single story there was no possibility of Africans being similar to her in any way no possibility of feelings more complex than pity no possibility of a connection as human equals Question Respond to this excerpt in 46 sentences Who is the speaker What do we know about them How are ID: 934278
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Slide1
Bell Work
“What struck me was this: She had felt sorry for me even before she saw me. Her default position toward me, as an African, was a kind of patronizing, well-meaning pity. My roommate had a single story of Africa: a single story of catastrophe. In this
single story
, there was no possibility of Africans being similar to her in any way, no possibility of feelings more complex than pity, no possibility of a connection as human equals.”
Question: Respond to this excerpt in 4-6 sentences. Who is the speaker? What do we know about them? How are they feeling? Can you make an educated guess as to what a
single story
is? You will turn this in at the end of class.
Slide2Danger of a Single Story
“Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.”
Slide3Why is this important?
We will spend the year reading works of literature that are written by individuals from varying backgrounds.
We must ask ourselves: have I been a victim of a single story? Have I assumed I knew everything about an individual based on their race or socioeconomic background?
Slide4Video Watching Etiquette
No talking.
No cell phone use.
No one will leave the room or their desk.
Slide5Responding to the video…
What is the purpose of the introduction of the video? 1:43
How is the single story created? 9:25
How does Adichie use personal stories and humor to illustrate points?
Write down a few notes or ideas during the video
Slide6Craft Moves
Effects of personal stories
Humor – easier to teach a lesson
We all need to learn – humble themselves
Makes life lesson easier to hear and learn
Slide7Examples from Adichie and Valdez
Adichie’s roommate in college asking about tribal music
Audience laughed because it’s humorous
It also gives them an opportunity to think about what they believe Africans in Nigeria listen to
Slide8Valdez uses self-deprecating humor and humbleness when writing about the goodbyes being too much for her (stoic)
It allows the reader to wonder if they would be uncomfortable with that much fuss
Slide9Your turn
Think of two examples from Adichie or Valdez that highlights the craft move of using personal stories
Write 5-7 sentences total explaining what the author did and what
the effect was