Malala Yousafzai

                                                                                       A Hero With A Cause

Yousafzai speaks out for girls' education at a conferencehttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malala_Yousafzai_speaks_to_DFID_staff_-_2017_(33735896020).jpg     Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. There are many things that we would like changed, as there are numerous things wrong with our society. However, most of us simply sit and wait for another individual to take a stand and make the differences we want to see. This mindset travels in an infinite loop of dependency, where at the end of the day, no progress is made in solving the issues in our society. A hero, however, is the outlier in this infinite loop. They recognize the problems with our society and try their very best to promote the welfare of others through their courage and determination despite obstacles. Heroes inspire others to be heroes, and motivate us to adhere to their values so that it’s not just one person changing the world, it’s thousands of people. Heroism can be seen in many ways, shapes and forms in our society. Our stereotypical view of a hero is someone who has fame and power, like a celebrity or fictional characters. However, heroes are not restricted to these two images. Heroes occupy a diverse range of our society,  from an everyday mom working hard for her family to the brave soldiers who sacrifice themselves at war daily for our protection and safety. Either way, these heroes voluntarily strive to make a difference in their world, realizing that they are the ones who will rise and make a change without waiting for anyone else. One can be classified as a hero by their perseverance and dedication, not backing down on their cause despite conflict, as well as sacrificing themselves for others well-being to bring order to society.

        One individual who exemplifies the qualities of determination and selflessness is Malala Yousafzai. She inspires many people by her strong value for education. Born on July 12, 1997, Malala Yousafzai was unique from others. Growing up in Mingora, a town in the Swat Valley of Pakistan, Yousafzai was an eager student and was always with a pile of books close by. She attended the Khushal School, a school her father founded to educate both boys and girls, which inspired Yousafzai to take action on education.  She and her father were both passionate about education, and her father always joined meetings and organizations designed to help their society, especially education. However, an Islamic extremist group called the Taliban soon took over their valley, and started heavily restricting the rights of women. They were even flogged if they disobeyed the Taliban. It wasn’t too long before the Taliban banned education for girls in the Swat Valley. Yousafzai, with her strong value of education, was angered by this and started speaking out for hers and other girls’ rights. She spoke out against the Taliban by appearing on news interviews, meetings, and even writing a diary of her experiences during Taliban rule, under the pseudonym Gul Makai.  These actions, however, weren’t without severe hate by the Taliban. One day, on October 9th, 2012, Yousafzai got shot in the head by a Taliban soldier on a bus on her way home, along with two other classmates. She and her friends were quickly rushed to the hospital. While her friends recovered quickly, Yousafzai’s injury was severe and fatal, if not treated soon. Later, she was flown to Birmingham, England for complex surgeries. When she was finally discharged in 2013, she and her family moved to a house in Birmingham, and Yousafzai continued her education there. Her misfortune, however, did not stop her from continuing her campaign on education and she is still a world-wide renowned hero. Finally, on 10 October 2014, Yousafzai won the Nobel Peace Prize, being the youngest to win one. However, Yousafzai is defined as a true hero because of her embodiment of perseverance and selflessness. She displays determination, as she is resolute in her purpose, and portrays selflessness, which is the sacrifice of oneself for the betterment of others, or the concern of others’ well being rather than their own.

    Through her actions,  Malala Yousafzai embodies a true hero not only because of her dedication in advocating for a girl’s right to education , but also her constant selflessness and sacrifice to others in our society which makes her an inspiration to all.

Promoting education in Syriahttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Malala_Yousafzai_on_the_need_for_education_at_the_Supporting_Syria_and_the_Region_conference_(24790994636).jpg 

    Yousafzai portrays determination and perseverance through her efforts to obtain the right to education. One of the strongest examples of Yousafzai’s determination is when the Taliban, an Islamic extremist group, bans education for girls in the Swat Valley. Yousafzai was angered by this, and was stubborn to go to school despite threats from the Taliban. She acts on this issue when she says: “We started going to school again, dressed in ordinary clothes and hiding our books under our shawls. It was risky, but it was the only ambition I had back then....“The secret school is our silent protest”, she told us” ’(Yousafzai 166). Yousafzai’s perseverant actions are clearly shown in here, when she secretly went to school  despite the Taliban’s ban on education for girls. By stating that it was her “only ambition back then” to pursue an education no matter what, it indicates that she cherishes her education, and that makes her even more determined to continue it. Yousafzai uses her determination to make a change in the world and fight for hers and others rights. She never gives up despite encountering trouble and is always there for girls around the world if they need a determined role model to look up to. Her unyielding perseverance proves that Yousafzai truly changes society’s mindset simply because of her determination in pursuing the right to education. In addition, Yousafzai demonstrates determination when she uses her voice to speak out in front of the world in order to persuade them to listen and make a change. She states: “I was 15 when I was shot by the Taliban and almost died but was given another life. I was 16 when I once again raised my voice for girls' rights and education, this time on an international stage...On that day, I raised my voice not for myself but so that those without a voice could be heard. I spoke of strength and power” (Yousafzai). This accurately states that Yousafzai raised her voice in order to reach out to those in need like she once was, which shows her determination in her campaign for girls’ education. She raises her voice “so that those without a voice could be heard”, showing that everyone is standing up alongside her and are fighting for a change in their communities. Yousafzai’s determination and perseverance clearly proves that she is the ideal hero. She doesn’t just give up on her cause because she was attacked. Instead, the attack gives her more motivation to stand up for her rights and battle the Taliban with the power of her voice. This, in the end, makes her an inspiration to all as she teaches us to stand up for our rights and never back down. Overall, Yousafzai proves through her actions that she is insistent on obtaining education for all and is determined to fight the Taliban as well as other oppressors in order to make a significant difference in hers and other’s lives. She is constantly perseverant to stand up for her rights, and as a result motivates us all to do the same. This makes her a true hero and role model.

