Malala Yousafzai Speech Analysis

In October of 2012, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban in her home country of Pakistan; as a result, she became an advocate for education. In July of 2013, Miss Yousafzai, at the age of sixteen, was invited to speak at the United Nation’s headquarters in New York. When she began to speak, she intended to draw attention and inform people of an epidemic that had invaded, not only Middle East but the entire world. The epidemic that she emphasizes is the denial of education to children; in particular, young females. Her speech was not only intended for the UN, but for the entire world. Yousafzai used Aristotelian appeals of pathos to earn an emotional connection with the audience, logos to support her claims, and ethos to gain

Malala shows her appreciation through the use of the phrase “thank you;” she emphasizes that she is not bitter for circumstances that have befallen upon her, and that she has become stronger, more ambitious, and courageous as a result of her misfortune. In addition, pathos is seen in the repetition of the phrase “brothers and sister” throughout her speech. Through the use of this simple phrase, Malala causes a sense of unity among the audience—no longer are the members of the audience strangers—they are all suddenly connected by the need to bring education to the world. Moreover, Miss Yousafzai used her tragic past to gain sympathy from the women and children of the audience through the reflection of her accident; for instance, the Taliban only attacked her because she was a female, and she asserted that everyone should have the opportunity to obtain an education. Another appeal to pathos is the meekness Malala portrays; such as, when she explains that Malala Day is not her day is not only her day—it is everyone’s day. Another example of a pathos Miss Yousafzai uses is that knowledge is power; she repeated this statement many times in different ways throughout the speech. For instance, when Malala said, “The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them.” Malala is stating that power comes in the form education, and the Taliban is scared of anyone who does not blindly believe everything they say. In fact, education is the only way for the Taliban to become powerless, and Malala brought awareness to the