
Instructor Evaluation Form--Single-Source Essay
Introduction
___ creative title
___ hook
___ brief description and proper identification of Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk
___ clear thesis statement
___ transitions that guide readers smoothly from point to point
Body Paragraph #1--Summary
___ clear topic sentence
___ the summary covers Adichie’s main points in the same order
___ summary of main ideas without details, quotes, and/or student’s comments
___ summary reads like a coherent, collegiate-level paragraph with effective transitions
Body Paragraph #2—Incorporating Significant Quoted Passages
___ clear topic sentence
___ clear general statements of support to lead readers from point to point
___ context of passages provided to set the scene for the quoted passages
___ relevant quotations to support the paragraph’s main idea
___ introductions to quoted passages
___ three quoted passages
___ quoted passages properly documented in MLA format
___ explanations of the quoted passages, relating them back to the topic sentence
Body Paragraph #3—Analysis of Rhetorical Devices
___ clear topic sentence
___ clear general statements of support to lead readers from point to point
___ context of passages provided to set the scene for the usage of the rhetorical devices
___ introductions to quoted rhetorical devices
___ three strong examples of rhetorical devices
___ quoted passages properly documented in MLA format
___ explanations of the rhetorical devices and how they strengthen Adichie’s point
Body Paragraph #4—Personal Response
___ clear topic sentence with personal opinion
___ use of a descriptive relevant personal example to support your opinion
___ rhetorical devices to amplify personal response
Simile and/or metaphor
Personal examples
Dialogue or monologue
Proper nouns—names, places, products
Alliteration
Short powerful sentences
Sensory details
Rhetorical question
Purposeful repetition
Conclusion
___ effective conclusion leaving readers thinking about the effectiveness of Adichie’s
speech and the danger of a single story
Overall Organization
___ combination of basic and bridging transitions
___ concluding sentences in all body paragraphs
___ organization of ideas—the essay follows the outline form
___ transitions that guide readers smoothly from point to point
28
The following errors were noted:
___ fragments
___ run-ons (comma splices / fused sentences)
___ repetition of words
___ absolutes
___ slang, clichés
___ inappropriate use of the word “you”
___ use of ineffective words “really,” “thing,” “nice,” and “good, ” and “great”
___ lack of collegiate-level diction
___ capitalization errors
___ apostrophe errors
___ semicolon / comma errors (Comma Rules: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11)
___ excessive spelling errors
___ lack of careful proofreading / awkward wording
___ improper use of quotation marks around quoted words, phrases, and sentences
___ shifting verb tenses
___ problems with agreement (subject/verb) (pronoun) (parallelism) (point of view)
___ incorrect MLA format / Work Cited
Name: ___________________________
29
Preliminary Work Checklist for the
Single-Source Essay
Prepare your Preliminary Work by stapling the following items (with everything
identified) in the order listed below.
**Do not staple the final draft of the essay
to this packet.**
____ This checklist (write your name at the top)
____ Letter explaining what you have learned from the assignment (see
instructions on back-side of this page.
____ Carefully annotated transcript (5 pts.)
____ Outline Form for the Single-Source Essay (5 pts.)
____ Two Peer Evaluations completed in class with highlighting and
comments (5 pts)
____ Revising and Editing Checklist with check-marks
____ Two Edited Drafts with at least five (5) handwritten correction marks
per page—use Revising and Editing Checklist in packet (5 pts.)
____ Extra credit for extra edited drafts (2 points each; 6 points max.)
____ Extra credit for visiting the Writing Center (3 points maximum)
____ Points deducted for missing, unidentified, or disorganized papers
_____________________________________________________
____ / 20 Total Points for Preliminary Work
30
Instructions for Letter to Instructor
Directions:
In letter format, hand-write or type a letter to your instructor, and develop a brief
but informative paragraph for each point listed below.
Begin with “Dear Professor __________,” and end with “Sincerely,” a comma,
and your name.
