Connections

Entry 5: Connections

When thinking of Malala, the first things that I think of are her standing up for women’s rights, centralized in education, her bravery, and the icon that she now is for the world. “I Am Malala” connects the many stories of Ruby Bridges through the similarities in the protagonist in both stories. Ruby Bridges was also an education icon who broke the color barrier in schools in the south. She was one of the first African-American children to go to an all white segregated school. Although there was much controversy and opposition to this, Ruby, only six at the time, was oblivious to the racism and kept walking proudly to the front door of her new school. Ruby Bridges fought against racism, while Malala fought against sexism. Both continue to fight for these rights today. Ruby and Malala are both inspirations and role models for other people fighting today for equality in education. One of the things that inspires people the most about their campaigns was their age when they took action. Ruby was six when she broke the color barrier, and Malala had been fighting for her education for her entire life. Both are brave women who started out as young girls with dreams. These are women who spoke out for what they believed in, and resisted the urge to conform to public opinion.

Malala and Ruby Bridges are two of the most recognized icons associated with equality in education, and most likely always will be. People all throughout America are moved by the story of little Ruby walking to her school, surrounded by escorts. This scene is also what inspired Norman Rockwell’s painting, which is displayed in many places, including the White House. Malala has been an inspiration on a much larger scale. She is now a world-wide icon after she was shot point blank by the Taliban and survived. That is another aspect that makes Malala and Ruby such inspirations. Both had to stand strong in the face of violence, and continued to go on fighting for their cause. This characterizes them as perseverant and brave, yet another similarity between the personalities of these inspiring women, trying to fight for equal rights in education.

Ruby Bridges Meets President Barack Obama

Norman Rockwell's painting of Ruby Bridges

Malala on the cover of Time Magazine

Title Significance

Entry 4: Title Significance

The title “I Am Malala: The Girl who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” is literally Malala saying her name. She is introducing herself and her story to the world. It also lets the reader know that this will be an autobiography. By putting her name first, she indicates the fact that she wants to be known as Malala Yousafzai and not only as the girl that was shot by the Taliban. Before she wrote “I Am Malala”, people knew of the girl in Pakistan that they had heard about on the news, but not of Malala and her dreams and goals. The title is literally Malala identifying herself. Malala’s shooter enters the bus demanding, “Who is Malala?”(9). After her anecdote about the shooting, she states proudly, “Who is Malala? I am Malala and this is my story”(9). This shows Malala wanting to tell everyone who she is and what she fights for and that is also reflected in the title.

This passage also shows that Malala wants her story to be heard. She has a lot of pride in who she is and what she lives for and wants to be known as more than just a survivor. She also wants people to know her whole story, not just of the shooting but of her whole life. Early on in the novel, she talks about why she was named Malala, “I was named after Malalai of Maiwand, the greatest heroine of Afghanistan...Malalai went to the battlefield with other women from the village to tend to the wounded and take them water. She saw their men were losing, and when the flag bearer fell she lifter her white veil up high and marched onto the battlefield in front of the troops. ‘Young love!’ she shouted. “If you do not fall in the battle of Maiwand, by God, someone is saving you as a symbol of shame.’ Malalai was killed under fire, but her words and bravery inspired the men to turn the battle around...in Malalai we Pashtuns have our very own Joan of Arc”(14-15). Malala, named after Malalai, also becomes like a Joan of Arc figure to Pashtuns. Like Malalai empowered the soldiers to turn the battle of Maiwand around, Malala empowers many to fight the battle for girls education. Although, Malalai died, she still left a lasting impression on the men whose lives she saved. Malala survived the attempt on her life, and in titling her book “I Am Malala: The Girl who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” she shares the fact that she cannot be silenced. She is saying “I Am Malala” and I am invincible and I will not be stopped.

“I Am Malala: The Girl who Stood up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban” has the title that it does to introduce Malala and her story, but also to show that she wants to be heard and will never stop fighting for her cause.

