“The Danger of a Single Story,” Speech Analysis

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Ted Talk, “The Danger of a Single Story,” she discusses the importance of being exposed to more than one viewpoint, especially as a child. Being exposed to more than a “single story” is important because it gives people a better perspective of the topic and allows them to sympathize and empathize better than if they were only able to see it from a single viewpoint. Starting from an early age, school is where most children are introduced to different stories, and as children get older they are encouraged to read more complex books. However, a trend that’s been found in the American school system, specifically, is the harrowing fact that the stories American children are introduced to are overwhelmingly whitewashed. From history to English literature, many children aren’t taught more than the ideals of white society. Although this is true for many schools, it is apparent that Illinois Math and Science Academy’s (IMSA) Literary Explorations program is trying to introduce a variety of diverse stories into its curriculum. Out of all the stories the Literary Explorations class has studied this semester, the most important stories for IMSA sophomores to read/listen to are the stories of the 1619 project and the stories of the many Chinese immigrants that passed through Angel Island.

For many decades America has been called the melting pot of the West, however, the imperialistic nature of America and its history doesn’t reflect this glimmering image of equality, equity, and diversity. Many Americans don’t know the true history of many of the atrocities that have occurred on American soil. Rather than educating students of the racist ideologies and oppression of non-white Americans influencing many of the systems of America, a great number of schools only deliver students with a dishonest whitewashed epic. By not teaching the history of minorities in America, the school system has created a huge empathy deficit for white Americans, in turn creating a racial divide between the many cultures of America. This ignorance amongst white Americans has led to a significant amount of racially motivated hate crimes in America. Schools need to expose American students to different cultures and their respective histories because it will benefit both minorities and white Americans. Children who are introduced to diverse literature will grow up to be more sympathetic to other cultures, resistant to implicit biases, and would be more willing to create and/or vote for more race-conscious laws and policies. 

Children begin to develop racial biases as earlier as pre-school (Perszyk et al.), therefore, by the time children reach high school, they will already be firm in their racial biases whether implicit or explicit. However, high school is a great time to begin the process of unlearning and breaking biases. One essential piece of literature to influence this process is The 1619 Project podcast. The 1619 Project, introduces the audience to the history of Black Americans and the struggles that they’ve endured. This podcast consists of five episodes, each discussing the history and treatment of Black Americans. The podcast centers around the institution of slavery in America and how it continued to benefit White Americans and oppress Black Americans. It also touches on the influence of Black culture in music. This podcast is important for students to listen to and analyze because it gives a different perspective of American History, one that many classes have never touched on. Studying The 1619 Project will allow students to have more than one story to base their beliefs on and will aid in the analytical development of many young students. Although The 1619 Project has become quite controversial and has been criticized for its historical accuracy, it still has a lot of support. The 1619 Project still has much to be added to it, but with caution, the study and analysis of the podcast would greatly benefit many students and give Black students a literary text they can relate to.

Asian Americans are another marginalized group whose struggles are often overlooked therefore, Discovering Angel Island: “The Story Behind the Poems” is beneficial and necessary to the Literary Exploration’s curriculum. Asian Americans have been deemed the “Model Minority” for decades, arguing that Asian Americans have made a comfortable space in America and overcame discrimination without complaining. The “Model Minority” myth has been used to discredit the struggles of both Black Americans and Asian Americans, thereby causing disdain between the two groups. Discovering Angel Island introduces the audience to Angel Island, the place where many Asian Immigrants spent large amounts of time for admission into the country. Many poems from the homelands of the people that passed through Angel Island are etched into the walls. These poems reflect the amount of time they were forced to spend on Angel Island and the stress they went through in a country foreign to them. Discovering Angel Island also touches on a few of the racially motivated laws and discrimination Asian immigrants faced during the 19th century.  Maintaining Discovering Angel Island’s place in the curriculum would allow students to learn and understand the trials that Asians had to go through to immigrant to the United States. This would also give students a place to begin if they wished to research further on the struggles of Asian Americans and their ancestors. It is crucial for students to be introduced to a variety of stories, and Discovering Angel Island is a story that needs to be taught.