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(http://www.glamour.com/inspired/blogs/the-conversa (Norman Jean Roy)) |
A young girl sits at her small desk in her classroom at school. Her school days are easy since she is a bright student. She succeeds with her work and is often the smartest in her class. Who would have known that that young girl would have been targeted by the Taliban by speaking out about what most kids take for granted; education. Malala Yousafzai, an activist for female education, was born on July 12, 1997, in Mingora in the Swat Valley of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province ("Malala Yousafzai."). From a young age, Malala was interested in the world around her. Her father was an educator so he probably influenced her love for learning. When she was old enough, she attended her father's school, the Khushal School for Girls. Malala was always ready to learn and loved going to school. When the Taliban arose and declared girls should not be educated, Malala defied them by continuing her education. In 2009, she started speaking out about girls' education rights. She appeared on television and spoke out against the Taliban. In 2011, Malala received the National Youth Peace Prize from the Pakistani government ("Malala Yousafzai."). On October 9, 2012, Yousafzai was shot in the head by some Taliban gunman. She miraculously survived and was later on nominated for various awards and continued her campaign for girls' education. On October 10, 2014, Malala won the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts promoting the rights of girls' education. Malala lives in Birmingham, Great Britain and continues her campaign for female education. A hero must possess a willingness to help others, determination and courage. A person can not be a hero without wanting to help others. A hero is a person who helps others out of the kindness of their hearts. Another trait a hero usually possesses is determination. A hero could not do anything without their strong determination for their cause. Lastly, courage is one of the traits a hero should possess. Courage is a trait that strong people have and can be a difficult one to find. Malala Yousafzai, who was named after the great Pashtun heroine Malala, is truly one to help others get an education with her determination and courage.
Malala Yousafzai is a hero because she wants to help others get an education. Malala knew she had to do something about female education. So, she spoke out about it. "The assembly met almost every month for a year, and we passed nine resolutions. We called for an end to child labor. We demanded that all the schools that had been destroyed by the Taliban be rebuilt. We were being heard, we were making a difference and it felt good" (Yousafzai and McCormick). Malala wanted her voice to be heard about girls' education, so with the help of her father and her school, she was able to. She spoke out about issues that should be resolved when the assembly met. She got her voice heard and she got the voices of other people out who were too afraid to speak out about the problems. She was helping the people get their voices heard. Malala wanted to get her voice heard and by accomplishing that, she helped other people get noticed too. Malala gave a voice to her followers who were too afraid to speak out. "Malala, a devout Muslim, has given voice to millions of fellow believers who are disgusted by the extremists who twist the words of Islam to suit their ultra-conservative beliefs" (Hines). Malala spoke out about the things she believed in and has given a voice to other people who feel the same way as her. She has helped people's beliefs get recognized and hers too. If Malala did not speak out about female education, nobody probably would have. This shows she not only wanted to help herself, but she wanted to help others too. Malala has helped many people by speaking out about female education.
Malala Yousafzai is a hero because she is determined to get an education for herself and for other girls. Malala knew she wanted to learn about the world around her. She knew if she was going to get anywhere in life, she would have to be educated. She was determined to get her education and was determined to make sure other girls did too. "'They cannot stop me. I will get my education,' I told the cameraman. If it is in home, school, or anyplace. This is our request to the world - save our schools, save our Pakistan, save our Swat'" (Yousafzai and McCormick). Malala Yousafzai was determined to get her education. She fought long and hard to get her voice heard. She did not care what the Taliban said about girls' education. Once she got some recognition, she continued her campaign for girls' education; she wanted all girls to receive an education, not just herself. It takes determination to do this but Malala knew what she had to do. She would continue to speak out until she received her education. Malala understood that if she gave up on her cause, nothing would happen. So, with her strong determination, Malala continued her campaign for female education, despite the danger of the Taliban."The worst had happened. I had been targeted by the Taliban. Now I would get back to doing what I was meant to do" (Yousafzai and McCormick). Even though Malala was targeted directly by the Taliban, she still continued fighting for female education. It takes fierce determination to continue doing this since she was targeted by the Taliban, but her determination was fueled by her love of learning. It would take more than a threat to stop Malala. With her strong determination, Malala can accomplish anything.
Malala Yousafzai is a hero because of her courage to stand up for what she believes in. From the beginning, Malala did not stay silent about the issues she was facing with her education. She chose to speak out about them herself even though she knew the consequences of what could happen to her. "So throughout 2008, as our Swat was being attacked, I didn't stay silent. I spoke to local and national TV channels - I spoke out to anyone who would listen" (Yousafzai and McCormick). Malala showed a lot of courage by speaking out against the Taliban about girls' education. She did not hide herself because she believed she did nothing wrong. She was speaking the truth and she had the courage to do so. Most people do not have the courage to stand up for what they believe in or to speak out about things that concern them. However, Malala is not one of those people and she has the courage to do something about the problem. Malala publicly spoke out against the Taliban along with her father. Malala knew if she didn't speak out about female education, nobody would because they would be too scared to. "Malala and her father resisted the Taliban's reign of terror, publicly insisting on the right of every girl to attend school. It won them many admirers - and many enemies" ("Unstoppable: meet Malala."). Malala, along with her father, publicly spoke out on the rights of girls to get an education. Malala had a lot of courage to do this even though she received death threats and had been targeted by the Taliban. Others might have backed down and stopped but Malala did not. Even though Malala was in danger since she spoke out about female education, she still continued to do so. It takes courage to do that but it was a worthy cause for Malala. Courage drives Malala to stand up for what she believes in.
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Malala Yousafzai truly is a hero to people all around the world. She inspires people to go after their education with her helpfulness, determination and courage. She's also a good person for her selfless acts. She wanted to help others get an education and she is now by being an activist for education. She accomplished that by being determined and having courage. That is an admirable thing for other people to see. Malala Yousafzai inspires me because she has gone after her dream of getting an education. She is also inspiring for being determined and not letting anything distract her with her goal. Yousafzai once stated, "So, the thing is that, our body is going to die, but the mission, and the campaign that we have, I want that to survive, and I want that to live forever. And for that reason, I will continue my work" (Kingston). She proves to be an inspiration to me and to other girls. She inspires me to follow my dreams and to never give up on them. As she continues her campaign for girls' education, others like me continue to look up to Malala for hope. Even though Malala Yousafzai will be most known for being the girl who got shot in the head by the Taliban and surviving, to some people she will always be known as a great activist, an inspiration, and a hero. Works Cited Hines, Nico. "Malala Yousafzai Is the Youngest Nobel Peace Prize Winner in History." N.p., 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 3 Feb. 2015. Kingston, Anne. "Teen idol: in a world where girls are gazed at more than heard, steely, articulate Malala is no less than a revolutionary." Maclean's 9 Dec. 2013: 65+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 Feb. 2015. "Malala Yousafzai." Gale Biography in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Biography in Context. Web. 26 Jan. 2015. "Unstoppable: meet Malala, a teen who's waging a courageous campaign for girls' rights." Junior Scholastic/Current Events 9 Dec. 2013: 6+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 Feb. 2015. Yousafzai, Malala, and Patricia McCormick. I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood up for Education and Changed the World. New York: Little, Brown, 2014. Print.
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Last edited 2/13/2015 12:00:00 AM