It is never possible to know everything about the world: We each possess a limited perspective. However, the point of research (as opposed to other ways of investigating the world, such as writing poetry) is to maximize the amount of knowledge that one can acquire.

Textual analysis in this case would treat written assessments of the state of reproductive health in Nigeria as a form of narrative about the culture, a form of storytelling. To describe it as storytelling, however, might be construed as implying that the texts in question are somehow fictional, or even intentionally inaccurate. But the point of textual analysis, the fundamental reason that this form of research design and analysis exists to begin with, is that all texts (whether written or verbal) can be analyzed as a form of story.

From this perspective, storytelling is seen as one of the most basic of all human activities,...
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