Our Books And Our Pens: Most Powerful Weapons

Bryce E. Duff
Spoken Communication 1101
Dr. Kris Curry
September 1st 2013 Malala’s Dream

In her speech “Our Books and Our Pens are the Most Powerful Weapons” Malala Yousafzai urges world leaders to prioritize education for women and children. Malala is a 16 year old Pakistani girl who was shot in the head by the Taliban for speaking out for women’s rights. She gives this speech on her birthday, which is now an international holiday known as “Malala day”. Malala begins her speech by addressing everyone in the room according to rank. She begins with “In the name of God, the most beneficent,
the most merciful”, then continues on with “UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon, President of the general assembly Vuk Jeremic, UN global envoy for education Gordon Brown, respected elders, and fellow brothers and sisffffffffffters”, she then ends her greeting with “Assalamu alaikum” which is a common Muslim greeting meaning “peace be with you”. She then thanks all the people who helped heal and support her through her recovery. She then proceeds to thank the UN leaders for all their efforts for global communication. She then says that Malala day is not about her, but about “every person who has ever raised a voice for their rights”. She then goes on to talk about the rights activists and social workers who are trying so hard to win people the rights they deserve. She ends this part of her speech with what is my favorite statement “So here I stand. So here I stand, one girl, among many. I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights . Their right to live in peace. Their right to be treated with dignity. Their right to equality of opportunity. Their right to be educated. “ Oh that gets me every time. She then goes on to tell a little bit of her story saying that even though the Taliban tried to silence her and her classmates they could not. “But nothing changed in my life except this: weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.” She then says that she was not there to speak in “personal revenge against the taliban or any other terrorist group” but that she was there in order to “speak on behalf of global education”.
She then states that even given the chance she would not kill the man who shot her “This is the compassion I have learned from Mohammed, the prophet of mercy, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This is the legacy of change I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. This is the philosophy of nonviolence that I have learned from Gandhi, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learned from my father and from my mother. This is what my soul is telling me: be peaceful and love everyone”. This statement is so multicultural that it touches the hearts of almost everyone who hears and that’s why it’s so awesome. She then goes on to tell about why the Taliban are so afraid of education and how a boy in her schooled answered why they were “they are afraid of this book because they do not know what is written in it”. She then goes on to explain that the Taliban is even ignoring what their very own book, that they use to justify their own actions, says about education. “They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would point guns at people's heads just for going to school. These terrorists are misusing the name of Islam for their
own personal benefit” she goes on to say that Islam is a peace loving religion that promotes non-violence and that her country also hates violence as well. She then goes on to talk about child labor in India and how girls there are forced to marry at an early age cutting off any form of education besides that of housework. “Poverty, ignorance, injustice, racism and the deprivation of basic rights are the main problems, faced by both men and women.” At this point in the speech she starts to focus on women’s rights saying that “men have stood up for our rights long enough. It is time for women to stand up for women’s rights”. After this she speaks directly to the world with this “We call upon all governments to ensure free, compulsory education all over the world for every child. We call upon all the governments to fight against terrorism and violence. To protect children from brutality and harm. We call upon the developed nations to support the expansion of education opportunities for girls in the developing world. We call upon all communities to be tolerant, to reject prejudice based on caste, creed, sect, color, religion or agenda to ensure freedom and equality for women so they can flourish. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back. We call upon our sisters around the world to be brave, to embrace the strength within themselves and realize their full potential.” She then calls upon the children to speak up for their rights and to defend them. After this she starts to closes her speech with the most perfect, wonderful, and inspiring ending I’ve ever heard. “So let us wage, so let us wage a glorious struggle against illiteracy, poverty and terrorism, let us pick up our books and our pens, they are the most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first. Thank you.” Oh were to begin? Ok first let’s talk about her speaking style, her diction is perfect in English despite her accent, her eye contact is spot on, her tone and inflection are superb, she uses logos, pathos and ethos beautifully, and she makes very few mistakes. Now I personally think that this is one of the best speeches I have ever heard or ever will hear. Malala has been through so much yet instead of feeling sorry for herself and moping around she uses what her god has given back to her to do so much good in the world. I just would like to say that I wish more people had a dream like yours Malala.