Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie`s Speech

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie delivers an astounding speech on the “Dangers of a Single Speech.” She inaugurates her speech by affirming that she read British-American children’s books that always had a narration about blue-eyed children who grew up with a white picket fence with a relatively “good life.”As the years went by, Adichie started to read texts by African writers, who were less readily accessible, that she noticed that girls that mirrored her still had a position in literature. This revelation shook the opinions she had developed from just understanding a simple narrative. Society can rely on misconceptions of a group of people based on what they are exposed to. Society gets these misconceptions from one perspective they have always been given without considering the entire story. “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.” In present times, there are still “single stories” when it comes to groups of people such as African Americans, Mexicans, Muslims, the poor and so many more. Society does not recognize its ignorance towards these group of people and negate the fact that there are more to them than one single story. The object of Chimamanda is not to reprimand her listeners for lack of consciousness; she wants to convey that these particular misinterpretations are still prevalent in society.

One misconception that is still prevalent in today’s society pertains to the African-American woman in America. The media portrays black women with this one “single story” most of the time. Black women have this stamped perception that they are loud, overly-assertive, sexual, overly independent, bad attitudes, angry, and overbearing. Consequently, it makes African-American women who have to encounter counterparts of other races uncomfortable because other races rely on these stereotypes that all Black women are the same. While this may be the case for some Black women as it is for every race of women. An article titled, “Black Womanhood: 'Essence' and its Treatment of Stereotypical Images of Black Women” speaks about Essence magazine providing images that contribute to the stereotypes of the black woman. Jennifer Woodward states, “The next image is that of the matriarch. She represents the image of the Black woman as a mother within the Black home. The 1960s Moynihan Report solidified this image within the minds of many Americans with the image of a controlling, emasculating, Black woman who dictated to both her children and her man their place in her home.”. Woodward explains in the article that presenting African American women as matriarchs encourage the elite to blame Black women for the performance or loss of Black children. Elite's white male perspective indicates that the love and treatment of black children are missing.

Black women are also enigmatic, and complex, and have another side most writers do not speak on. Issa Rae wrote a book titled, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl in 2015. This book speaks on a black woman who did not fit in with the common, false stereotypes of a black woman. Issa was the opposite of all stereotypes and occasionally felt she was not “black” enough. The character in this book was shy, timid, artsy, goofy, mild-mannered, lacked rhythm, and extremely awkward. Issa Rae wrote about the struggles and upbringing as a black woman finding her way through the world and ultimately finding her superpowers by just owning who she is. This diminished the “single story” of the black female in literature and the media. This book provided a representation of black women who did not fit in with the stereotypes the media placed on them. It gave most black readers a sense of relief to know that there is a black woman who resembles them exists and it is common.

The disadvantage of a single narrative, one viewpoint, is that it may contribute to predetermined judgments, observations, and actions that may be incorrect which could contribute to misapprehension. Operating from a single narrative will preclude one from having a more detailed, insightful view of the black woman. The purpose of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s speech was to educate her audience to always consider the bigger story when considering a group of people’s upbringing. Although it can be some truth to it, there is always more to who they are and the given situation. Storytellers should provide more than a “single story” and diminish the dangerous effects it can have on individuals.