A521.2.3.RB - Danger of Stories

A521.2.3.RB_Matthew-Napu Manglona_ Danger of Stories

Chimamanda Adichie’s video was such an interesting presentation. She discussed the perceptions that people have when they hear, read, or know of a single story. She discussed the perception of when she used to write being influenced by British and American children stories. She talked about how she would incorporate “German Beer” to her characters and had a desired want to taste German beer. Finneran stated that, “Good stories are not merely the collection of individual events; they are a means of expressing ideas in concrete terms at a human scale. Which I believed is what happened to her at a young age. Denning states that “you must tell an authentically true story; a story once people check out-and they will check it out-and all the facts are known they will say, “Yeah, that’s pretty much what happened.” (pg. 67) Whereas McMahon &Watson suggest that storytelling is the way in which individuals make sense of their experiences. Those stories can have very real effects on individuals and contribute to the shaping of their lives (p.279)  She used her examples in college of her roommate who had a perception of her not knowing anything about the Western Culture. If her roommate researched a little about her culture then she would not assume those things.

Stories are a way to understand the world around us when logical arguments and declarative knowledge cannot explain what is going on. (Stummann, 2014) I received her message as a way to read stories because it paints the picture of certain events, people, culture, and other ideas that can stimulate the reader’s mind. For herself and her roommate reading only one story, the perception of those stories paint that picture, hence her roommate only knowing what she read from that one story. I remember when I was a kid and read American children books I can only imagine what it was like in the continental U.S. I would read stories about tall buildings, highways, and food I never even heard of being from Guam and I would try to envision what they would look like in real life. I remember that people from the states would read a story about Guam and ask, “Do you wear grass skirts?” or “Do you still stay in grass huts?” the perception they had on probably reading an article and not further researching would probably be why they have that thought process when we actually live in concrete structures and dress the way Western society dresses as well.

What I take away from watching her presentation is that through further evaluation of a story a person should take the time to gain insight from that story. Provide those examples needed to paint that picture and understanding for the individual or yourself. Provide that protagonist, see if the story has the right level of detail, and link the story to a change idea. (Denning, 2011)  Based off of what she went through when she first started reading and going through her mental shift from local writers from her country, Chimamanda Adichi said that “the unintended consequence was that I did not know that people like me could exist in literature. So what the discovery of African writers did for me was this: It saved me from having a single story of what books are” (Adichi, 2009) Finally, McMahon & Watson state “Individuals in all country contexts tell stories. In telling their stories, individuals also live their stories which provide a key to understanding their actions and identities.” (p.279)

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References:

Adichi, C. (2009) Chimamanda Adichie “The danger of a single story” (Video File)

http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story#t-1104771

Denning, S. (2011). The leader's guide to storytelling: Mastering the art and discipline of business narrative. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint.

Finneran, K. (2014). Telling stories. Issues in Science and Technology, 30(4), 22. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/1649801398?accountid=27203

McMahon, M., & Watson, M. (2013). Story telling: Crafting identities. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 41(3), 277.

Stummann, C. B. (2014). Practice stories in natural resource management continuing professional education: Springboards for learning. Studies in Continuing Education, 36(3), 322-341. doi:10.1080/0158037X.2014.904786