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Course: World History Project - Origins to the Present > Unit 1
Lesson 1: History Stories | 1.0BEFORE YOU WATCH: The Danger of a Single Story
Use the “Three Close Reads” approach as you watch the video below.
Use the “Three Close Reads” approach as you watch the video below (next in the lineup!). If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.
First read: preview and skimming for gist
Before you watch, you should skim the transcript first. The skim should be very quick and give you the gist (general idea) of what the video is about. You should be looking at the title, thumbnails, pictures, and first few seconds of the video for the gist.
Second read: key ideas and understanding content
Now that you’ve skimmed the video transcript and taken a quick peek at the video, you should preview the questions you will be answering. These questions will help you get a better understanding of the concepts and arguments that are presented in the video. Keep in mind that when you watch the video, it is a good idea to write down any vocab you read or hear that is unfamiliar to you.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- What kinds of characters did Adichie write about as a young girl, and what did these characters do? Why is it significant that Adichie chose to write about those characters and their lives?
- Why did it matter that Fide’s brother had made a beautiful patterned basket? How did that affect Adichie’s understanding of the story of Fide’s family?
- What expectations did Adichie’s roommate have about Nigeria and Africa more broadly? According to Adichie, what gave her roommate these expectations? How does it relate to Adichie’s previous point about the story of Fide’s family?
- Why did Adichie’s professor think her novel lacked authenticity?
- What did Adichie witness during her trip to Guadalajara that surprised her? Why was it surprising to her? What did this make her realize?
- Why would starting a story with “secondly” affect different communities? What are examples that Adichie gives?
- Why did Adichie tell the student that it was a shame that young Americans were serial murderers? What was different about Adichie’s understanding of America versus the student’s understanding of Nigeria?
- Adichie describes negative experiences she and her family and friends have experienced in Nigeria, including poor healthcare and education, limited water, repressive governments, and poverty. She also mentions war crimes and unemployment. How, according to Adichie, do these stories fit into the stereotype of Africa as a “continent full of catastrophes.” What, according to Adichie, is the problem with stereotypes?
- What are some examples Adichie gives of stories that challenge stereotypes?
Third read: evaluating and corroborating
Finally, here are some questions that will help you focus on why this video matters and how it connects to other content you’ve studied.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
- Adichie claims that power affects which stories are told, how they are told, and which stories become “definitive” accepted stories that people believe. Using evidence from the video and anything else you have learned in this Era, give an example of a story which has been accepted because a powerful group had told it in a certain way.
- Adichie argues that beginning a story with “secondly” can completely change the story. How does order and context affect stories? Using an example from your life or what you have learned in past history classes, give an example of a story which can become a completely different story if you change the context or order.
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to watch! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished watching.
Want to join the conversation?
Where is the transcript?(5 votes)
Hey Anshuman!
The transcript for each video only shows up under the video. You can see it and follow along by clicking any video and then clicking "Transcript" under the video. However, this is a brand new course so I don't believe they have added the transcripts just yet!
Hope this helps!(12 votes)
My answers (not including the 3rd read)
1. She wrote white, blue eyed characters. They played in the snow, ate apples, drank ginger beer and talked about the weather. She wrote them because she was influenced by the British and American children's books she had read in her childhood and they are the status quo.
2. Because the basket shows that despite Fide’s family being poor, they are able to find a new to create something beautiful enough to amaze Adichie. It gave a shock to Adichie as she had only heard stories about how poor Fide’s family was.
3. Adichie’s roommate assumed that Adichie spoke poor English, listen to Nigerian tribal music and didn’t know how to use the stove. The roommate has these expectations from the single story about Africa that is about catastrophe. It relates to Adichie’s previous point that by only knowing 1 single source of story, you rob yourself of the ability to learn more about the story through other angles.
4. Because Adichie’s novel focus on her own life experiences, about a middle-class family that didn’t meet her professor’s perspective of Africa, where they are starving and poor.
4. In Guadalajara, she sees a typical day where people around her are living their daily life. It ashamed her as she’s conditioned by the media to see Mexicans in an assigned perspective. It helps her realize she is doing the same as what her roommate & her professor did to her.
