Chimamanda Adichie in “The Danger of a Single Story” speaks on just that, the danger of having one view on someone or people group and the effects that it can have on not only them but you and the people around you. On Ted.com under her video in the section “about the speaker,” it writes “Inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies all but forgotten by recent generations of westerners.” So I would say that this paper is inspired by Mongolian history and stories of peace and joy that has been forgotten by recent generations and replaced with a one-sided single story. Chimamanda Adichie’s argument is not that all stereotypes and stories that you hear of others are entirely false but to be open to the idea that people are not defined by their stereotypes …show more content…
Through my Ministry in Context class, I have learned the importance of contextualizing in culture and learning what makes up a people group. We can not just come with our understanding and facts and say that is it. Facts are facts, and we can not dismiss them, but we can not dismiss the fact that this is only one side of the Mongols story. Because as much as we fail to realize, sometimes the Mongols were also peaceful people who cared deeply about their people. Like I wrote in a previous paper “Through reading a bit of their history, it makes sense (doesn't mean that it's right) why they were so cruel to the cities they invaded. Like the texts say “if they were denied commerce, they were vulnerable and might attack to obtain the products they required or coveted.” These were a group of people who were used to living on the margins basically and got a glimpse of what it meant to live in luxury and liked it, so they had to find a way to sustain …show more content…
They were also people who valued culture and peace but to only view that side of them is also dangerous. When we look at the history of warfare whether the 100 years war or the civil war each group is fighting for something whether it is good or bad. Doing this assignment and focusing on the Mongols have begun to teach me the danger of a single story. At times we hear of people killing others in warfare, and we keep that one image in our minds. The danger of that is creating this anger inside us of these people groups instead of asking questions such as “why did they do it,” “what brought them to that point,” “what is their history,” etc. This is not at all giving people excuses to kill but exploring the different sides of their story. Also, another danger is when we say all the different types of “They,” instead of questioning the people/groups who commit the crimes we categorize the whole people group just like we did after 9/11. We let our fear get in the way of exploration, fear that after if I don’t blame someone no punishment will be given, fear that if I don’t hate I will hurt, fear that if I become to like and see my Muslim neighbor as indeed my neighbor then I will be seen as a
In history, what often occurs is that the worst of a civilization is remembered and not its legacy. The Mongol era is viewed as a small, destructive, and bloody period that left nothing behind. What started out as a group of nomads, led by Chinggis Khan, turned into the largest empire that had ever existed. The article focuses on how their legacy changed the world by building an empire with cross-cultural, religious, and economic exchange.
From the mid thirteenth century to the mid fourteenth century the Mongols were on top of the world, yet just as quick as they came, they left. Under Genghis Khan’s rule, and after him his descendants’, the Mongols conquered an enormous part of Eurasia. Along with the conquering came torture, trade, and many other things, be they good or bad. Furthermore, while the Mongols may have destroyed lives, they also saved them. The Mongols legacy has been assessed in a multitude of ways, but the best way is to judge them about a combination of the people that were massacred, and the progress they achieved for civilization as a whole, for if either of these parts are left out, then it is not the true legacy that is being judged.
The Mongol empire was the world’s largest empire. The Mongol’s practices and beliefs had both positive and negative effects. The large Mongolian empire promoted communication and diversity; however, despite this positive effect, the Mongolian empire housed the deaths of many innocent people. In addition to this, the Mongol empire fostered various religions, but enforced the same practices on everyone, no matter what religion they may follow; this brought order amongst the Mongolian empire.
The brutality of the Mongolian military resulted in a large drop of Afro-Eurasian population. Mongol invasions were extremely cruel to the extent where some cities were annihilated and entire populations extinguished. An anonymous author of The Secret History of the Mongols writes about the merciless Chinggis Khan and his gruesome warfare tactics he used on the Tangut peoples. The Mongolian ruler ordered Tangut cities to be destroyed and to have the women, children, and grandchildren all executed. (Doc. 1). This document provides insight to the extent of the impact of Mongol destruction, where cities like Tangut were completely destroyed. One would expect the author to glorify the Mongols by discussing the humane aspect of Mongol conquest, because this account was written for the Mongol royal family. However, an account like this might have been seen as satisfactory for the royal family, since the Mongols celebrated and encouraged horrendous atrocities. Russian monks from the city of Novgorod documents
The Mongols, a small tribe, conquered much of the known world during the 13th Century. The Mongols are known as a group of nomadic people who lived in a different lifestyle than many. After Genghis Khan became a Mongol leader, many targets formed as they began their journey to conquer towns. The Mongol’s were able to gain and maintain a lot of power throughout their journey because of their cruel and innovative tactics, as well as the violence they used against people.
