You are on page 1of 2

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:

The Danger of a Single

Story
A: Discussion I
1) Where are the books youve read from? Who are their authors? What life and reality do they present?
2) Have you ever read any book by an African author? Why yes/no?
3) Have you ever read any book about Africa? What was it about? Who was the author and how did s/he see
Africa and the Africans?
B: Useful vocabulary
kinky hair INF, very curly hair (usually used about African womens hair)
tribal music music of a particular tribe
patronizing showing that you feel better or more intelligent than sb else
incomprehensible impossibe to understand (SYN unintelligible)
senseless having no meaning or purpose/unocnscious
speak for (oneself) to say what you think clearly and freely, especially in order to support (your)self
media coverage the reporting of news in neswpapers, on the radio and television
a definitive story of recognized authority of excellence; supplying or being a final or conclusice
settlement
Igbo, Yoruba, Ijo Nigerian largest tribes (and their respective languages)
Pidgin a simple form of language, ecpecially English, with a limited numbert of words, that are used
together with words from a local language
Lagos - a port and the most populous city in Nigeria
Nollywood - the Nigerian film industry which grew quickly in the 1990s and 2000s to become the
second largest film industry in the world in number of annual film productions
physical abuser someone treating others in phisically harmful way
a close-knit family held together by family ties
a repressive military government controlling people by force and restricting their freedom
devalued education lowered in value
immense extremely large or great
recognition of equal humanity the act of accepting that stg exists, is true or official
conventional wisdom a truth universally acknowledged
sequel a book/movie that continues the story of an earlier one
fearless not afraid, in a way that people admire
ridiculous very silly or unreasonable
odds something that makes it seem impossible to do or achieve sth
hair braider a hairdresser who makes braids, cornrows, . . .
hair extension a piece of (sometimes fake) hair to add lenght or volume to natural hair
refurbish to clean and decorate a room, building, etc. in order to make it more attractive
eager very interested and excited by sth that is going to happen or about sth that you want to do
malign to say bad things about sb/sth publicly
empower to give sb the power or authority to do sth; to give sb more control over their own life or
the situation they are in
regain to get back something you no longer have
C: Check
1) What were the differences between the Characters Chimamanda wrote about in her early stories and her own
life experience?
2) What did Chimamanda experience when she went to study in the US?
3) Is Chimamanda guilty of believing a single story about another nation?
4) Why Chimamandas story did not feel authentic to her teacher?
5) What is the problem with stereotypes?
6) What is the stereotypical image of Africa? What is the problem with it?
7) What is the key element of single stories?
D: Discussion II
1) Did this speech change your view on stereotypes and literature?

2) What single stories do you know about, what are the most visible ones for you?
3) How do you think you can challenge these single stories?

You might also like