I Am Malala Rhetorical Analysis

Women have reached the equality of men in America for the past few decades. That isn’t the same when it comes to the other side of the world. In the Middle East, women are mistreated and don’t possess the same rights as men. Malala Yousafzai, an ordinary Pakistani girl, is willing to push for the equality of women that lack the same rights as men. For standing up for what she believed in, she almost faced death after being shot in the head by the Taliban. After her recovery, she soon became an inspiration and a role model to women and children all over the world. Malala Yousafzai pushes her agenda of fighting for the rights of women and children all over the world by utilizing a variety of rhetorical devices such as Ethos, Context, and Pathos.

Young civil rights activist, Malala Yousafzai, supports her agenda by utilizing Ethos.

In her book, I Am Malala, Malala refers back to a traumatizing experience when the Taliban shoots her in the head for supporting the education of women. She states, “A few girls looked in my direction. He raised his arm and pointed at me. Some of the girls screamed, and I squeezed Moniba’s hand” (Yousafzai, Pg. 7). This constructs the credibility of Malala because she has personal experience with being oppressed for being a woman. In addition, she almost faced death for being a woman that is inclined to her education, which also benefits in constructing her credibility. The usage of Ethos supports Malala’s agenda of fighting for the rights of

women.
Context is utilized by Malala to support her for women’s rights. An example is when she states, “But beyond the walls of our school, Mingora had become like a prison. Banners that state WOMEN NOT ALLOWED were strung up at the entrance to the market” (Yousafzai, Pg. 48). The quote demonstrates the harsh reality of Pakistan and how differently women are treated in the Middle East in contrast to women in a western society. She gives this knowledge by acknowledging certain details such as banners being displayed on the entrance of a market with the words, “WOMEN NOT ALLOWED.” Furthermore, she characterizes her school as being like a prison, which shows the reader that the current conditions of Malala’s school is atrocious and not suitable for the students attending that school. Malala’s fight for equal rights for women is supported with her use of context.
The utilization of Pathos supports Malala Yousafzai’s agenda of fighting for women’s rights all over the world. In her Nobel Peace Prize speech, she states, “Thank you father for not clipping my wings and letting me fly.” This demonstrates the close bond between Malala and her father and how he didn’t prevent her from standing for what she believes in. As a result, this invokes an emotion that is heartwarming to the audience. Another example of her usage of Pathos is in her book, I Am Malala, when she states, “I wanted children everywhere to appreciate their education, so I said I now knew firsthand the suffering of millions of children who are deprived of an education” (Yousafzai, Pg. 112). The following quote demonstrates the current situation that children in the other side of the world are lacking an education. Subsequently, this invokes an emotion of sympathy to the audience because Malala mentions the fact that millions of children are deprived of an education. Malala Yousafzai’s usage of Pathos supports her message of women obtaining the same rights as men do and the education that children don’t have access to.
Malala Yousafzai is a young, courageous civil rights activist that supports women’s rights and the education of children all over the world. She immediately became an inspiration to women all over the world after dealing with a near death experience with the Taliban. She has the willingness and bravery to sacrifice anything for her beliefs, even if it is at the cost of her own life. Overall, Malala successfully pushes her agenda of fighting for women’s rights by establishing Ethos, providing context, and Pathos.