To start with, the society of the Mongol empire is peaceful and social structure is stable and strong. As one of the
The Mongols were people I wouldn’t want to come across. They were very brutal with their killings of the innocent, the way they conquered countries and cities and their way of life. The peace was kept between Mongols. Genghis Khan and Khwarazm had a peace treaty keeping them in peace. Although it was peaceful, that doesn’t mean it can’t be broken. A Mongol caravan entered Khwarazm with 150 people from Mongolia, and they were all murdered. Genghis Khan wasn’t too thrilled to hear about what had happened in fact, he decided to break out a war. In result, cities fell, more people murdered than killed before outbreak, and Persian casualties were higher than ever. Genghis Khan didn’t stop the attempts at trying to conquer other cities or countries, however. Genghis Khan wanted to make the Mongol empire as big as he could so he went on and next, attacked the West such as
The Mongols were known for their devastating brutalities across the vast land. This land covered the areas of yellow sea, located in the northern part of the Eastern China Sea, all the way to Central Europe. The Mongol’s territories included places like Russia, Siberia, Indochina, China, Korea, Austria, Egypt, etc. The Mongols are pretty much a roaming society. They flourished from the fruits of their labor and as a result, developed into one of the mightiest nation that the world has ever known. Mongols, unlike other nations were seen more lenient towards foreigners and their religious beliefs. This gave Mongols more opportunity in trading. By trading from place to place the Mongols were able to create a few things that are key components
When the word “Mongol” is said I automatically think negative thoughts about uncultured, barbaric people who are horribly cruel and violent. That is only because I have only heard the word used to describe such a person. I have never really registered any initial information I have been taught about the subject pass the point of needing and having to know it. I felt quite incompetent on the subject and once I was given an assignment on the book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern Age, I was very perplexed for two reasons. One I have to read an outside book for a class that already requires a substantial amount of time reading the text, and secondly I have to write a research paper in History. I got over it and read the book, which surprisingly enough interested me a great deal and allow me to see the Moguls for more than just a barbaric group of Neanderthals, but rather a group of purpose driven warriors with a common goal of unity and progression. Jack Weatherford’s work has given me insight on and swayed my opinion of the Mongols.
The Mongols were a very powerful civilization. When playing the game Civilizations you get to reenact the lives of the Mongols while also adding your own twist. Sometimes, the game is not exactly historically correct, but for the most part you should be able to create an environment similar to that of the Mongols. Compared to the Mongols way of living my game had many similarities and, at the same time, many differences.
I think history should remember them as both destroyers of cultures and for their role in fostering cross cultural communication. When it came to war the Mongols were brutal and ruthless. They killed thousands of people and destroyed entire villages. The fact that they never set up a stable empire seems to indicate they had no real interest in creating a lasting empire, and that instead they conquered other land simply because they could. On the other hand, the Mongols saw no distinctions in race and did not force the lands they conquered
The Mongol conquest has been depicted by many as being barbaric to human civilization and by others as having influenced Islamic civilization. More has been talked about, and much has been studied. There has been a lot of traces leading to their destruction upon cities they came across, for instance, Baghdad, most of those who suffered under the Mongolian action were those identified as enemies and those who resisted their ruling strategy (Levi & Stela, 2009, pg. 116). The Mongols were branded as a misfortune to the Muslims depending on the individual historian studying the events and the city chosen for study. They were perceived as destroying the religious groups found in the regions they intended to concur and integrate them into their massive empire. They were indeed ferocious fighters and capable of doing many other atrocities to anyone who had the courage to oppose them, but their conquest had several impacts other than death and suffering.
A Mongolian peace is not the first phrase that comes into many people’s minds when they think of the Mongols. Instead, scenes of terror and warfare may fill the mind. Perhaps there is the scene from Mulan, where the settlement was completed burned down and all that was left was a doll. The Mongols were more than a destructive group. This nomadic group fostered communication, trade, and innovation between diverse areas. They were successful at this because of their military tactics and readiness to assimilate.
The Mongols were conquerors and destroyed everything that caused them grief or they did not understand. While the Mongols would allow for much of the cultural distinctions to remain in their conquered territories they would demand tribute or the population would have to face the consequences. Even though this is not quite the same concept many absolutist rulers employed for their land the Mongols, to some extent, were
When Adichie refers to a single story, she is describing that a person or group of people may be disillusioned due to their lack of exposure to other perspectives and ideas. For instance, Adichie states that when she read American and European storybooks as a child, all of the characters were of the white race and exemplified white characteristics, leading to an ignorant and close-minded depiction of the world. Moreover, when Adichie began reading African literature, she found that “people like me, girls with skin the color of chocolate, whose kinky hair could not form ponytails, could also exist in literature”(Adichie 1:07). This illustrates that in both African and European literature, characterization is limited to the demographics known to the writers, the story is restricted based on one’s viewpoint. Furthermore, the danger in simply reading or writing a single story is that over time, a person, or group of people, can become bias due to their lack of exposure to cultural and ethnical diversity. For example, Adichie describes that when she met the family of Fide, her houseboy, and saw that one of Fide’s brothers had woven a beautiful basket she was taken aback because “it had become impossible for me to see them as anything else but poor. Their poverty was my single story for them”(Adichie 3:43). This seemingly minor misconception exposes Adichie to the dangers of following “a single story”, a reality check which changed her perception of the world. Furthermore, the