On July 12, 1997, Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan, located in the country's Swat Valley. For the first few years of her life, her hometown remained a popular tourist spot that was known for its summer festivals. However, the area began to change as the Taliban tried to take control.
In October 2014, Yousafzai received the Nobel Peace Prize, along with Indian children's rights activist Kailash Satyarthi. At age 17, she became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In congratulating Yousafzai, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said: “She is (the) pride of Pakistan, she has made her countrymen proud. Her achievement is unparalleled and unequaled. Girls and boys of the world should take lead from her struggle and commitment."
Malala held a pleasant speech on 10 December 2014 in Oslo.
But in which did she speak to the people? Why do we think that this speech was so incredible? The answer is an easy one: Aristotle. 2300 years ago, Aristotle wrote down the «secret to being a persuasive speaker», the secret which forms the basis for nearly every public speaking book written since then. Ethos, Pathos and Logos are the «magic» words.
Ethos is about to convince an audience to accept anything you say and they have to accept you as credible. Ethos is your level of credibility as perceived by your audience. Malala has definitely credibility because she presentes herself as a grateful person, f. ex. «Thank you to everyone for your continued support and love», «I would like to thank my parents for their unconditional love.», «I am also honoured to receive this award together with Kailash Satyarthi, who has been a champion for children's rights for a long time.». She is also establishing connection with audience when she said «dear brothers and sisters». This is her recognizable way to speak to her audience. Malala has also credibility because she is someone who has stood up against extremists, as a representative of many, «We survived. And since that day, our voices have grown louder and louder.I tell my story, not because it is unique, but because it is not. It is the story of many girls.»
Pathos is the quality of a persuasive presentation which appeals to the emotions of the audience. Emotional connection can be created in many ways by a speaker, perhaps most notably by stories. «One of my very good school friends, the same age as me, who had always been a bold and confident girl, dreamed of becoming a doctor. But her dream remained a dream. [...]» This is one example of some stories Malala told in her Nobel Peace Prize speech. In the end of her speech, she mentions things she want people to do now and she did this in an emotional way, so that people really get inspired by her, «Let us become the first generation to decide to be the last , let us become the first generation that decides to be the last that sees empty classrooms, lost childhoods, and wasted potentials.»
The last one of the three persuasive appeals is Logos. It is synonymous with a locigal argument. Does the message makes sense? And is the mesage based on facts, statistics and evidence? «Many children in countries like Pakistan and India, as Kailash Satyarthi mentioned, many children, especially in India and Pakistan are deprived of their right to education because of social taboos, or they have been forced into child marriage or into child labour.» Malala said many examples which underpinned her arguments to change the world from the way it is now to a better one. «We still see conflicts in which innocent people lose their lives and children become orphans. We see many people becoming refugees in Syria, Gaza and Iraq. In Afghanistan, we see families being killed in suicide attacks and bomb blasts.»
Malala Yousafzai managed to spread her message out into the world because her speech was effective and powerful. That is what counts. Having the passion and the volition to speak out to people and to bring such a message across. Malala is a talent, a survivor and of course the youngest Nobel Peace Prize of all time.
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