Katie Roberts
PAF 9799
January 23, 2016
MalalaYousfazi’s 2013 United Nations Speech – A Rhetorical Criticism
MalalaYousfazi, a well-known Pakistani activist, gave a speech in front of the United Nations on July 12th, 2013 as part of the UN’s “Youth Takeover.” This speech was the first speech made by Malala since being shot by the Taliban the previous October. This makes the speech remarkable in more ways than one. It marks a pivotal point in her own life, where she chose to continue ahead with her activism rather than submit to fear. It is also inspiring to all those who watch and read the speech to know that a sixteen year old has overcome unbelievable trauma and walked away from it with strength and incredible insight. This criticism focuses on the language and constitutive rhetoric that Malala uses. It also highlights her use of framing, ideographs, civil religion, and shared texts. This paper will show how, through use of rhetoric, Malala is able to create a speech that is powerful yet humble, strong yet peaceful, and inspiring to the core.
MalalaYousfazi is a Pakistani Muslim teen known for her activism for education, specifically education for women and girls. Her father named her after Malalai of Maiwand, an Afghan warrior woman who rallied Afghan troops around the British and died in battle. She was avidly against the Taliban’s bans on education for girls and her advocacy for this stance made her a prime target for the Taliban. In 2012, the Pakistani Taliban shot Malala in the face while she was on her way to school. She miraculously survived and, though it was unsafe for her to return to her home country, she went on to continue her activismworldwide. In 2014, Malalabecame the youngest person ever to win a Nobel Peace Prize. She also wrote a memoir and was the subject of a 2015 documentary titled, “He Named Me Malala.” Her speech at the United Nations in 2013 was a real turning point for her. This was her first public appearance since her attack, and it showed that she not only persevered after trauma, but that she came through it with an even stronger message of peace and of the value of education for all.
The 2013 speech at the United Nations was given on Malala’s sixteenth birthday and to commemorate that, the day was named “Malala Day.” This event was part of a “World at School” campaign to get education for all children and involved a “Youth Takeover” of the United Nations. “On Malala Day young people take over the UN, and start a new global march for every child’s right to education” (Laurie). Malala was introduced by Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, who said, “This is not just the celebration of a birthday and a second life. It’s a celebration of Malala’s vision. Her dream. Her dream that nothing, no political indifference, no government inaction, no intimidation, no threats, no assassins’ bullets should ever deny the right of every single child, particularly the fifty seven million girls and boys denied education, to be able to go to school.”During the speech, Malala wore a shawl of Benazir Bhutto, a Pakistani leader who, despite her legacy being shrouded in controversy, “emboldened the heart of every girl and woman in Pakistan who was ever told that being a woman precluded her from a lifetime of accomplishment, service, and worth” (Shah 2014). This set the stage for a speech for education, a speech of strength and resilience, a speech of thankfulness and motivation, and a speech of inspiration.
The speech was widely received and praised, and this seemed to launch support for her Nobel Peace Prizenomination. The release of her memoir followed shortly after the speech and launched a wide array of public appearances, including an invitation to be on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. One surprising response to her speech was a direct letter from a Taliban leader, Adnan Rasheed, who wrote that she was not targeted for her support for education, but rather for her propaganda and slander against the Taliban. He concludes by saying, “I advise you to come back home, adopt the Islamic and pushtoon culture, join any female Islamic madrassa near your home town, study and learn the book of Allah, use your pen for Islam and plight of Muslim ummah and reveal the conspiracy of tiny elite who want to enslave the whole humanity for their evil agendas in the name of new world order” (2013). It is clear that they saw how powerful her speech was, and how much weight it had towards denouncing the Taliban and their cause.
The language that Malala uses portrays an interesting and contrasting mix of power and humility. She starts her speech by thanking God and everyone who made the event possible and then says, “I don’t know where to begin my speech. I don’t know what people would be expecting me to say.” This shows how humble she is. The room is full of people waiting to hear her speak, on a day honoring her, yet she is hoping not to disappoint, unsure of what they are wanting to hear from her. Even though the day is on her birthday, and named after her, she states, “Malala day is not my day. Today is the day of every woman, every boy and every girl who have raised their voice for their rights.” Rather than wanting the recognition only on herself, she wants all people involved in the universal fight for rights to be recognized; by showing this she is also showing a huge part of her ethos. Even in her moments of crescendo and power, she comes to a humble end. She mentions “hundreds of Human rights activists,” “thousands of people who have been killed,” and “millions have been injured.” Each number is becoming larger and larger, yet she ends this run with, “I am just one of them.” The crescendo ends with a moment of humility. She states, “I raise up my voice – not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.” Again, she emphasizes power and strength, but with a unified rather than a singular purpose; power not for herself but for others.
Malala also makes frequent use of anaphora. She utilizes it three times, first when she is talking about those who she speaks for, those who have fought for their rights. “Their right to live in peace. Their right to be treated with dignity…” Next, she utilizes it when she lists what the youth are there to accomplish and speak up for. “We call upon the world leaders to change their strategic policies in favour of peace and prosperity. We call upon the world leaders that all peace deals must protect women and children’s rights…” Finally, she uses it at the end of her speech, reminding the audience, “We must not forget that millions of people are suffering from poverty, injustice, and ignorance. We must not forget that millions of children are out of schools…” Her choice use of this tool outlines the arrangement of the speech and her agenda. First, “their right” explains to us what we are fighting for and why we are here. Next, “we call upon” lists the actions that are necessary to achieve that end, and the goals the audience needs to obtain. Finally, “we must not forget” reminds the audience that when this speech is over, and when the momentum slows down, the cause must not fade into the background.