    Furthermore, Yousafzai displays her selfless nature through her heroic actions; she sacrifices her safety for a girl’s right to education and spends her valuable time empowering girls all around her to rise up as well. One example of how Yousafzai demonstrates selflessness is when she chose to fight for girls’ rights despite her being shot by the Taliban. She reflects that, “When my world suddenly changed, my priorities changed too.I had two options. One was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up and then be killed...I chose the second one. I decided to speak up”(Yousafzai). Yousafzai expresses that she acted on the issue of education in her country despite the chance of her being killed. By choosing the second ‘option’ “to speak up and then be killed”, she means that she is satisfied with the fact that her pure word and voice will change the world no matter whether she is alive or not. She would rather speak up for her rights and be killed rather than sit in the shadows and be killed. She portrays that she truly sacrificed herself for the betterment of other young women in order for them to get an education. Our world needs selfless heroes like Malala, who put other’s well-being before themselves in order to achieve a universal purpose. Moreover, Yousafzai also demonstrates selflessness through her charitable actions across the globe. Even after a long time after the Taliban shooting, she continues her role as a hero in countries where girls are being deprived of educational rights and says: “During my school holidays, I traveled to help my sisters through my organization, the Malala Fund. I have visited refugee camps in Jordan, spent time with girls facing poverty in Kenya, and even been to New York City, where girls face bullying and violence” (Yousafzai). This demonstrates that Yousafzai performs selfless acts by put others needs and rights before her own. She mentions that she has “visited refugee camps in Jordan”, and  “spent time with girls facing poverty in Kenya”, proving that she gives up her time to help others in need. She does not gulp in fame, but instead spends her precious time empowering girls in countries where conflict and deprivation of rights occurs. She is strongly concerned with the well-being of other girls around the world, and has made it her long-time goal to advocate for girls’  education. She considers it her duty for girls to get an education, which depicts her selflessness and sacrifice for those around her in order to obtain those rights. Overall, Yousafzai is a truly selfless hero due to the constant sacrifice of her time and energy empowering other girls to make a bigger change than what she is doing. She also sacrifices herself for something she truly values.  She is one to look up to, as heroes are constantly putting themselves in danger for the betterment of others.

Yousafzai giving a speech at the Nobel Peace Prize eventhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/dfid/     As Yousafzai once said, “When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.” Yousafzai’s fear didn’t hold her back. Instead, she overpowered the Taliban by simply using her determination and resilience. Malala Yousafzai not only had endless perseverance in her cause, but also led charitable acts to individuals in our society, reflecting her selflessness. Yousafzai’s unyielding determination caused her to defeat the Taliban ideals by the power of her voice, and motivated others all around the world to rise out of the shadows and stand up for their rights. Her immense value for education inspires one to not take education for granted, and regard education as a right, not a privilege. On the other hand, her selflessness completes the pieces that make up a hero. Yousafzai never basks in her fame, and instead utilizes it to help other girls in the world who face the same conflicts as her. She sacrificed herself for education for all girls, and would rather get killed by the Taliban knowing that she did her duty to speak out. Yousafzai acts as an inspiration to everyone, especially young girls and women. She motivates us to be confident and have determination in the work that we do. Personally, Malala has motivated me to perceive a value for education, as I have taken school for granted sometimes. Also, by looking at Malala’s actions, I am motivated to speak out if there is something wrong in my society. In the future, I wish to follow Yousafzai’s example of having determination, whether it is discovering a cure to cancer and helping millions of patients, or helping out the impoverished by providing food, clothes, housing and other resources. I aspire to reach out to the hearts of thousands of people who need help, just as Yousafzai has done in her own country and other countries. Yousafzai raditiates her sacrifice and selflessness to all, reaching out to the girls around the world as a savior of their rights. Yousafzai has repeatedly proven a hero by taking it upon herself to be the change she wishes to see in the world, by striving to get equal, free education for all. By rising from the humble depths of poverty, she rose over the top simply by using sheer will. She took it on herself to change her society’s mindset, while at the same time, showing selflessness and compassion to others who needed her. It’s not just Malala who makes a difference, however. Generations and generations of young women in the future will follow her lead, and together they will rise over the top and demand the rights that their societies and governments have neglected them. All it takes is a hero and her voice.

  Works Cited

“Mahatma Gandhi Quotes (Author of Gandhi).” Goodreads, Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/5810891.Mahatma_Gandhi.

YOUSAFZAI, MALALA, and CHRISTINA LAMB. I AM MALALA. LITTLE BROWN AND Company, 2013.

Yousafzai, Malala. "Malala Yousafzai: standing up for girls." Washington Post, 14 July 2014. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A374763434/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=ec8afd29. Accessed 4 Apr. 2019.

“The Nobel Peace Prize 2014.” NobelPrize.org, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2014/yousafzai/26074-malala-yousafzai-nobel-lecture-2014/.