Morgan Kopish

Mrs. Ebel

ERWC Period 5

6 January 2022

Scholarship Essay

Write the essay’s prompt (recreate to the best of your ability) here:

In Malala Yousafzal’s speech, “A Nobel Lecture”, how does she use literary devices to further

her argument?

To the best of your knowledge, what scores did you earn on this essay? If you can’t

remember the scores, what were some of the things you struggled with in this essay? What

needs to be improved?

I recall earning a four on this essay, although my essay was written in freshmen year with lower

standards for writing. My grammar and overall language in the essay needs improvement, as well

as elaborating on my reasonings.

Original essay: 14 March 2019 (freshman year)

Malala

In the speech, “Nobel Lecture,” spoken by Malala Yousafzal, Malala is an advocate for

education around the world and equal rights for men and women. Malala uses literary devices to

spread her message that everyone deserves an education regardless of gender.

For example, in the beginning of her speech, Malala says, “Dear brothers and sisters, I

was named after the inspirational Malalai of Maiwand who is the Pashtun of Joan of Arc.” (par.
8) To explain, Malala used the literary device of “allusion”, to make a connection to the past and

the present. This brings a personal and inspirational tone to her speech since Joan of Arc for

example, was a strong independent woman who stood up for what was right and even died for it.

In addition, from paragraph 10, “It is time to take action so it becomes the last time, the last time,

so it becomes the last time that we see a child deprived of education.” Continuing on, Malala

uses pathos to express her passion for ending this horrid event commencing in our own world as

it is unacceptable to the human race. She emphasizes nobody should be denied an education

based off of economic status, social status, and if they identify as a woman or a man. This should

not be how we choose whoever deserves an education.

Towards the middle of the speech, Malala states in paragraph 16, “In my paradise home,

Swat, I always loved learning and discovering new things. I remember when my friends and I

would decorate our hands with henna on special occasions.” In other words, Malala includes this

anecdote in her speech to bring a personal touch to her speech rather than a robotic tone to it.

This anecdote shows her life has not always been filled with chaos and destruction, but with

peace and fun memories. Another example of Malala using literary devices in her speech is when

in paragraph 19 Malala said, “Education went from being a right to being a crime.” This quote

shows the extreme reality of the situation at hand in the developing countries of the world that do

not have a developed social outlook on the world and its people. Some may view this as a

hyperbole from their developed country or region but it is the truth. Many people around the

world struggle to have an education because the government’s leader or government in general

view women getting an education as silly and improper.

Lastly, in the end of her speech, Malala said, “We have already taken many steps. Now it

is time to take a leap.” (par. 51) To continue, Malala uses figurative language to express that we
have only dipped our toe in the pool of women and poverty-stricken people not given the right or

opportunity of an education. We as the united nations need to come together and help countries

and people deprived of an education because our efforts now are as small as a penny in a jar full

of 100 dollar bills. We need to be better for our world and human race. Also, from paragraphs 63

to 66, “Let this be the last time that a girl or a boy spends their childhood in a factory. Let this be

the last time that a girl is forced into early child marriage. Let this be the last time that a child

loses life in war. Let this be the last time that we see a child out of school.” To enlighten, Malala

uses the literary device of anaphora to produce and urgency to the situation of child laws broken

around the globe. None of the events mentioned before could have happened if only the children

were in school rather than forced into marriages, jobs, and even war. These are once again the

harsh realities that we have to face around the world.

Therefore, in the speech given by Malala called “Nobel Lecture,” in which Malala

expresses the importance of giving men and women an education regardless of where they came

from. Malala urges the world to put their attention on this urgent problem we face around the

globe and come together as a group and fight this horrid event.

Revised Essay

Type your revised essay in this section. Make sure to highlight in yellow the changes you made

from the original. These should be significant, meaningful changes, not just changes to grammar.

Malala

In the speech “Nobel Lecture”, presented by Malala Yousafzal, Malala advocates for

equal education and rights for women; Malala uses literary devices such as allusions, anecdotes
and figurative language, to call attention to this issue, and persuade the audience into taking

action.

For example, Malala begins her speech saying, “Dear brothers and sisters, I was named

after the inspirational Malalai of Maiwand who is the Pashtun of Joan of Arc '' (Malala 8).

Elaborating, Malala used an allusion to connect the past and present, providing a parallel

between the two women. The allusion brings a personal and inspirational tone to the speech,

because Joan of Arc was a historical figure in womens’ history; she fought for her independence

as a woman, and remains an icon for female empowerment. In addition, from paragraph 10, “It is

time to take action so it becomes the last time, the last time, so it becomes the last time that we

see a child deprived of education”, Malala uses pathos to express her passion for ending this

inhumane event commencing in our own world, as it is unacceptable to the human race. She

emphasizes, nobody is to be denied an education because of economic status, social status, or

gender identity.

Analyzing onwards, Malala states in paragraph 16, “In my paradise home, Swat, I always

loved learning and discovering new things. I remember when my friends and I would decorate

our hands with henna on special occasions”. In other words, Malala includes this anecdote to

connect with her audience and their joyful memories. This anecdote shows her life has not

always been filled with chaos and destruction, but with peace and fun memories as well. Her

goal of this speech is to inspire others to petition for fair treatment, not to force them; her loving

language juxtaposes her serious topic. Additionally, paragraph 19 of Malala’s speech, “Education

went from being a right to being a crime”. This quote exemplifies the extreme reality women

face in the developing countries of the world, that lack a developed social outlook on the world

and its inhabitants. People in less developed countries struggle to have an education because the
general population and male-dominated government do not believe it necessary, especially for

women, to achieve a high quality education.

Lastly, at the end of her speech, “We have already taken many steps. Now it is time to

take a leap” (Malala 51). To continue, Malala urges to finally take large-scale actions towards

helping the women and poverty-stricken population towards a quality education. To create

long-lasting change, we must put forth a global effort to help countries and people deprived of an

education. From paragraphs 63 to 66, “Let this be the last time that a girl or a boy spends their

childhood in a factory. Let this be the last time that a girl is forced into early child marriage. Let

this be the last time that a child loses life in war. Let this be the last time that we see a child out

of school.” To enlighten, Malala uses an anaphora, to demonstrate an urgency to the situation of

children's laws broken, around the globe. None of the events mentioned before could have

happened, if the children were in school rather than forced into marriages, jobs, and even war;

These are once again, the harsh realities faced around the globe.

Therefore, in the speech given by Malala,“Nobel Lecture”, in which Malala expresses the

importance of giving men and women an education regardless of socio-economic status.Malala

urges the world to put their attention on this urgent problem faced around the globe, and come

together as a group to create equal educational opportunities.

Reflection

In my essay, I revised the overall grammatical structure and analysis; my original writing was

messy and confusing, but had potential for a strong impact. By removing sentences, and
changing the sentence structure, my line of reasoning made sense. I am overall impressed with

my new revised essay, and would give this a high scoring five as of now.

Since my freshman year, I have improved upon my analytical skills; previously, I would restate

the quote as a summary, as of now, I write deeper than what appears on the surface level. I used

to struggle connecting my analysis to my original thesis. I am proud that I can now connect each

individual part of my essay, to make sense and go further beyond the prompt.