Frequent words Malala uses are “we” and “brothers and sisters.” This is her way of addressing the audience to bring them together towards a common purpose. She is portraying that this is not only her mission, but one that we all need to fight for. This also plays a role as constitutive rhetoric. She is, in a sense, calling the audience to arms and instilling in them a drive and a strength to fight. She uses phrases such as, “our words will change the world” and “we are all together, united.” Not only does she bring the audience together as a group who can fight together, but she also instills in them a sense of individual purpose and possibility. The audience was full of smart and exceptional youth, picked specifically for the event. However, there still must have been a sense of awe among them watching Malala speak. After all, her accomplishments are outstanding, and she was known worldwide for what she had spoken for and what she had been through. In one of her last lines, Malala said, “One child, one teacher, one pen, and one book can change the world.” With this line, Malala is speaking to each individual and telling them that they too can do what she has done. She is letting them know that it is possible for each of them to make a positive change in the world.
This “call to arms” is a part of Malala’s use of education as an ideograph. She portrays education as power and pens and books as weapons. Malala introduces this ideograph with use of logos and archetypal metaphors. She says, “we realize the importance of light when we see darkness. We realize the importance of our voice when we are silenced. In the same way, when we were in Swat, the north of Pakistan, we realized the importance of pens and books when we saw the guns.” By linking books and pens with guns in the same way that light is contrasted against darkness, Malala makes this an easy and logical ideograph to conceptualize. She then references a well known phrase, “the pen is mightier than sword” which also contributes to the logic behind her train of thought. Her logos is further affirmed when she explains the strength of education as a weapon against the Taliban. She states, “The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them.” So, in a few short lines, Malala not only introduces her ideograph of education as power, but also shows her logos and explains why this is the weapon that we need to fight against the Taliban. The use of the ideograph continues throughout the speech and is very prevalent in her concluding paragraphs. She says, “let us empower ourselves with the weapon of knowledge and let us shield ourselves with unity and togetherness.” She also says, “let us wage a global struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism and let us pick up our books and pens. They are our most powerful weapons.” The ideograph has been transformed from a concept into a tool with which she empowers the audience.
Another tool that Malala uses is that of civil religion. The first words of her speech are, “In the name of God, the Most Beneficient, the Most Merciful.” Then, after expressing hesitation on how to start her speech, she says, “But first of all, thank you to God for whom we all are equal.” These opening paragraphs show that she is someone for whom religion is very important and also introduce religion as a positive force of equality for all. For me, God permeates her entire speech through her use of addressing the audience as “brothers and sisters.” This seems to be a nod to us all being sons and daughters of God, all united as a family. Malala makes a point to include multiple religions in her speech stating, “This is the compassion that I have learnt from Muhammad – the prophet of mercy, Jesus Christ, and Lord Buddha.” I believe this is her way of showing that she is accepting of all religions and that they all give a message of compassion, peace, and forgiveness. She also emphasizes the peacefulness of Islam, an emphasis that is incredibly important when extremist acts have made people wary of the faith. She states, “Islam is a religion of peace, humanity, and brotherhood. Islam says that it is not only each child’s right to get education, rather it is their duty and responsibility.” She also says, “The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal benefits.” She is able to show that we are not fighting against a religion, but against extremists who are tainting its name. She proves that her religion of Islam promotes the right for education and is an ally for the cause.
Since this was Malala’s first speech since her murder attempt by the Taliban, it was fitting that she mentioned the event in her speech. What was remarkable was how she framed this event as one of strength and peace as well as a motivator for education for all. She portrays her ethos of peace and grace when she states, “I am not against anyone. Neither am I here to speak in terms of personal revenge against the Taliban or any other terrorist group” and “I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me. I would not shoot him.” She also shows that the Taliban did not destroy her or damage her, rather she is the same person just with a newfound ethos of strength and courage. She states, “Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died. Strength, power, and courage was born. I am the same Malala. My ambitions are the same. My hopes are the same. My dreams are the same.” Rather than silencing her, they strengthened her. Malala also stated, “I want education for the sons and daughters of all the extremists, especially the Taliban.” This is her first nod towards her push for education. In a way, she is saying that a lack of education is at the root of the Taliban and that if we can give them education we will be able to battle their extremist views and actions. Malala has taken a traumatic event that could have crippled some, and framed it as a strengthening experience that promotes her agenda of education and of peace.
This speech is a remarkable work that promotes peace, education, and activism. The literary tools and rhetoric used throughout keep us entranced the whole time and leave us feeling motivated, inspired, and ready to push for change. What is most outstanding is that this speech was written by a girl who is only sixteen years old. It is incredibly impressive that this young girl possesses the wisdom that she does. If I had gone through what she had at such a young age, I’m not sure I would have come out of it with so much grace and clarity. What is even more impressive though is how she is able to use rhetoric to channel that wisdom into such an epic speech. Through her ethos and her logos that resonate throughout, she leaves us completely in agreement with her final words, “Education is the only solution. Education first.”
References
Laurie, E. “Malala Day – Partnership in Action.” A World At School.12 July 2013. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. <
“MalalaYousfazi Speech at the UN Assembly 12th July, 2013.” MalalaYousfazi Blog. 15 Jul. 2013. Web. 18 Jan. 2016. <
Raheed, A. “The Taliban’s Letter to MalalaYousfazi.” The Daily Beast. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. <
Shah, B. “The Legacy of Benazir Bhuttto.” The New York Times. 26 Dec. 2014. Web. 19 Jan. 2016. <