What does Adichie mean by “the single story”? Where in Yoshino’s writing do you see expectations for other people that are set by a single story of those people’s identities? What are the consequences for covering and authenticity?
According to Adichie, “the single story” is representative of a certain perception of a group of people. The single story or idea is derived from hearing and seeing that group represented in only one way. Yoshino’s discussion of Winnicott’s “true self” and “false self” gives an example of a single story. The whole story of a person includes everything about them, including the combination of their true and false self. A person creates their own single story by creating their false self. When a person hides their true self behind their false self, they are forcing people to see them in only one way. That is exactly how Adichie says that a single story can be created. This is also, in many ways, a consequence of covering. When a person covers, they are removing everyone else’s chance to see their whole story. Authenticity, on the other hand, includes showing one’s true self and allowing people to learn one’s whole story. A single story may be good for people who try to cover or hide an aspect of themselves but, for people who want to gain authenticity, it works against them.
