Names: Section: 11 Trailblazer Date: May 21, 2023 Score:

Mark Angel II D. Escultor

TED Talk: “The Dangers of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Guide Questions:
1. What is the main idea of Adichie's talk?

-It is about the importance of spreading diverse stories in opposition to focusing on just
one. Based on Adichie's speech in a nutshell states that “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." And that was the main idea of Adichie's talk.

2. How does Adichie describe the impact of a single story on her own life?
-Single stories, according to Adichie, can have a grave adverse effect. She argues that
such stories rob people of dignity and make it harder for people to connect with and
understand each other in other words they deprive people of their dignity and emphasize
how we are different rather than how we are similar.
3. Why does Adichie believe that stereotypes are dangerous?

-Adichie is particularly sensitive to how power shapes which stories we tell and how we
tell them, defining power as “the ability not to just tell the story of another person, but to
make it the definitive story of that person.” -Adichie sees stereotypes as complicit in the
perpetuation of single stories: " The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue,
but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.”

4. What evidence has Adichie presented to support her claim about the dangers of a
single story?

-The risk of the single story, the one perspective, is that it can lead us to default
assumptions, conclusions, and decisions that may be incomplete and may lead to
misunderstanding.

5. How does Adichie suggest we can overcome the dangers of a single story?

-Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie suggests that we can overcome the dangers of a single story
by actively seeking out multiple perspectives and narratives. This can be achieved
through diverse forms of storytelling, such as reading books from different cultures and
backgrounds and watching films and documentaries that reflect diverse experiences. By
actively seeking out and embracing diverse perspectives, we can break down stereotypes
and misconceptions, and gain a lot of understanding of the world around us.

6. What is the significance of Adichie's personal story in this talk?

-The importance of this TED talk is to encourage us to broaden the scope of stories we
consume about other people and cultures.