Points to address in the letter:
1. What did you learn about the subject matter?
2. What did you learn about yourself as a writer or writing in general?
3. Did you learn anything about the writing process—prewriting, outlining,
drafting, peer evaluations, revising (improving content and structure),
editing (fixing errors in grammar, punctuation, diction, spelling, etc.)? If so,
please explain.
4. Was the assignment (or a step of the assignment) unclear and in need of
further explanation?
5. Do you have any questions for your professor about the assignment or the
class in general?
Thank you for your time and effort.
1
Transcript for Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk
“The Danger of a Single Story”
I'm a storyteller. And I would like to tell you a few personal stories about what I like to
call "the danger of the single story." I grew up on a university campus in eastern Nigeria. My
mother says that I started reading at the age of two, although I think four is probably close to
the truth. So I was an early reader. And what I read were British and American children's books.
I was also an early writer. And when I began to write, at about the age of seven, stories
in pencil with crayon illustrations that my poor mother was obligated to read, 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 a lot about the weather, how lovely it was that the
sun had come out. Now, this despite the fact that I lived in Nigeria. I had never been outside
Nigeria. We didn't have snow. We ate mangoes. And we never talked about the weather,
because there was no need to.
My characters also drank a lot of ginger beer because the characters in the British books
I read drank ginger beer. Never mind that I had no idea what ginger beer was. And for many
years afterwards, I would have a desperate desire to taste ginger beer. But that is another
story.
What this demonstrates, I think, is how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the
face of a story, particularly as children. Because all I had read were books in which characters
were foreign, I had become convinced that books, by their very nature, had to have foreigners
in them, and had to be about things with which I could not personally identify. Now, things
changed when I discovered African books. There weren't many of them available. And they
weren't quite as easy to find as the foreign books.
But because of writers like Chinua Achebe and Camara Laye I went through a mental
shift in my perception of literature. I realized that people like me, girls with skin the color of
chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature. I started to
write about things I recognized.
Now, I loved those American and British books I read. They stirred my imagination. They
opened up new worlds for me. But the unintended consequence was that I did not know that
people like me could exist in literature. So what the discovery of African writers did for me was
this: It saved me from having a single story of what books are.
I come from a conventional, middle-class Nigerian family. My father was a professor. My
mother was an administrator. And so we had, as was the norm, live-in domestic help, who
would often come from nearby rural villages. So the year I turned eight we got a new house
boy. His name was Fide. The only thing my mother told us about him was that his family was
2
very poor. My mother sent yams and rice, and our old clothes, to his family. And when I didn't
finish my dinner my mother would say, "Finish your food! Don't you know? People like Fide's
family have nothing." So I felt enormous pity for Fide's family.
Then one Saturday we went to his village to visit. And his mother showed us a
beautifully patterned basket, made of dyed raffia, 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 is how poor they were, so that it had become impossible for me to see them
as anything else but poor. Their poverty was my single story of them.
Years later, I thought about this when I left Nigeria to go to university in the United
States. I was 19. My American roommate was shocked by me. She asked where I had learned to
speak English so well, and was confused when I said that Nigeria happened to have English as
its official language. She asked if she could listen to what she called my "tribal music," and was
consequently very disappointed when I produced my tape of Mariah Carey. She assumed that I
did not know how to use a stove.
What struck me was this: She had felt sorry for me even before she saw me. Her default
position toward me, as an African, was a kind of patronizing, well-meaning, pity. 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.
I must say that before I went to the U.S. I didn't consciously identify as African. But in
the U.S. whenever Africa came up people turned to me. Never mind that I knew nothing about
places like Namibia. But I did come to embrace this new identity. And in many ways I think of
myself now as African. Although I still get quite irritable when Africa is referred to as a country.
The most recent example being my otherwise wonderful flight from Lagos two days ago, in
which there was an announcement on the Virgin flight about the charity work in "India, Africa
and other countries."
