PD 6 AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Last week, we watched Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Adichie's TED talk, "The Danger of a Single Story". And, then, we read the very unusual short story "The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. One thing that you will learn in AP Language is that there is never just "one story", or at least there shouldn't be.
For today's blog post, please respond to at least 1 of the below questions.
Your response should be at least 5 sentences. Look at your notes from the video or rewatch it to come up with support for your points. Please respond to at least 2 of your peer's comments. Response is due by Friday midnight, comments due by Sunday midnight. Happy Blogging!
52 Comments
Emma Reyme
9/13/2016 10:27:38 am
Some dangers of a single story is that it creates narrow-mindedness and stereotypes. If we can't see people in another light, it can show ignorance because we rather relate that person to that one characteristic. We see single stories everywhere especially in the news because we only hear what that person has to say and not by other sources. We see a single story in the "Handsomest Drowned Man in the World", the men have this one perspective of the drowned man of being a waste of time to the women. However this changed as they saw the sincerity and beauty of the man like the women did.
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Katlin Besaw
9/13/2016 10:30:00 am
I completely agree with you, Emma. I do believe that a single story could create a sense of single mindedness. Very good points.
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Kennedy Murray
9/13/2016 10:37:46 am
Emma, I totally agree; single stories do not present all the facts. It is one sided and bias. You could see the same thing as someone else, but their story would be different from someone else's.
Amanda Starliper
9/13/2016 03:25:37 pm
Your right Kaitlyn it does create single mindedness, and some people don't even notice that it does. Take high school for example if a girl is told one thing, chances are that is the only thing they are going to believe because its the only "story" they choose to listen too.
Yaronn James (YJ) Arciaga
9/13/2016 10:42:59 am
Spectacular detail, Emma! Both the overall points, and the connections with the video, and the idea of a ''single story.'' I completely agree,
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Danté Wright
9/17/2016 08:57:33 pm
I agree with you. Narrow mindedness creates problems for everyone.
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Jacob Burton
9/18/2016 06:27:37 pm
I agree with that Dante. Narrow-mindedness can be scary.
Ginger
9/18/2016 09:16:37 am
I agree! People only see what they want to see, but I feel that the women showed the men the different side of Esteban which helped to change their perspective on him.
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Katlin Besaw
9/13/2016 10:28:48 am
The Handsomest Man relates to the single story because of how the men viewed Esteban. The men didn't really care for him, but the women did. It's like the women saw the good in him and the men saw the bad. Marquez makes Esteban out to be more than a single story by telling how the men and women acted to his wash up on shore. I think the women felt pity for him considering his circumstances, whereas the men didn't really have much to say about it. Also, Marquez showed Esteban's feelings by mentioning how his face had a negative expression.
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Emma Reyme
9/13/2016 10:37:57 am
I absolutely agree with your argument about the women showing pity for him because it's as if the women would have wanted more for him.
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Yaronn James (YJ) C. Arciaga
9/13/2016 10:44:25 am
Wonderful point, Kaitlin! The strength of details, as well as, the emphasis of Esteban in a single story. It supports truly your claim. I completely agree!
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Ginger
9/18/2016 09:13:32 am
I completely agree. The men and women each saw different sides of Estebans story which helps to show that he wasn't a single story.
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Dominique W.
9/18/2016 08:25:53 pm
I also felt as if the women had a single story of him at first as well, since they were talking about how he was like a god. As the story progressed though, they changed how they thought about him, into a more human image.
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Ginger Seibel
9/13/2016 10:32:37 am
Some of the dangers of a single story are that it gives stereotypes and creates narrow-mindedness. Only having a single story robs people of their dignity, that's why we should show all of our stories instead of just the negative ones. I have seen this in media when people are biased and try to make people look bad just because their views on them are negative. In the news, they will show all the bad things someone has done, but they never show anything good that they have done. I also feel like this is why bullying happens because one person refuses to see anything good the victim has done or that they have a good personality.
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Katlin Besaw
9/13/2016 10:35:37 am
I can also agree with you. Emma made a similar statement referring how a single story can lead to narrow mindedness, and I couldn't agree more.
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Kennedy Murray
9/13/2016 10:35:49 am
Ginger, I agree with you when you say single stories are one sided. It is very biased and does not always present all the facts.
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Christian Unsihuay
9/14/2016 07:22:39 pm
I completely agree with you ginger, and how people neglect to say what actually happens and instead explain only the negative side of things, especially in news and media. I've also noticed that some people really have no idea what to think and choose to follow the majority such as how people think arabs and Muslims are all terrorists, which is absolutely true, but there are people who actually believe this because of what some people think. I also like your comparison to bullying.
