In writing, the author has a special duty to address the various specific issues that plague the society and proceed to offer suggestions for alternative endeavors that would help in making the world a better place. In this light, writers may either tell their story from a factual perspective whereby they stick to the truth as it should be or fictionalize it to represent the ideal picture of the prevailing situation. Memoirs, for example, are rich fodder that the readers refer to when they are studying the social stratifications of the protagonists’ societies. This paper aims at undertaking a book review of a memoir co-authored by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb under the title I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban. The position of the feminine gender in Pakistan, especially the young girls, is characterized with unthinkable oppression whereby girls are denied the right to a formal education. The situation has been enhanced by radical religious outlook and laxity amongst the authorities expected to ensure that the societal development is maintained.
Malala hails from a society that is wallowing in poverty and underdevelopment. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is presented as a region with poor inhabitants (Yousafzai& Lamb, 2013). Malala’s parents are so poor that they cannot afford to deliver their daughter from a maternity hospital. It is with the assistance of neighbors that her birth goes through. This informs the reader that the society in question is adversely affected by the prevailing economic situation (Rosa & Brad, 2013). The expectant mothers do not receive the appropriate pre and post-natal care. This further interprets that infant mortality is inevitable and thus life expectancy of the Pakistani people needs a lot of adjustments. It is apparent that the government policies have not penetrated to the grassroots such that the people are languishing in abject poverty.
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Ignorance is another central concern that underlines the prevailing conditions in the Pakistani society that Malala hails from. It is very unfortunate that the underdeveloped societies are usually groping in darkness unaware of what is best for them. It is also piteous that the leaders in place are uninformed such that they take the citizenry down the wrong road (Rosa & Brad), 2013). It is for such reasons that the best writers like Malala are made. These writers take it upon themselves to address the need for the society to be more informed about their situations and look for better alternatives.
Gender imbalance is also rife in Malala’s society, an issue that she intends to address. The feminine gender is subordinated to an extent that many women have accepted the status of second class citizens (Hesford, 2013). It is for the chauvinist males to choose what is good for the overall society whereas their wives and children are expected to obey without question. From this information, the reader makes note that societal development is being perpetuated by one gender which is driven by selfish intentions. It is for that reason that Malala sets out to tell her story to the world in hope that the critics will make note of the woman’s place in the society and propose the appropriate adjustments.
There are various ironies presented in the memoir to drive the message that the authors intended to extend to their readers. It is ironical, for example, that the Pakistani society is degeneration in the conviction that women are lesser humans when compared to men (Hesford, 2013). From this perspective, a critical reader is expected to question the stability of a community without women. There is fault in the prevailing school of thought when it is considered that the women are at the centre of the society. They gave birth and raised the very men who are out to suppress and subordinate them.
It is also ironical that Malala’s mother was not concerned about going to school. Growing up in a society that never valued female education, she did not need the oppressive men to drive her out of school. And so goes the story that she traded her books for a candy marking the end of her pursuit for education. There is further irony in that the girl child is more concerned about educating the girl child, an endeavor that the adults are expected to cultivate. Malala is outspoken as an advocate for educating the girls but her mother appears to have accepted the situation. Further ironical situations are presented by the role of religion in the societal degradation of Pakistan. In normal circumstances, it is expected that religion will bring the people together, advocate for equality and peace. On the contrary, Islam is teaching the women to be submissive through radicalization and terror. The Taliban regime is presented at war with the communities that insist on educating the girl child. A critical reader, in this light is left to question the role of religion in the society. The government of Pakistan also comes out as an ironical authority considering its involvement with the Taliban. Under the disguise that the Taliban are in the province to ensure that the citizens are in strict adherence to Sharia law, the authorities in power are instrumental in the atrocities rendered on the people. A critical reader will wonder at the idea of denying education for the purpose of a better community. When a specific gender is on the receiving end, it is obvious that some form of oppression is being perpetuated.