5. Sharing a story with “secondary” provides readers another perspective of how a subject is viewed. The examples given were: arrow of the Native Americans and not the British; or failure or the African state and not the colonial creation of the African state.
6. Adichie is mildly irritated from the student’s statement that generalizes Nigerian men as physical abusers. The difference is that there are multiple sources & stories regarding America, so Adichie never thought of generalizing an entire group of Americans like the student did.
7. Stereotypes are not only untrue, but they are also incomplete as it makes that stereotypes the only story that makes the ignorant not wanting to delve further.
8. Her examples include:
Her Nigerian publisher, Muthar Bakare, who started a publishing house & tackle the stereotype that Nigerians don’t read literature.
Funmi Iyanda, a TV hostess who presented stories about Nigeria that some would rather forget(5 votes)- just stop it's the third one(0 votes)
where is the transscript(3 votes)
You have to click transcript and download it(3 votes)
- What kinds of characters did Adichie write about as a young girl, and what did these characters do? Why is it significant that Adichie chose to write about those characters and their lives?
The characters have a story and explained and about the roommate being shocked.
Why did it matter that Fide’s brother had made a beautiful patterned basket? How did that affect Adichie’s understanding of the story of Fide’s family?
Because Fide's brother was poor and it affected them when she didn't eat all her food.
What expectations did Adichie’s roommate have about Nigeria and Africa more broadly? They never left the country before
According to Adichie, what gave her roommate these expectations? How does it relate to Adichie’s previous point about the story of Fide’s family?
Why did Adichie’s professor think her novel lacked authenticity?
People she didn't want people robbing her dignity
What did Adichie witness during her trip to Guadalajara that surprised her?
Because of the roommate. Why was it surprising to her? What did this make her realize?
That not all stories are safe to tell.
Why would starting a story with “secondly” affect different communities? What are examples that Adichie gives?
Serial Killers,Power
Why did Adichie tell the student that it was a shame that young Americans were serial murderers? Because it's around in different countries. What was different about Adichie’s understanding of America versus the student’s understanding of Nigeria? Because Adichie grew up there
Adichie describes negative experiences she and her family and friends have experienced in Nigeria, including poor healthcare and education, limited water, repressive governments, and poverty. She also mentions war crimes and unemployment. How, according to Adichie, do these stories fit into the stereotype of Africa as a “continent full of catastrophes.” What, according to Adichie, is the problem with stereotypes? The are always judging people
What are some examples Adichie gives of stories that challenge stereotypes? About people indetifying people differently and how people act(2 votes) - Not really a question, thought I'd share a story for the last question! Take this with a HUGE grain of salt since my knowledge of Colombian history is incomplete and blurry.
In Colombia, the political and social ambience has been pretty unsteady since the colony, and didn't get better after independence. One of the major conflicts this last century has been the guerrillas, paramilitares, government and common people, in which the government and mass media try to show as "criminals that keep this country unsafe, poor, and full of drug trafficking", which is true, but it isn't the whole truth.
These illegal groups started as a rebellion to a government that took over the land of farmers and other people for their own benefits, comitting massacres along the way with help of -certain- superpower in order to make more money. Without their rights and their land, students began making groups as a protest, but they needed money to subside that, money from not so legal activities. And then there's the government, that didn't want rebelion, and farmers that were assassinated, robbed by guerrillas, and previous groups known as liberales y conservadores that go WAAAAYYY back to independence times, and now there's more armed groups from both parties, there's corruption even in the military and police, and cold war consequences, forced migration in the territory, drug dealers, extorsions, kidnaps, tries to take over power! And everything is a mess that when you try to untangle one or both parties are just to reluclant to let powr go because as soon as one does that there's always someone in the back waiting to shoot someone. Demonization isn't the answer, and I can't wait to amplify my knowledge and check again the things I've learned to have a clearer panorama of the global situation and my own territory's history.(1 vote) - I still don't understand 😕(1 vote)
She wrote white, blue eyed characters. They played in the snow, ate apples, drank ginger beer and talked about the weather. She wrote them because she was influenced by the British and American children's books she had read in her childhood and they are the status quo.(1 vote)
