Student Question
What are the audience, purpose, main idea, and argument in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "The Danger of a Single Story"?
Quick answer:
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story," targets a global audience, aiming to highlight the harm caused by stereotypes. The main idea is that "single stories"—or stereotypes—are reductive and diminish people's dignity by presenting incomplete narratives. Adichie argues that such stereotypes hinder our recognition of shared humanity. Her tone is warm and empathetic, acknowledging that everyone is susceptible to stereotyping, and she uses personal anecdotes to convey her message.
While I obviously cannot write your essay for you, I can provide some ideas to get you started and provide some direction as you organize your response.
“The Danger of a Single Story” is a TED Talk given in 2009 by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. When I assign essays like the one you are tasked with, I recommend using an acronym called SOAPSTone to help them organize their thoughts. It may help you as well.
The SOAPSTone acronym stands for Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone. I’ll break down Adichie’s “The Danger of a Single Story” using this acronym to provide you with some ideas for your essay and leave you with a few thoughts and quotes you could use in your writing.
Speaker
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian author famous for her novels and short stories. Many of these stories explore issues of identity and race...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
or gender relations. Adichie ranks among the most popular and influential African authors of all time.
Occasion
This talk was written for a TED conference. The motto of these conferences is “Ideas Worth Spreading,” and speakers at these gatherings strive to communicate a single core idea that they feel is important to share with a wide audience.
Audience
While Adichie’s talk “The Danger of a Single Story” was given to a live audience in 2009, it was posted for free online, like all TED Talks. It has been viewed millions of times by people across the globe.
Purpose
Adichie’s core thesis is that stereotypes, or “single stories,” as she calls them, are harmful. She claims that we all fall victim to stereotyping in one manner or another but argues that stereotypes “rob others of dignity” and are therefore important to avoid.
Subject
The subject of Adichie’s talk is the universality of stereotypes and why it is important to empathize with others to avoid such stereotyping.
Tone
Adichie’s tone throughout her speech is warm. She is not condescending or judgmental regarding those who hold stereotypes. Rather, Adichie acknowledges that the “single story” trap is easy to fall into! By relaying anecdotes of her own stereotyping of Mexicans, Adichie shows empathy to those who hold stereotypes rather than condemning them.
With that SOAPSTone breakdown completed, I will leave you with a few key quotes from Adichie’s speech that could be employed to support your points about her argument in your essay.
Here are two quotes from “The Danger of a Single Story” that are particularly relevant as you explore Adichie’s purpose and central argument.
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.
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.
I hope this helps as you organize your thoughts for your paper. Good luck!