Shambolic religion, which is laden with fanaticism, also comes out as a recurrent motif in the memoirs. The Islamic teachings do not exclude females from receiving formal education. As a matter of fact, they celebrate the female scholars as much as their male counterparts in matters education, job sector and government. However, there are some unscrupulous clerics who radicalize their followers through retrogressive ideals in countries where Islam is the dominant religion (Baig, 2013). Malala, in this case, finds herself disadvantaged because her passion for education is hampered by the law (Husain, 2013). Terrorism is the tool that the Taliban group used to instill their ideologies on the citizens. They instill fear on the people to ensure that they do not question these ideologies. Malala, for example, is shot for being outspoken about the girls’ right to formal education. It was an act of terrorism that almost cost her life, all in the name of religious war against the individuals going against the law.
Corruption is rife in Pakistan such that the government is unreliable in the fight against the discrimination that the people face while seeking its services. Malala’s father, for example, has a hard time going through the legal process to obtain the required documentation. He is expected to grease the palms of the various officials in the education department. In this light, it is apparent that graft is the root of all the evil that haunts the people of Pakistan. The domino effect reverberates to the grass root level whereby even the young girls have their lives under threat. When such atrocities become international news, such regions are at the mercy of the international community which comes forward to rebuke the authorities and rescue those affected by poor governance.
A lot of feminist ideals have been embedded in Malala’s memoirs whereby feminine personalities of larger-than life proportions have been put on a pedestal. As the role models in the global society, their disciples are compelled to identify with their situations and meditate about the realization of peace and balanced development. Malala’s achievements bring her out as a genius when the prevailing situation, her age and gender are put into consideration. Benazir Bhutto, on the other hand, has been highlighted as one of the role models who inspired Malala when it came to fighting for what she believed in. As a woman Prime Minister, Bhutto is proof to the Pakistani girls that even the women can rise to the highest levels in governance. Emphasis on the feats that these women have achieved, especially when juxtaposed with the atrocities of the male dominated Taliban, brings out the heroines in a way that convinces the reader that women should take the center stage when it comes to redeeming the community.
A good piece of literature involves telling the story in the most compelling way such that the reader will remember it for a long time. This will often involve an application of the various elements of style that perpetuate the required appeal. Vivid description, for example is a device that the authors use to send forth a specific picture in the minds of the consumers. Malala describes the Taliban in a cautious way that leaves any good reader with a perfect picture of the terrorists. From their knives and guns to their hairy faces and awkward attire, the picture of the Taliban is instilled in the minds of the readers to inform them on the various features that characterize the bad guys. The story further describes their attempt to hide their faces behind stockings that only leave space for the eyes and how they blow their noses into their turbans. A critical reader will interpret this to come up with the mental picture of the terrorist and further understand the prevailing temperament.
The use of simile, more so, which involves likening something to another known and unrelated object, is employed in the memoir. Simile help the reader to borrow from the object referred to in order to understand the underlying implication. Malala, for example remembers the arrival of the Taliban in the night and compares it to the arrival of vampires. The reference of the terrorist to vampires reminds the reader that they are unwelcome and out to wreck havoc. They bay for human blood and there is no genuine motivation apart from the crazy drive to unleash terror. Simile is a great tool that communicates volumes by careful selection of words to appeal to the readers’ imagination and identification of the situation or the pertinent issues at hand.
First person narration is another popular element of style that is common in memoirs. The use of pronoun ‘I’ which represents Malala, informs the reader that the narrator is retelling a story from personal experiences. It is easy for the reader, therefore, to make out the mental picture of the narrator in the midst of the society whose story is being told. When recalling the arrival of eh Taliban, for example, Malala uses ‘Moniba and I’ to give the reader a perfect idea of two young girls whose endeavors in reading Twilight books and attending school go against the laws set by the terrorists. Malala is a very credible narrator and her word will be taken for gospel because she tells the inside story. Every time the readers come across the pronoun ‘I’ they are transported to the scene by Malala’s presence. It draws empathy from the international community when such extremes are narrated by individuals who have had firsthand experience.
