Question

Read the excerpt from "The Danger of Single Story” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

This single story of Africa ultimately comes, I think, from Western literature. Now, here is a quote from the writing of a London merchant called John Lok, who sailed to west Africa in 1561 and kept a fascinating account of his voyage. After referring to the black Africans as "beasts who have no houses,” he writes, "They are also people without heads, having their mouth and eyes in their breasts.”

Now, I’ve laughed every time I’ve read this. And one must admire the imagination of John Lok.

Which feeling is Adichie most likely trying to create with the use of meiosis in the excerpt?

disbelief
curiosity
guilt
admiration

Answer 1

Disbelief.

By using an understated, ironic remark ("one must admire the imagination") after quoting the absurd description, Adichie is mocking the claim and signaling its implausibility, prompting the reader to react with incredulity rather than genuine admiration.