Malala's Mission by Alessandra Potenza

  Although the idea of equal opportunity education is second nature many, Malala Yousafzai was not so lucky. The Nobel Peace Prize winner lived in a Pakistani village that was controlled by the Taliban; with the Taliban in control, she did not get a chance to go to school. Disappointed by this, Malala advocated for the education of women, believing that the Taliban’s laws were unjust and unfair. Then suddenly, on October 9th 2012, her world turned upside down as two Talib officials shot her in the head for preaching womens’ education. Even though she survived the attack, Malala’s world changed that day as her family fled to England for her safety. This is why Alessandra Potenza makes it clear in her article, “Malala’s Mission”, that the Taliban’s treatment of the education system is a social injustice.

In this article, The author wants the reader to agree that this is a social injustice, and there are many loaded words to prove this. One instance in which there were biased words was in the middle of the interview section when Potenza asks, “What would you say to the members of the Taliban who tried to kill you?” (Poteza P.18). This question shows that the author was trying to get Malala to say hateful things about the Talib policies to add a subjective tone to the article. Although Malala was not hateful, she did make it clear that the Taliban governed unfairly, with sexism, not religion, as a driving force. Overall, this shows that Alessandra Potenza agrees with Malala about Pakistan’s questionable politics.

This article makes me feel like the living conditions in Pakistan are something out of a horror movie, and action needs to be taken to help these innocent people. This article inspired me to act, and fight for what I am passionate about because of how much Malala has gone through. In addition to this she makes it very clear that all people should fight for what they think is right when she says, “I think it’s important that teenagers take active roles in speaking up against injustice and inequality.” (Yousafzai P.14). Because of these powerful words, I am going to do more for my community, and the fight against social injustice.

Malala is a very inspiring person who did the right thing for others, and looked past herself even by when she had to put herself in danger. Although this seems very heroic, I don’t think that many people are as selfless as she is when she risked her life. Although I do believe that, I think that there are still smaller ways that people can help with social injustices.