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Kennedy Murray
9/13/2016 10:33:14 am
The handsomest drowned man is a single story because it is only telling the story of the islanders. It never tells the back story of how the guy died, nor does it reveal his real name. Also, the story never describes how he became such a giant man. So you can only believe what the islanders are saying about him. That causes this story to be one sided. The dangers of a single story is that you only here a biased side, not all the facts.
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Emma Reyme
9/13/2016 10:40:41 am
I agree on your point about the villagers single story of the man because these are the only view points of this story.
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Amanda Starliper
9/13/2016 03:22:37 pm
I agree, because they also say that his wife would have been the happiest women in the world. Well how do they know that? Just because he has good looks doesn't men he was a nice person. Single stories are just us finding ways to judge peoples character.
Christian Unsihuay
9/14/2016 07:32:04 pm
I agree with Kennedy, Amanda, and Emma about how the villagers assumed everything they thought about him, and made their own story about him without really trying to figure out who the guys was in the first place.
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Danté Wright
9/17/2016 08:58:55 pm
I agree that it is very biased. I also agree that its a single story because it never gives you any other information on the man.
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Dominique W.
9/18/2016 08:28:37 pm
Im glad you said that, because I never would have really thought about it that way. Even a well written story like this can relate to the topics we discussed in class.I wonder what the author thought of while they wrote this?
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Yaronn James (YJ) C. Arciaga
9/13/2016 10:41:29 am
The Handsomest Drowned Man deals with a single story, because throughout the entire story, there are only broad ideas of the appearance and stature of Esteban. The way, in which, Marquez, creates Esteban into more than a single story, is by contrasting the other character's emotional responses. The men and women differ, in personal differences towards Esteban. By doing this , Marquez is able to collaborate the idealists points from men and women. It serves as justification, that a single story, is interpreted into many different ways. What creates Esteban's single story from his point of view, is Marquez's way of creating the atmosphere from strange to highly content, to a sadness. It involves the all-around aspects of the strange atmosphere of the story.
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Cameron Jackson
9/16/2016 09:12:21 am
I totally agree with you. Not much was revealed about Esteban other than he was a large, built man. Nothing else was really revealed about him.
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Amanda Starliper
9/13/2016 03:19:59 pm
#3
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Christian Unsihuay
9/14/2016 07:10:46 pm
According to Adichie, what are some of the dangers of "the single story"? How have you seen this in the news, in stories, or in your personal experience?
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Dalton Kendig
9/18/2016 04:40:18 pm
Ha good points Christian!
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Cameron Jackson
9/15/2016 09:13:18 am
According to Adichie, what are some of the dangers of "the single story"? How have you seen this in the news, in stories, or in your personal experience?
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Dominique W.
9/15/2016 12:22:09 pm
A statement that impacted me from Adichie's speech was her story about when she went to Mexico. She mentioned how she also had a single story of Mexico from stories she had heard. It made me think about how I view other people and places, even if I "know" things about them. It's always important to consider other people's points of view to avoid that. Doing research on both sides of an argument can help prevent harmful stereotypes and having only a single view.
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Serenity McDill
9/15/2016 08:04:22 pm
I also really liked that part of her speech, she showed how even though she knows that you should not discriminate or only view from one place, and even though she herself had been exposed to such assumption, she still did it. There are a lot of things in life that are like that, we as humans know usually what is right and wrong, but still by habit of species make the mistakes we are aware of but without even realizing until it is too late.
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Emily Bethel
9/16/2016 06:56:55 pm
I agree with you. That part of her speech was very interesting. it showed how hard it is to ignore stereotypes and open your mind to the other side of the story. Adichie was a victim of a single story and knows the dangers, but yet she still sometimes only sees one story.
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Dalton Kendig
9/15/2016 03:48:55 pm
According to Adichie, what are some of the dangers of "the single story"? How have you seen this in the news, in stories, or in your personal experience?
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Serenity McDill
9/15/2016 07:58:22 pm
I agree with you heavily on the point that not all single stories are bad or even wrong, just that often times they create stereotypes or negative views. The point about how you only knew and sided with your dad's opinion on politics when you were younger is a very good and relatable example as well!
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Cameron Jackson
9/16/2016 09:07:07 am
Great point, not all single stories are looked at as bad, but they can limit the amount of information you know.
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Serenity McDill
9/15/2016 07:51:38 pm
In the story " The Handsomest Man", the drowned man that washes up on shore is given a single story by the women of the village as soon as they see him and take care of him. The women glamorize this dead body simply based on his appearance and body type. However, this is contradicted by how the author, Marquez, has it so that the men really do not have a care for him at all. The men dismiss and even in a way just dehumanize the body after they learn it is not one of their own. By showing these contradictions between the women and men's views of this washed up dead body, Marquez expresses more than just one single story, but still shows how each person or group will have their own singular idea no matter what others think or what could even be probabilities.