Allusion has also been employed as a device meant to make the memoir as appealing as possible. It involves the writer making reference to something that the reader knows or can look up for meaning to relate with the situation at hand. The use of the word Kalashnikov by a teenage girl reveals to the reader that the proliferation of firearms in Pakistan is acute such that young girls know them by their brand names. It is a strong word and is more effective than other words such as ‘guns’ or ‘firearms’ and further reminds the reader where the specific guns used in the terror activities are coming from. It would help in zeroing down on the appropriate route when the international community makes attempt to neutralize the terrorists.
Malala, at some point, asks rhetorical questions to highlight the dilemma that the community has been thrown into by the Taliban laws. Her questions are not directed to anyone in particular when she asks, ”How can they stop us going to school?”, leaving the reader with the task of filling in the gaps. A critical reader will view such a line as a highlight of oppression at its height where the little girl cannot turn to her parents for consolation (Bhutto, 2013). It is also apparent that she cannot turn to the school administration because it does not have the authority to defend her. Even the military personnel is equally unreliable, if not worse, because the Taliban has invaded the communities in their full knowledge. A critical reader will fell for the girl and her cries end up reaching the farthest corners of the civilized world. Eventually, someone has to make someone do something to arrest the situation.
Although the memoirs have been produced in the most factual manner, the protagonist comes out as a round character as is common in many works of fiction. Malala has a unique profile with a myriad of characteristics which make her the perfect heroine (Hesford, 2013). It is her father who recognizes that she has a passion for education and made all effort to ensure that she got the best that he could offer. Unfortunately, the Taliban radicalization is introduced in their community and she is barred from going to school. It is appalling that a little girl could threaten the authority of a terrorist group to an extent that they have to assassinate her. Her BBC blogs, especially, bring her as too mature for her age even when she hides under a pen name. Surviving the terrorist attack and living to see the fruit of her struggle is another plus that brings her out as an unusual survivor (Bhutto, 2013). She is also a messianic figure considering the authorities and her parents were not in a position to address to the threat to girls’ education. She beats all odds to ensure that she not only liberates herself and her age mates but all the global regions where the feminine gender is under oppression.
In conclusion, Malala’s memoir is captivating because it involves a girl’s voice crying out for her rights in a community that is being suppressed by radicalization. Terrorist activities are the order of the day and the feminine gender is not allowed to receive formal education. Those who go against the law are shot disregarding their age and the military forces appear lax in their duty of protecting the citizens. On top of addressing the pertinent issues, Malala has employed certain stylistic devices to appeal to the readers. More so, the use of first person narration is very effective in evoking the readers’ empathy.
References
Baig, Assed. (2013). “Malala Yousafzai and the White Saviour Complex.” Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/assed-baig/malala-yousafzai-white-saviour_b_3592165.html
Bhutto, F. (2013). I am Malala by Malala Yousafzai – review. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/oct/30/malala-yousafzai-fatima-bhutto-review
Hesford, W. (2013). Introduction: Facing Malala Yousafzai, Facing Ourselves. JAC, 33 (3/4), 407-423. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/43854561
Husain, M. (2013). Malala: The girl who was shot for going to school. BBC. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24379018
Khoja-Moolji, S. (2018). Forging the Ideal Educated Girl: The Production of Desirable Subjects in Muslim South Asia . Oakland, California: University of California Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctv233kth
Rosa A. Eberly, & Brad Serber. (2013). Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of …. The Journal of General Education, 62 (4), 277-296. doi:10.5325/jgeneeduc.62.4.0277A
Yousafzai, M. & Young C. (2013). I am Malala: the girl who stood up for education and was shot by the Taliban. Minneapolis: ABDO Pub.
