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.

Danger 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.”

Why 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?

Video Watching Etiquette No talking. No cell phone use. No one will leave the room or their desk.

Responding 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

Craft 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

Examples 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

Valdez 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

Your 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