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Emily Bethel
9/16/2016 07:00:01 pm
I agree with you. The story shows both sides of the argument through the men and the women, but within those groups, they only see their own side of the story.
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Mallory Misera
9/18/2016 07:24:24 pm
You both made great points! Throughout the story, the women turned Esteban into what they wanted him to be like, not who he really was. They didn't consider any other possibilities of who he could've been before washing up on their shore. In a way, they dehumanized him as they "recreated" Esteban; they took away the parts that made him who he was as they gave him a new story.
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Rachel Johnson
9/16/2016 05:59:45 pm
According to Adichie, what are some of the dangers of "the single story"? How have you seen this in the news, in stories, or in your personal experience?
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Emily Bethel
9/16/2016 06:51:54 pm
Adichie's speech about a single story was very insightful about the dangers of seeing only one side to things. It allowed me to realize that you need to have both sides to everything. By not having both sides, stereotypes are created that are mostly untrue and sometimes cruel. In the "Handsomest Drowned Man," Marquez shows a single story by not expressing the thoughts of the people from Esteban's original home. He does not show how Esteban was thought of at his home before he drowned. Marquez only shows the islander's views. However, in developing Esteban's character, Marquez describes him as more than a single story. He does this by having the men and women believe different things about Esteban for most of the story. The women fall n love almost immediately, but the men were more skeptical until the end of the story.
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Helena Blackman
9/16/2016 07:15:35 pm
Adichie's story that relates the assumptions made of Africa and the assumptions made of Mexico had a great impact on me. While we might look down on those who have a tendency to stereotype, we should realize that we do it ourselves without even realizing it. The things we hear from those around us everyday influence our ideas and opinions. With only one "single story", we're not getting the entire concept of a situation. Instead of just accepting what we hear, we should take time to look into the facts and make an informed decision.
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Rachel Johnson
9/18/2016 05:36:52 pm
You made a very interesting comment about how we stereotype one another without even realizing it. That is very true and we are being unfair to one another by doing so.
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Mallory Misera
9/18/2016 07:13:33 pm
You are absolutely right! Each and every one of us have made a judgment on someone based on a "single story" whether we are aware of it or not. Because we go to Hedgesville, students at the other schools assume we are all rednecks who love camo, hunting, and country music when in reality there are only a handful of people in our school are into those things.
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Jacob Burton
9/16/2016 07:56:01 pm
"Handsomest Drowned Man in the World" is a great example of the danger of a single story. The story tells us absolutely nothing about the man;s past life. To me this is very similar to judging a book by its' cover or appearance. This is why it is important to not judge people by their appearance too. We never know what they have been through.
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Mason collins
9/16/2016 08:33:30 pm
The danger of a single story is that only one side is told repeatedly and passed along. If that is the case stereotypes form and never go away. They become blown out of proportion and very offensive. In the "Ted Talk" her story of her roommate struck me most. Her roommate had a preconceived notion that since she was from Africa that she couldn't read or even speak English at all. Because she knew the one side she probably missed her chance to be
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Rachel Johnson
9/18/2016 05:44:12 pm
That part of the Ted Talk also stood out to me the most. Her roommate was surprised she could speak English (even though it's her first language), and also surprised she could use a stove. It's so important not to stereotype people based on where they're from or what they look like because it's usually very incomplete or completely untrue.
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Jacob Burton
9/18/2016 06:28:53 pm
I agree that some stories get blown out of proportion by just hearing a single side.
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Savannah Williams
9/16/2016 08:37:21 pm
Having a single story of someone not only puts you at risk of offending them, but it also creates stereotypes. It creates ignorance and weakness. If you do not know more than the single story, it's easier for you to be manipulated. It could also give people a single story of you. If you're constantly relying on a single story, others mat automatically assume you're gullible and/or ignorant. Single stories distract people from reality, almost like looking through a birds eye. Single stories could even distract from the real issue at hand, which then make the people focusing on only the single story naive to what may actually be taking place.
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Dalton Kendig
9/18/2016 04:45:23 pm
I love how you compared single stories to looking through a birds eye. I don't agree that all single stories may distract you from reality, but I think that most do. Single stories can lead to false assumptions, which can then lead to serious injury (ooooOOO) or even death.
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Mallory Misera
9/16/2016 08:43:49 pm
According to Adichie, what are some of the dangers of "the single story"? How have you seen this in the news, in stories, or in your personal experience?
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Danté Wright
9/17/2016 08:54:37 pm
What statement(s) from Adichie's speech had the most impact on you? Explain the statement explain why it resonated with you.
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Alix Kramer
10/12/2016 02:40:18 pm
#3
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