The Danger of a Single Story

Paper 1

Chimamanda Adichie

Genre
Audience
Purpose

1. Themes - Complete the following table and add any other themes you can think of.

Ignorance

2. What makes it a good speech?- Complete the following table explaining why various
features make it a good speech.

Feature Reason
She includes personal anecdotes (3) It makes her seem more
approachable/persuasive and illustrates her
point more clearly.

Also, by utilizing three different anecdotes,

it allows her to present a variety of
perspectives.

The use of humour engages the audience

which makes us more receptive to her
message. It also provides a nice temporary
relief from an otherwise serious tone/topic.

Clear chronological structure through her Makes speech easy to follow

life
Short paragraphs for key points

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3. Use of Language – Complete the following table, commenting on the language and
linguistic features.

Technique Example Effect

Metaphor They opened up new worlds for Conveys the power of the stories –
me able to inspire someone to explore
unknown possibilities.

…and a kind of paradise was

regained.

Anaphora No possibility of Africans being

like her in any way, no
possibility of feelings more
complex than pity, no possibility
of a connection as human equals
Highlights the stereotype surrounding
Africa, how everyone views it as
nothing more than a tragedy.
Repetition

Contrast

They played in the snow, they ate

apples, and they talked a lot
about the weather

Vs

We didn’t have snow, we ate

mangoes, and we never talked
about the weather, because there
was no need to.
Use of humour Stories in pencil with crayon Writer exploits the feelings of pity in
illustrations that my poor mother order to create humor.
was obligated to read

Direct speech “Finish your food!” Makes anecdote more immediate as

though we are there listening to her
mother talking

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 Double She asked if she could listen to
Quotation what she called my “tribal
Marks music”

Discourse Now, I loved those American

Marker (noun and British books I read.
or phrase used
to organize) So, after I had spent some years
in the U.S. …

Personal The various stories provide different

anecdotes perspectives and yet, all of them
reach the same conclusion. This helps
to create a more persuasive text.
Triplet

Cultural Alice Walker “They sat around,

Reference reading the book themselves,
listening to me read the book,
and a kind of paradise was
regained.
Contrast I too would think that Africa was
a place of beautiful landscapes,
beautiful animals, and
incomprehensible people,
fighting senseless wars, dying of
poverty and AIDS (listing)

4. Use of Structure – Now look at how the speech is structured. It follows a chronological
order from her childhood through her student days to the present and consists of a number of
different stories all used to illustrate her main theme.

Story 1 ______her childhood reading (British and American)_____________________

Story 2 ______her discovery of African writers________________________________

Story 3 ________________________________________________________________

Story 4 ________________________________________________________________

Story 5 ________________________________________________________________

Story 6 ______Alice Walker’s story_________________________________________

Point Evidence Explain

Use of 1st person perspective I remember walking …

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 Short sentences Stories matter. Many stories
matter.

Short Paragraphs Easier for the writer to

change across multiple
“stories”/anecdotes
Title Danger of a Single Story
(metaphor)
Introduction I’m a storyteller

Call to Action Ending

Homework Question

Transactional Writing (Paper 1) Section B:

You should spend about 45 minutes on your chosen question

‘Young people today are developing bad habits because of the Internet.’

You have been asked to give a speech in which you express your views on this statement.
Your speech may include:
- What habits one might develop
- Whether there is anything that can be done about it
- Any other points you wish to make

Your response will be marked for the accurate and appropriate use of vocabulary, spelling,
punctuation and grammar.
(Total for Question = 45 Marks)

Marking Rubric

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