Discussion Board Three: Blog Deep Dive on The Coming of John

 

1. Adichie explains that a “single story” is when we only hear one version of something and assume it’s the whole truth. The danger is that it creates stereotypes, making people seem one-dimensional. If we only hear one negative thing about a group of people, we start believing that’s all they are.

• In her language, “Nkali” means power. She says that people who have power control what stories are told. This is dangerous because the stories become unbalanced if only certain voices are heard. Stereotypes might have a small bit of truth, but the problem is that they don’t show the full picture.

• The biggest takeaway is that we need to listen to many different stories to really understand people. It’s easy to believe what we hear at first, but we should always ask, What else is there to this story?

2. The two Johns come from very different worlds. John Henderson, the white John, is privileged and doesn’t have to struggle to be respected. John Jones, the Black John, starts off carefree but becomes more serious after getting an education. In the end, their lives show how race affects opportunities and how unfair the system was.

• 
  He probably used fiction to make the message more powerful and relatable. Fiction allows readers to connect emotionally and see the bigger picture without focusing on just one real person’s experience.

• Before getting an education, John Jones didn’t think much about the unfairness in society. But once he learns more, he starts seeing racism and inequality everywhere. It changes how he sees himself and his community. Education doesn’t just prepare him for a job—it opens his eyes to how the world works.

• Both the TED Talk and the story show how powerful storytelling and knowledge are. Adichie warns about hearing only one story, and in DuBois’s story, John Jones realizes that his community has only been told one version of success—one that keeps them in a lower position. Both show how learning the full story can change someone’s life.

3. Final Response:
During Jim Crow, Black people in the South faced segregation in schools, public places, and even transportation. They weren’t allowed to eat at the same restaurants or use the same water fountains as white people. Violence, like lynchings, was common, and laws made it hard for Black people to vote or own property. Even though slavery had ended, these laws kept Black Americans from having the same rights as white Americans.