Danger of a Single Story, Adichie

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  • DANGER OF A SINGLE STORY
    • LANGUAGE
      • The word 'DANGER' appears often in the text and this repetition emphasises the vitality and importance of understanding the single story matter. Danger suggests life-changing and so emphasises the affect it can have on people.
      • 'MENTAL SHIFT'- This is a metaphor to indicate her opinion has changed.
      • '"Fide's family have nothing"' -Reported speech makes the description more vivid.
      • '"TRIBAL MUSIC"' Quotation marks are used to emphasise how ridiculous an assumption her roommate made.
      • 'SHE ASSUMED I DID KNOW HOW TO USE A STOVE' -This line stands alone as its own paragraph. By this point the reader understands this disbelief. The single line speaks for itself.
        • STRUCTURE
          • 'I COME FROM A CONVENTIONAL, MIDDLE-CLASS NIGERIAN FAMILY'- Structural feature as focus shifts to new story about Fide.
          • Begins with danger, ends with resolution.
          • Keeps repeating the  'single story' to bring us back to the main focus.
          • Chronological order. Circular structure.
          • Recollection of early life and influences.
          • She was startled by FIde but her Roommate was shocked. Ironic .
      • 'NO POSSIBILITY OF FEELINGS MORE COMPLEX THAN PITY, NO POSSIBILITY OF A CONNECTION AS HUMAN EQUALS'- The repetition of 'no possibility shows gulf of understanding the single story creates. She'll always feel, and be seen as different.
      • When describing the Mexicans; 'SNEAKING ACROSS THE BORDER... THAT SORT OF THING'- Mimics the media's Hyperbole/emotive language used. 'That sort of thing' shows how casually prejudice becomes established.
      • 'WE REGAIN A KIND OF PARADISE'- Text ends with a metaphorical statement suggesting how the world could be a better place if everyone accepted diverse stories.
    • QUOTES
      • Begins with 'I'M A STORYTELLER'-  This is a simple, personal statement and it highlights that no politics is involved in her opinions or what she will say.
      • 'MY MOTHER SAYS THAT I STARTED READING AT THE AGE OF TWO ALTHOUGH I THINK FOUR IS PROBABLY CLOSE TO THE TRUTH'- Immediately suggests the idea of having 2 stories, subtly. Prepares the reader for ideas about different versions of the truth.
      • 'SO, I FELT ENORMOUS PITY'- The word 'So' suggests simplistic way that children draw conclusions from what they're told without question.
        • 'DYED RAFFIA'- Colourful, and it surprises Adichie as he assumed poor people to have colourless, downtrodden, miserable lives.
          • 'I WAS STARTLED'- Short sentence suggests her shock.
    • STRUCTURE
      • 'I COME FROM A CONVENTIONAL, MIDDLE-CLASS NIGERIAN FAMILY'- Structural feature as focus shifts to new story about Fide.
      • Begins with danger, ends with resolution.
      • Keeps repeating the  'single story' to bring us back to the main focus.
      • Chronological order. Circular structure.
      • Recollection of early life and influences.
      • She was startled by FIde but her Roommate was shocked. Ironic .
    • IDEAS AND PERSPECT-IVES
      • Believes people are convinced easily by the single story from books and media.
      • Shows how she was as a child. Shows her appreciation for African books, widening perspective of literature- as well as western.
      • Presents her family as normal 'conventional' but roommate is shocked at Adichie being 'modern'. Ironic.
      • Shock of Single story assumptions.
      • Expresses her shame of stereotyping Mexicans.
    • METHODS
      • Use of First Person
      • Direct, Conversational tone.
      • Use of motif 'a single story'
      • Humour and self-criticism.
      • Mini story examples, personal experiences to show a wider concern.
      • Cliched images to illustrate views of Africans and Mexicans.
      • Rhetorical Techniques

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