So after I had spent some years in the U.S. as an African, I began to understand my
roommate's response to me. 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, and waiting to be saved, by a kind, white foreigner. I would see
Africans in the same way that I, as a child, had seen Fide's family.
This single story of Africa ultimately comes, I think, from Western literature. Now, here
is a quote from the writing of a London merchant called John Locke, who sailed to West Africa
in 1561, and kept a fascinating account of his voyage. After referring to the black Africans as
"beasts who have no houses," he writes, "They are also people without heads, having their
mouth and eyes in their breasts."
3
Now, I've laughed every time I've read this. And one must admire the imagination of
John Locke. But what is important about his writing is that it represents the beginning of a
tradition of telling African stories in the West. A tradition of Sub-Saharan Africa as a place of
negatives, of difference, of darkness, of people who, in the words of the wonderful poet,
Rudyard Kipling, are "half devil, half child."
And so I began to realize that my American roommate must have, throughout her life,
seen and heard different versions of this single story, as had a professor, who once told me that
my novel was not "authentically African." Now, I was quite willing to contend that there were a
number of things wrong with the novel, that it had failed in a number of places. But I had not
quite imagined that it had failed at achieving something called African authenticity. In fact I did
not know what African authenticity was. The professor told me that my characters were too
much like him, an educated and middle-class man. My characters drove cars. They were not
starving. Therefore they were not authentically African.
But I must quickly add that I too am just as guilty in the question of the single story. A
few years ago, I visited Mexico from the U.S. The political climate in the U.S. at the time, was
tense. And there were debates going on about immigration. And, as often happens in America,
immigration became synonymous with Mexicans. There were endless stories of Mexicans as
people who were fleecing the healthcare system, sneaking across the border, being arrested at
the border, that sort of thing.
I remember walking around on my first day in Guadalajara, watching the people going to
work, rolling up tortillas in the marketplace, smoking, laughing. I remember first feeling slight
surprise. And then I was overwhelmed with shame. I realized that I had been so immersed in
the media coverage of Mexicans that they had become one thing in my mind, the abject
immigrant. I had bought into the single story of Mexicans and I could not have been more
ashamed of myself. So that is how to create a single story, show a people as one thing, as only
one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.
It is impossible to talk about the single story without talking about power. There is a
word, an Igbo word, an Igbo word, that I think about whenever I think about the power
structures of the world, and it is "nkali." It's a noun that loosely translates to "to be greater than
another." Like our economic and political worlds, stories too are defined by the principle of
nkali. How they are told, who tells them, when they're told, how many stories are told, are
really dependent on power.
Power is the ability not just to tell the story of another person, but to make it the
definitive story of that person. The Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti writes that if you want to
dispossess a people, the simplest way to do it is to tell their story, and to start with, "secondly."
Start the story with the arrows of the Native Americans, and not with the arrival of the British,
and you have and entirely different story. Start the story with the failure of the African state,
and not with the colonial creation of the African state, and you have an entirely different story.
4
I recently spoke at a university where a student told me that it was such a shame that
Nigerian men were physical abusers like the father character in my novel. I told him that I had
just read a novel called "American Psycho" and that it was such a shame that young Americans
were serial murderers. Now, obviously I said this in a fit of mild irritation.
I would never have occurred to me to think that just because I had read a novel in which
a character was a serial killer that he was somehow representative of all Americans. And now,
this is not because I am a better person than that student, but, because of America's cultural
and economic power, I had many stories of America. I had read Tyler and Updike and Steinbeck
and Gaitskill. I did not have a single story of America.
When I learned, some years ago, that writers were expected to have had really unhappy
childhoods to be successful, I began to think about how I could invent horrible things my
parents had done to me. But the truth is that I had a very happy childhood, full of laughter and
love, in a very close-knit family.
But I also had grandfathers who died in refugee camps. My cousin Polle died because he
could not get adequate healthcare. One of my closest friends, Okoloma, died in a plane crash
because our firetrucks did not have water. I grew up under repressive military governments
that devalued education, so that sometimes my parents were not paid their salaries. And so, as
a child, I saw jam disappear from the breakfast table, then margarine disappeared, then bread
became too expensive, then milk became rationed. And most of all, a kind of normalized
political fear invaded our lives.
