The girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban.
Initial Impressions
The first impression
that I had before reading I Am Malala, I thought to myself this would be a
tough read. The book had looked very interesting and I had challenged myself to
read it. I did not expect the book to be alot of Malala's life experiences. As the book progressed Malala’s style of writing was not what I thought it would be. She included her
life experiences with her friends, her family and the Taliban who shot her.
At first before reading this memoir I had thought she died and her father/ family
had written this book for her legacy to go on. I selected this book because
I had wanted to learn more about woman activism and I thought that reading about a 16 year
old story of fighting for what she believes just moves
me in general. Even though I do not know Malala personally I know from reading her own book that she is a very strong
woman and that she is an inspiration too me and too all young girls and boys all around the world.
Title Significance
The title of the book “I
am Malala” has a significant meaning because it has a literal and
figurative connotation. The words “I am” imply that Malala realizes that as a
human being, she has the right to be acknowledged as a citizen of her community
with dignity and respect. The title also implies that Malala is confident being
a young woman in a culture with no regard or respect for the civil rights of women
and children.
The title is as it states. It indicates that the reader will
get to know Malala’s life’s story in a most personal manner. Malala has stated
that everything in the world has changed but she hasn’t. She is not hiding from
anyone and not even the Taliban. This gives the title more significance as
Malala is trying to suggest to her audience that she is a strong young woman and
she won’t bow down to anyone to
sacrifice what is right and what she believes in. Malala has demonstated in her memoir that she
is a strong young woman and is a role model to all young women.
Passage Analysis
“I love my
God. I thank Allah. I talk to him all day. He is the greatest. By giving me
this height to reach people, he has also given me great responsibilities. Peace
in every home, every street, every village, every country- this is my dream.
Education for every boy and every girl in the world. To sit down on a chair and
read my books with all my friends at school is my right. To see each and every
human being with a smile of happiness is my wish. I am Malala. My world has changed
but I have not.” (313)
In this quote, we sense that Malala’s spirituality
and faith in Allah is what keeps her strong in the midst of all of her
obstacles. Having faith in a higher power allows her to maintain a sense of
hope. She wishes for basic rights for
all mankind such as peace and education for young people. This passage is simple
and clear as Malala speaks from the heart and explores her dream for the entire
world from the perspective of a teenager.
The rights and privileges that Americans so easily
take for granted are Malala’s most treasured desires. She discusses the fact
that it is her right to be able to sit down and read books with her friends and
the importance of all girls and boys to be allowed the ability to be educated
or to educate themselves.
The content of this passage is most significant
because Malala is expressing very heart felt ideas and emotions on the type of world , that
she did she wishes to live in. Malala places an emphasis on this idea by saying
“Peace in every home, every street, every
village, every country- this is my dream”. Malala speaks in first person
narrative with no special literary devices or technique. Her words are simply stated from her heart.
However, She uses anaphora to place an emphasis on
her concern for all mankind in the use of the word “every” in the quote
previously stated . The repetition of the word “every” also reinforces the idea
that Malala is determined to continue fighting for what she believes in until peace,
equal rights for women and education for
all is realized in the entire world.
Emotional Reaction
“I
woke up on 16 October, a week after the shooting. I was thousands of miles away
from home care after another CT scan, and fitted between consciousness and
sleep until I woke up properly”
(275)
It was painful to read this passage, because Malala
was shot in the head . This was one of the quotes inside the story that I
really felt emotionally connected to.“I was thousands of miles away from home
with a tube in my neck to help me breathe”. This passage was really
shocking because Malala remembered all that happened before she was shot. She had
described “I was a thousand miles away
from home” this suggests to us that she
had to deal with all the suffering in an unknown place away from her friends
her teachers and some of her family .When Malala was taken away from her
country she had to leave all of her things behind, this was very upsetting for
me to read. She was uncertain about the future of her health and concerned
about whether she would be able to live a healthy life in the future. In the following
quote “And fitted between consciousness
and sleep until I woke up properly” illustrates just how ill Malala was and
this made me feel much compassion for Malala.
Connection
A book I had read in the sixth grade “Red scarf girl” compares to “I am Malala” because 12 year old Ji-Li
who lives in communist china during the 1960’s experiences a terrible terrible
adventure for fighting for what she wants. Soon everything falls apart and she
has to follow the horrific rules of China's ruler Mao-Ze dong and her father
eventually becomes imprisoned for what he believes is right. This compares to Malala’s
book because they both are young girls fighting for what is right. They both
make huge decisions for their life and how they want to make a difference in their
time. “I am Malala” and “red scarf girl” are both memoirs and
two teenage girls who fight for change and what is right.
Final Reflection
Final
reflection
After reading
the book” I am Malala”, I realize how
much I take for granted in life. I’ve never
really thought about all the freedoms that I have as a result on living in the
United States of America. Basic freedom as the ability to speak one’s mind
without having to worry about being killed is not something that young people
have to worry about in this country.
I am fortunate to have a happy and healthy life
and get a good education. Students in this country complain about having to go
to school when there are children in many parts of the world who wish they had
an opportunity to learn.
I don’t have
to be spied on every minute to see if I am breaking a law and I cannot imagine
not being able to read a book. I have so
much empathy for Malala’s experience. After reading the memoir I felt very
connected to Malala. I felt like we have
been friends for a long time and we knew each other very well. Malala's style
of writing made me very emotional yet very appreciative for my life. My first
reaction when I saw the book was that I wouldn’t like it and that it wouldn’t
pull me in, but after reading it that really changed my mind. The style of the book fit exactly to what I like
reading. My final impression compares to my initial one because I had thought the
book would talk about Malala’s experiences with her friends and her family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)