Name: Lauren Andrade

Period: 8/24/21

“The Danger of a Single Story”

1. On what topics might you have a single story?

Topics on which I might have a single story include life in other countries, especially third-world countries, and
the beliefs, values, and morals of certain cultures. Because I only tend to see and consume media about the
problems in other countries, such as in the Middle East and China, I don’t tend to see other, more positive
sides of those countries. The media doesn’t focus on the beauty of the landscapes and life there or how the
people live, survive, and thrive even in the environment and problems they face.

2. What stories do you tell about yourself? Which ones make you who you are?

The stories I tell about myself are what I have experienced throughout my life and my culture, values, and
beliefs based on how I was raised, American culture, and Indian culture. I am not only American because I was
born here or only Indian because my parents and ethnicity are Indian; I am a mixture of both. Because of that,
I have a mix of American and Indian culture, values, beliefs, and lifestyle. I tell how I am a first generation
American and the struggles and problems I have faced throughout my life. I also tell you about my
accomplishments and what makes me happy. I don’t only speak about the negative, but the positive as well. I
don’t want people to only see one side of me; I want them to fully understand the whole me.

3. According to Adichie, what is the danger of a single story?

According to Adichie, the danger of a single story is that you may make generalizations about a person or
group of people even if it is false. You may not realize that there are multiple different sides, not just the one
you heard about. One only sees certain aspects, either positive or negative, but rarely the opposite. When you
only know one story, you don’t actually understand the whole picture. It is like a puzzle; not only one piece
will fill a puzzle. You need multiple different puzzle pieces, like you need multiple stories, in order to have the
whole puzzle and/or understanding of a person or group of people.

4. What is the connection between power and stories? How does this text deal with human rights?

Having knowledge of multiple different sides of a story, instead of just one, gives you more power over your
morals and your understanding of the world. As the common phrase goes, “Knowledge is power”. Knowing
more stories allows you to have more control over the decisions you make, helping one to make smarter,
wiser choices. Stories help us to connect better with people and, instead of trying to find what is difficult, we
can find what is similar. We know that not just one story is the absolute truth; there may be other sides that
may change our beliefs. In relation to human rights, most people tend to only see the negative sides, and
people may utilize that power in order to push certain things, some of which may be for their own personal
benefits. People tend to only see one side of human rights, usually negative, instead of positive things that
have been accomplished.

5. How can we learn more perspectives and hear more stories?

We can learn more perspectives and hear more stories by talking to more people that have experienced or
have family that have experienced various events. Instead of seeing what someone says about a group of
people, we can try to find more local resources by someone in the community that gives a different
perspective of what is actually happening. We can consult multiple different sources to find out news or about
the world, not just one and expect it to fully represent someone or to be the absolute truth. One can also
consume material from authors who have experienced certain events firsthand.

General Notes

- Having a stereotype or only a single perspective of a person or

multiple similar people is dangerous.
- One shouldn’t base their judgements or opinions on only what you
know about someone or a group or people.
- Children are more susceptible to only knowing a single story.
- People make their judgments not on what they know about a person,
but on what they believe that person is like based on what they have
heard.
- Many people are guilty of a “single story”; people unconsciously
group and judge people based on what they look like and where they
come from.
- Media consumed nowadays tends to only show a “single story” of
people over and over. They only show one side of those people’s
story, usually ones that are the most unique or the sides that they
want to show.
- When one tells a story from a different perspective, the entire story
can change.
- People tend to make generalizations from what they read or what
they view in various sorts of media.
- Multiple stories make up who someone/a group of people are; they
aren’t just defined by negative stories.
- A single story doesn’t define someone, so one can’t assume that that
single story can adequately represent someone.
- When one rejects the idea of a single story, one can truly try to see or
fully see the whole picture.