All of these stories make me who I am. But to insist on only these negative stories is to
flatten my experience, and to overlook the many other stories that formed me. The single story
creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that
they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.
Of course, Africa is a continent full of catastrophes. There are immense ones, such as
the horrific rapes in Congo. And depressing ones, such as the fact that 5,000 people apply for
one job vacancy in Nigeria. But there are other stories that are not about catastrophe. And it is
very important, it is just as important, to talk about them.
I've always felt that it is impossible to engage properly with a place or a person without
engaging with all of the stories of that place and that person. The consequence of the single
story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It
emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar.
So what if before my Mexican trip I had followed the immigration debate from both
sides, the U.S. and the Mexican? What if my mother had told us that Fide's family was poor and
hardworking? What if we had an African television network that broadcast diverse African
stories all over the world? What the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe calls "a balance of stories."
5
What if my roommate knew about my Nigerian publisher, Mukta Bakaray, a remarkable
man who left his job in a bank to follow his dream and start a publishing house? Now, the
conventional wisdom was that Nigerians don't read literature. He disagreed. He felt that people
who could read, would read, if you made literature affordable and available to them.
Shortly after he published my first novel I went to a TV station in Lagos to do an
interview. And a woman who worked there as a messenger came up to me and said, "I really
liked your novel. I didn't like the ending. Now you must write a sequel, and this is what will
happen ..." And she went on to tell me what to write in the sequel. Now I was not only
charmed, I was very moved. Here was a woman, part of the ordinary masses of Nigerians, who
were not supposed to be readers. She had not only read the book, but she had taken ownership
of it and felt justified in telling me what to write in the sequel.
Now, what if my roommate knew about my friend Fumi Onda, a fearless woman who
hosts a TV show in Lagos, and is determined to tell the stories that we prefer to forget? What if
my roommate knew about the heart procedure that was performed in the Lagos hospital last
week? What if my roommate knew about contemporary Nigerian music? Talented people
singing in English and Pidgin, and Igbo and Yoruba and Ijo, mixing influences from Jay-Z to Fela
to Bob Marley to their grandfathers. What if my roommate knew about the female lawyer who
recently went to court in Nigeria to challenge a ridiculous law that required women to get their
husband's consent before renewing their passports? What if my roommate knew about
Nollywood, full of innovative people making films despite great technical odds? Films so
popular that they really are the best example of Nigerians consuming what they produce. What
if my roommate knew about my wonderfully ambitious hair braider, who has just started her
own business selling hair extensions? Or about the millions of other Nigerians who start
businesses and sometimes fail, but continue to nurse ambition?
Every time I am home I am confronted with the usual sources of irritation for most
Nigerians: our failed infrastructure, our failed government. But also by the incredible resilience
of people who thrive despite the government, rather than because of it. I teach writing
workshops in Lagos every summer. And it is amazing to me how many people apply, how many
people are eager to write, to tell stories.
My Nigerian publisher and I have just started a non-profit called Farafina Trust. And we
have big dreams of building libraries and refurbishing libraries that already exist, and providing
books for state schools that don't have anything in their libraries, and also of organizing lots
and lots of workshops, in reading and writing, for all the people who are eager to tell our many
stories. Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to
malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the
dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.
The American writer Alice Walker wrote this about her southern relatives who had
moved to the north. She introduced them to a book about the southern life that they had left
6
behind. "They sat around, reading the book themselves, listening to me read the book, and a
kind of paradise was regained." I would like to end with this thought: That when we reject the
single story, when we realize that there is never a single story about any place, we regain a kind
of paradise. Thank you.
“Danger of a Single Story--Transcript.” https://ssw.unc.edu/files/TheDangerofaSingleStoryTranscript.pdf
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