IntroDUction to LIterature II

What is the Earliest Story you remember?

or...what is the most recent book that changed the way you think about something?

Why is it important to question our assumptions and seek multiple perspectives?

Central Questions

• Why is it important to question the story?
• How are social Hierarchies reflected in literature?
• What is the Danger of a single Story?

The 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.

Chimamanda Ngozi

• Ted Talk: The Danger of a single Story

Write Away

• make five "identity bubbles." In each, write an aspect of yourself that is important in defining who you are.

For example: woman, left-hander, runner, vegetarian, mother, teacher, Vermonter

Now, think of a "single story" associated with one or more of those identity affiliations.

Examples: Vermonters live on farms, women are lousy drivers, left-handers are creative...

"The single story creates __(1)___s, and the problem with s is not that they are untrue, but that they are (2) . They make one story become the (3) story."

"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story."

"The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal (4) difficult. It emphasizes how we are (5) rather than how we are (6) ."

"The consequence of the single story is this: It robs people of dignity. It makes our recognition of our equal humanity difficult. It emphasizes how we are different rather than how we are similar."

"What if my mother had told us that Fide's family was both (7) and (8)?"

"What if my mother had told us that Fide's family was both poor and hardworking?"

Examples of single stories in your personal life, education, media, news, history?

How might we begin to reject "the single story" in our lives to regain Adiche's so-called "paradise"?

How can we "read against the grain"?

"Both And"
I am a vegetarian and I love the smell of bacon

"I am but I am not"
I am a woman but I am not a bad driver

Now it's your turn:
"I am BOTH... and... _"
or,
"I am... but I am not..."

Example: Cinderella

dominant reading
ideal image of romantic love that survives against the odds. encourages readers to believe that dreams can come true."

resistant reading:
Prince is a shallow man who judges women solely on the basis of physical attractiveness. A man who will marry a woman on the basis of a few hours of dancing is likely to leave Cinderella if someone with daintier feet comes along".

"The story also represents a woman's physical appearance as a commodity for her to use to gain social status and wealth. The prevailing message cautions readers against believing in romantic love".

Further, Cinderella's only hope to escape the shackles of domestic bondage relies on her ability to seduce and ensnare a man.
points out societal structures surrounding Cinderella.

"Stock Stories"?

America is the land of...

opportunity
plenty
Equality
freedom
upward mobility
"The american Dream"

but, it is also...

Radiolab: Busting the myth of poverty in America

Write Away

• Reflect on the Radiolab podcast: something new you found interesting. A question it left you wondering

Discuss with a "mystery Partner": Save the last word

Respond to your own question...

One takeaway

Write Away

• Why is it important to separate cultural myth from reality?

myth-busting project:
Identify a cultural myth, then try to "bust it" with facts