Name: Christina Katbe

Instructer’s name: Dania Adra

Class: English 203

28 October 2015

                                                                      Brand Malala

            In the text “Brand Malala”, the author, Carol Anne Grayson explains that all forms of violence must condemned, as oppose to some cases of violence being condemned while others are ignored.  This text written in 2013, demonstrates the exploitation of a young gunshot victim Malala, who was shot by the Taliban in Pakistan. In this text, the author points out how Malala was provided with special care and education, due to her being a perfect example to justify the terrorist attacks of the Americans in the east, while other victims of violent attacks were ignored and remained unknown. This text reveals how terrorist victims are being exploited and ignored, it helps arouse peoples’ anger and contempt towards the west’s strategic method of caring for the victims who’s exploitation would help improve the reputation of the western counties.

             The author uses an angry tone in the text to reflect the hypocrisy illustrated through  the use of Malala to cover up for the west’s terrorism and unfair treatment of other deserving cases like Malala . This is reflected through the sarcastic tone in some parts of the text for example :”Taliban terrorism is used to propel the “good west versus bad east” narrative in the media whilst US state terrorism is served up as “collateral damage” and is more likely to get buried along with its victims” (Grayson 594). Here the author’s use of quotations for sentences and ideas she does not agree with reflect the anger and contempt she has towards the unfair attack of the east on the west. The author’s anger is also displayed through the use of words such as “exploited” (Grayson 593), and “Brand Malala” (Grayson 596). The strong diction is used emphasize the hypocrisy of exploiting Malala, and utilizing her to portray a false image of the west’s kindness and generosity. Emotions shift at the end of the novel when the author moves to a calmer more understanding tone and expresses that all Malala wants is to continue her education, and that Malala should not be used as a diversion from the west’s unfairness, thus reminding readers of the social purpose of the novel.

    This text takes the form of an argumentative impersonal text where the author addresses the problem concerning the hidden motives behind the west’s care for Malala’s well being to show readers the dark truth behind the battle between east and west. Short sentences are untilized in the text to emphasize ideas with heavy meaning such as “ All violence must be condemned (Grayson 594)”. This small sentence illustrates how terrorism from the west should not go unpunished. Long sentences are also used in the text to provide elaboration. In addition to sentence variation, the author also uses metaphors to achieve a sarcastic humorous tone. For example, Grayson states “Malala has become a very marketable western commodity (593)”. The overall organization of the text is clear, whereby the author explains malala’s case and elaborates the true motive the west has for helping her. As for the style of language; it was very clear and understandable.

             The overall logic behind the text is that all violence should be condemned. The main issues discussed include how Malala is being used as a diversion from the west’s wrong doings. As for the conclusion, it shows that all violence should be condemned irregardless of the whether its caused by the west or the east, and all victims of violence deserve proper care and support. The evidence in the text is inductive, whereby the conclusion is based on the prior evidence which includes a quote that supports the argument because it states that Malala shouldn’t be used as a pawn in covering up for the west.  The author also posts a quote from Selma Naz  which states that swat valley is being subjected to threats from the Taliban after Malala’s shooting. The author continues to explain how Malala is being exploited by referring to brand Malala and the high media coverage on her story. The author also shows that Malala wasn’t the first exploited victim, Roberta Menchu, a former victim, was also exposed to intense media coverage based on her story which included events that never occurred in her presence. The author continues to explain how Gordon Brown showed interest in Malala’s case but ignored others. All this evidence lead to the conclusion that drones are being exploited in the west, and  violence shouldn’t go unpunished. Some fallacies are present in the text such as an Ad Homanim, when the author is attacking Gordon Brown as oppose to attacking the west in general.

         The text mostly appeals to peoples’ sense of duty . The author explains how people should be aware of the hypocrisy of the  west, where a few victims from the east receive help  which is shown in the media, while other victims are simply ignored. Also, the west should take responsibility for the victims of their own terrorist attacks. Therefore, the text shows that people should be alert of the victims of crime who’s stories have not been propagated in the media.

Works cited

Grayson, Carol Anne. ""Brand Malala": Western Exploitation of a Schoolgirl"" Shifting Narratives.

           Beirut: Center for Educational Consultation and Research, 2015. 593-98. Print.