Analysis
In this section, we will briefly summarise the main points of our analysis.
The main topic of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED talk “The danger of a single story” is how single stories can lead people to develop prejudiced ideas. The talk also discusses the influence literature has on the way people view themselves and others, and how stories can be used to control narratives.
The speaker is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a renowned Nigerian writer. The audience of this talk is potentially large and varied, including both the people attending the TED conference and the people who access the speech online.
Adichie engages her audience by using a neutral and accessible language. The language is typical of a speech, mostly focused on appealing to authority and shared values, as well as to emotions. Adichie also uses rhetorical devices such as direct references and rhetorical questions to emphasise her points and help persuade her audience.
The talk is part of a TEDGlobal conference which focuses on the unseen things that influence how people behave and develop. Also, Adichie points to historical circumstances like colonialism and her personal experiences with prejudices.
The speaker's general intention with her talk is to raise awareness about how stories can change the way we interpret events or how we look at things. Adichie also intends to change the image of Africa and to promote more diverse representation in literature.
You can find the full analysis of the speech in the following pages of the study guide.