Book Cover

Emotional Reaction

Entry 3: Emotional Reaction

One part of the novel to which I had an emotional reaction was the time when Malala was discussing the escalated Taliban violence after a peace treaty was signed. She describes the video of a teenage girl being beaten, “A teenage girl wearing a black burqa and red trousers was lying face down on the ground being flogged in broad daylight by a bearded man in a black turban...they hit her thirty-four times. A crowd had gathered but did nothing. One of the woman’s relatives even volunteered to help hold her down” (170). This really shows the extremes of Taliban violence and it’s effect of people. The fact that everyone is just standing, and watching as a teenage girl is being beaten to death shows how corrupted and desensitized they are, and maybe in fear of the Taliban themselves. It is really upsetting to me that no one is interfering, and a girl is probably going to die. If I were one of them I wouldn’t want to be a bystander, even if I physically couldn’t do anything I would at least make an effort to go get someone who could. The horrible thing is that Malala later goes on to say that the girl’s only offense was leaving the house with a man who was not her husband. That the Taliban would injure or kill someone for an offense so small is truly shocking. The fact that one of the girl’s relatives actually volunteered to hold her down is horrific. This really shows how extremely the corruption from Taliban violence was affecting the people. I was so surprised by this because Malala is so family-oriented, and this provides a very strong contrast between Malala’s family and the family of the girl being beaten. People are so brainwashed by their fear of the Taliban that they would willingly assist in the murder of their own family. I couldn’t imagine anyone ever doing this, and the fact that it actually occurred is cruel and beyond heartbreaking. Overall, I think this passage perfectly describes the atmosphere at this time, and it could not be any more disturbing.

Passage Analysis

Entry 2: Passage Analysis

“Both the army and the Taliban were powerful. Sometimes their roadblocks were less than a kilometer apart on the same main roads. They would stop us but seemed unaware of each other’s presence...people would say they were two sides of the same coin. My father said we common people were like chaff caught between the two stones of a watermill. But he still wasn’t afraid. He said we should continue to speak out” (152).

This passage explains the extreme tension in the Swat Valley in Pakistan. As the passage says, both the army and the Taliban were powerful, but had different motivation. However to the common people, both were very threatening groups. This passage outlines the similar yet differing views of the army and the Taliban and how it affects the lives of the common people, including Malala.

The fact that their roadblocks are “less than a kilometer apart on the same main roads,” has both literal and figurative meanings. It literally means they were stopping people on the same road and seemed unaware of each other being there. But the figurative meaning is that both the army and the Taliban were impeding the progressing lives of the common people. Both the army and the Taliban were stopping many because of their violence. They are also described as two sides of the same coin. This is a metaphor for the similarities and differences of the army and Taliban. Coins are usually a symbol of wealth, prosperity, and power. Both the Taliban and army obviously possess a lot of power. Also, the different sides of a coin usually represent different sides of a related matter. For example, people often toss a coin to make a decision about something, and usually heads and tails represent different arguments, just as the army and Taliban represent different arguments. However they are like reverse sides of the same coin, because they are both feared by the common people, even with their differing goals.

Malala’s father also compares the common people to “chaff caught between the two stones of a watermill.” The two stones of a watermill are obviously the army and the Taliban. This describes the  common people as being “caught between” the army and the Taliban, enveloped in the tension between the two. It seems to the common people that they cannot escape the power of either.

The last sentence, spoken by Malala’s father, highlights a major theme of the novel, “But he still wasn’t afraid. He said we should continue to speak out.” This highlights the prevalent themes of perseverance and fighting for what you believe in throughout the novel. This entire passage is significant because it shows the situation of the novel and also introduces a problem. It shows where Malala gets her inspiration to fight for what she believes in and characterizes her father as the persistent role-model that he is. It also foreshadows the fact that Malala and her father will continue to stand up against the army and the Taliban, and violence in general.

Pakistan Army

Taliban Group