50 pages • 1 hour read
Malala Yousafzai, Patricia McCormickI Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
Benazir Bhutto’s Scarves
While she is recovering in the hospital, Malala receives the gift of two of Benazir Bhutto’s scarves from Bhutto’s children. Malala calls this gift “Most precious of all, perhaps” (165). Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated shortly after her return to the country. Malala sees Bhutto as a role model—a strong, intelligent, independent Pakistani woman who fought for societal change. The passing down of Bhutto’s scarves implies that others view Malala in the same light: as a courageous, dedicated campaigner for peace and equality. Like Bhutto, Malala sacrifices greatly—nearly giving her life—for her country and her beliefs. When Malala gives her speech to the United Nations, she purposefully wears one of Benazir Bhutto’s scarves, suggesting that she has taken up Bhutto’s mantle and will dedicate her life to continue to work for change.
Hope
Even when faced with increasing threats to their rights and freedoms, Malala and her family remain hopeful. Malala describes herself as a “hopeful person—my friends may say too hopeful, maybe even a little crazy” (73). Hope is a powerful motif that underlies Malala’s narrative: Malala’s sense of hope is a fundamental part of her identity and informs her activism. Hope is the conviction that future events will occur, and Malala always believes that things will get better. She hopes for peace. She hopes for social change. Her symbolic act of planting a mango seed after the army drives the Taliban from Swat shows her optimism about the future. She knows the seed will take a long time to grow and produce fruit, much as it will take time for the government to rebuild Mingora, but Malala is confident that both the mango tree and the Swat Valley will flourish.
Malala understands, however, that hope requires action. In the hospital, worried about contacting her parents, she comments, “I am a hopeful person, and therefore when I see problems, I will always think about solutions” (140). Malala knows that realizing hoped-for events necessitates work on her part. Her crusade for girls’ educational rights shows her unflagging efforts to make her humanitarian dreams come to fruition. Malala’s optimism, drive, and vision are inspired by her sense of hope.
School
School is everything to young Malala. Her academic accomplishments give her a sense of pride. The school embodies the beliefs and principles of her beloved father and brings Malala even closer to him. School is a huge influence on Malala’s sense of self: She identifies as a student. Most significantly, school represents freedom. School empowers Malala and her classmates. They learn things and do things that women in their culture are typically dissuaded—or prevented—from learning or doing. In books, Malala can “travel far and wide” without being accompanied by a man (34). School is a “peaceful sanctuary” from rest of the chaotic world. Their school, Malala declares, is a democracy where girls are equal—unlike their status outside school walls.
School also offers future freedom. Malala recognizes at a young age that education is the foundation of economic freedom and equality. Those who do not have access to education do not have access to the same life opportunities—jobs, independence—as those who are educated. The knowledge of this inequity, coupled with Malala’s own passion for learning, are motivating factors behind her activism.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Former UK prime minister Gordon Brown gifts Malala a copy of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Malala enjoys the story, in which Dorothy, a young farm girl, and her dog Toto are whisked away from their home in Kansas to the magical land of Oz. Dorothy must find her way home again. Malala approves of Dorothy’s “sprit” and the way Dorothy takes time during her search for home to help other characters. Malala believes that the story’s moral is “there will always be hurdles in life, but if you want to achieve a goal, you must continue” (168). Like Dorothy, Malala shows courage, tenacity, and above all, the drive to help others. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz reflects Malala’s own heroic character traits.
Voices and Silence
As a toddler, Malala gives lectures in baby talk to empty classrooms. As a pre-teen, she practices giving speeches for girls’ education in front of the bathroom mirror. Speaking out, letting one’s voice be heard, is a motif in Malala’s memoir that illustrates Malala’s activism and heroism and contributes to her sense of self. She comments, “If God has given you a voice […] you must use it” (190). Voices carry power. Voices can create change.
Speaking out against the falsehood of the Taliban and speaking out for equality and peace are Malala’s mission in life. She feels it is her duty to use her voice for peaceful change. She becomes a spokesperson for the oppressed: In her UN speech, Malala describes herself as the voice for those who cannot speak out.
Silence, in contrast, enables terrorism and injustice. Silence is the Taliban’s objective. They restrict media, declare music, television, and film haram, and stifle opposition. They attempt to kill Malala to silence her voice. The plan backfires, as Malala sees that “out of that silence came thousands of voices” supporting her cause (192). Malala’s voice now reaches millions, fostering even greater opportunities for social change.
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