The Thing Around Your Neck- Adichie Paper free essay sample

This simple scarf not only breaks the barrier between two characters of different backgrounds but it units them as one. That same scarf also breaks a stereotype of a certain religion and brings these two characters that share different religious beliefs to become two women who are trying to survive. In the story, A Private Experience, the item of a scarf brought the main character Chika, a Christian woman, and another woman, who happened to be Muslim together as one. That same scarf also separated these two women because of their different ethnic backgrounds. When the two characters first meet Chika identified this other woman as a Muslim right away because of the thing that was around her neck. â€Å"And that she is Muslim, because of the scarf. It hangs around the woman’s neck now, but it was probably Roberto 2 wound loosely round her face before, covering her ears† (44). This simple piece of material classified this woman as a certain type of ethnic background and was the piece that separated these two characters. We will write a custom essay sample on The Thing Around Your Neck- Adichie Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page That thing around her neck was a barrier that caused Chika to group her into a separate group of people. Because of this â€Å"thing† around her neck, Chika saw her as a Muslim first, and a woman second. The scarf grouped these two people, who both were woman, into different groups of woman; based on their religious background. Just by looking at this item, Chika knew what type of Hausa-Muslim she was and where exactly she was from. Later on in this story, Chika used this same scarf that made them unequal to help her clean her cut and stop the bleeding, proving that these two characters can be in fact equals. The scarf that identified the Hausa-Muslim woman as a different person was taken off and placed on an Igbo Christian’s leg; uniting the two different woman as an equal. The one piece that disconnected these two women was the same piece that connected them to be the same. This scarf can also be seen as a breaking of the religious stereotype and proves to the reader that everyone is the same no matter what background or ethnicity they might be. Chika also read that Hausa speaking Muslims were very violent and not helpful towards non-Muslims. Later, Chika will read in The Guardian that ‘the reactionary Hausa-speaking Muslims in the North have a history of violence against non-Muslims,’ and in the middle of her grief†¦ she experienced the gentleness of a woman who is Hausa and Muslim† (55). The act of this Muslim woman taking off the thing around her neck, which classified her, and lending it to a non-Muslim woman broke the stereotype of Muslims. This Hausa -Muslim was the complete opposite of what the population thought Roberto 3 f her religion and she was in fact very thoughtful and caring. This Muslims act of kindness not only broke the stereotype of what the newspaper thought of her religion, but it also broke any differences that might have been between these two women. This Muslims kind soul united these two characters as one. Chika could have agreed with her readings of what Hausa-Muslims should act like, but her â€Å"private experience† with that one Muslim woman broke all stereotypes and all wrong feelings towards her religion and the Muslim people. The use of that â€Å"thing† that was around her neck not only united the two characters but it was used as a stereotype destroyer. The Hausa-Muslims actions towards a non-Muslim were not expected, but this woman’s kindness broke the â€Å"single story† of what her people were like and how they acted. This Hausa-Muslim woman was very kind and thoughtful towards a non-Muslim person, not only with her actions but also her words. â€Å"Wash your leg well-well. Greet your sisters, greet your people†¦ she hands the scarf back to Chika† (56). The woman’s thoughtfulness of Chika’s family and leg proves to the readers that she is not like all Hausa-Muslim people, and that Chika along with all non-Muslims should not characterize other religious backgrounds for acting a certain way. She was the complete opposite of a violent person; she cared for a woman with a different ethnic background because she knew that it was the right thing to do. She looked past their differences in appearance and religion and did what she thought was right. Later, Chika will learn that, as she and the woman are speaking, Hausa Muslims are hacking down Igbo Christians with machetes, clubbing them with stones† (44). Many Hausa-Muslims did in fact hate Igbo Christians, but this kind woman broke the stereotype of Muslims. This hate between the two different religions brought these two woman who Roberto 4 were supposed to â€Å"hate† each other and made them care for each other. She did not follow in the steps of her follow Ha usa-Muslims, and stood up for her own thoughts and beliefs towards non-Muslims. She could have ignored Chika and let her bleed out, but her caring personality was stronger than any stereotype that could be placed on a Muslim. Through Adichie’s words, this Muslim woman showed that love and caring could break any differences between people. This scarf shown in A Private Experience can be seen as a simple piece of clothing that characterizes a certain woman of a certain background. That scarf can be seen as an item that disconnected Muslims and Christians, classifying them as separate ethnic groups. But that same scarf can be seen s an item that units two different people, of two different backgrounds. That same item, which separated an Igbo-Christian and a Hausa-Muslim woman, was used to connect them. These two women used that simple scarf to look past their religious differences and to join them to be the same type of people. That â€Å"thing† that was around that Muslim woman’s neck separated her from others, but in the end it was that †Å"thing† that connected her differences with Christians and made both of these woman see the similarities that they both shared; breaking all stereotypes that these woman may have had towards each other.