Malala Yousafzai : What Makes A Hero?

It began as an ordinary day in Mingora, Pakistan, for a young girl returning home from school on her school bus. Suddenly, a masked gunman rushed into the bus and shouted, “Who is Malala?” Her friends on the bus looked back at her, and in the blink of an eye she was shot on the left side of her face. This incident was the spark that ignited a call for change in education around the world. Malala Yousafzai was the face of this change. She made significant contributions to female education rights by being an education activist and urging children to speak out and fight for their rights. She forever changed the lives of Pakistani girls who today benefit from free education and resources with numerous schools around their country.

A hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. As a child, Malala was raised in Pakistan by an advocate of education: her father. He ran a school that she attended throughout her childhood. But when Malala was only eleven, many Pakistani schools were being targeted by an extremist group called the Taliban. Due to these attacks, only 44% of Pakistan’s population are literate. Malala refused to stay silent about the injustices that were being inflicted upon her Pakistani brothers and sisters. Instead,

A hero is simply, someone that shows courage and bravery to persevere through hardships. For example, a hero shows great acts of strength and determination to continue in the face of difficulty. The action that a hero demonstrates, is what causes recognition and appreciation. A hero takes action for a cause that they feel strongly about. For instance, if someone was bullying another kid, and someone who was watching from the outside, decided to stand up for what they believe in, that person who acted upon the bully would be considered a hero. The person took action for what they believe in, and didn’t just sit there and let the kid get bullied. In other words, a hero can be anyone that demonstrates skill and determination to stand up for what they believe in. Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks are two examples of people who acted upon a cause they felt strongly about.

A prophet speaks exquisitely encouraged words to others. Prophets are willing to give up their life for what they believe in. They bring new ideas to situations, and don’t follow other’s work. They are gifted with the ways of God, and have spiritual insight on certain problems. To be a prophet takes hard work. If you do something so immense, and it helps people around you, doesn’t mean you automatically fall under prophecy. You have to have the full criteria. That is why it’s hard to find a modern day prophet today. Many people in the world today have done something big, but are not viewed as prophetic, because of their power, or personality.

As Joseph Campbell once said, “A hero is someone who has given his or her life for something bigger than oneself”. Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, and the passengers of Flight 93 all stood up for a cause and proved how they deserved to be called heroes. They put themselves in situations where their life wasn’t guaranteed protected to ensure the safety of others. Heroes are not always the ones wearing capes flying through the air, but sometimes the ones who are admirable, intelligent, and altruistic enough to make a change in the world.

Anyone who influences anyone else by saving or helping save his or her lives can be a hero. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. changed the lives of millions of people by bringing justice to minorities. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the greatest heroes, led a nonviolent revolution to free his country. Even a parent can be a hero to his or her child by leading them in the right direction. All teachers are heroes when they make it their job to teach a child anything that will help them in life. You don’t have to go to great lengths by risking your life to make a difference in someone else’s life.

Helen Keller was a woman who had gotten a sickness as a child and because of the sickness she became deaf, not only was she deaf though she also became blind. Despite these challenges she never gave up, she learned to communicate with others, earned college degrees, and wrote over a dozen books that inspired people. Many doubted her, but she never gave up, showing enormous amounts of perseverance. Another example would be Martin Luther King Jr. He was a very passionate and positive man who fought for equality among blacks and whites. Because of his dream of equal rights, he had to face many obstacles. While most would've given up, he took that obstacle and fought against it. This makes them heroes because they were stronger than the average individual and chose to take their challenges in a good way and move

“If you don’t speak up now, if you don’t stand up now, you will be slaves forever” (abcnew.com). Heroes, like the woman preaching these lines, are leaders who strive to put out a helping hand no matter the consequence. Malala was compassionate and took a stand for her and everyone's good. Just like other heroes, Malala made history without the intent of being rewarded for what she accomplished. Heroes like Malala stand up for what is right even if they could be facing a challenge. Heroism is a trait that many carry without knowing it. Heroes are people who always put others first without the intention of receiving anything in return. A hero is someone who changes another person's life doing an act of kindness or bravery. Heroes may not

What does it take to be a hero? Is it to be rebellious? Demonstrating willpower? Or is it showing compassion for others? These are all characteristics that make up swat valley’s own hero, showing these attributes at the young age of 14. Her name is Malala Yousafzai. She resembles the fictional persona of Katniss Everdeen, another young girl who showed the same traits that Malala. Malala Yousafzai and Katniss Everdeen show the qualities of being rebellious, showing compassion and demonstrating willpower.

Heroism is bravery. “Meaning "man who exhibits great bravery” in any course of action is from 1660s in English.’’ (etymonline.com) Malala Yousafzai is a hero because she stands up for what she believes in and she demonstrates bravery. “As a child, she became an advocate for girls' education, which resulted in the Taliban issuing a death threat against her. On October 9, 2012, a gunman shot Malala when she was traveling home from school. She survived, and has continued to speak out on the importance of education.’’ (biography.com). Malala was very brave because she stands up for what she believes in even at a young age. Continuing to fight for what you believe in even when you are issuing a death threat is incredibly brave. “In order to hide her identity, she used the name Gul Makai. However, she was revealed to be the BBC blogger in December of that year. With a growing public platform, Yousafzai continued to speak out about her right, and the right of all women, to an education.’’ (biography.com) Bravery is all about perseverance, and Malala shows bravery with continuing to speak out about her rights and women’s rights even though her identity

What does it mean to be a rebel? When you hear the word rebel, you think of a teen acting up, and not listening to anything her parents say, criminals trying to go against the laws, the list can go on with bad perceptions. If you take a good look at all the amazing people who changed the world we live in today, you would see that actually classified as rebels. Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, and Gandhi were one of those rebels. They went against the limitations, obstacles, and the restriction they were given and made a difference. Being called a rebel doesn't seem that bad after all when you think about it.

Therefore, any ordinary person can be a hero. Heroes don't need to be awarded or acknowledge for every good they do, and heroes are not just men. Yes, most heroes are men because back then women didn't have as many rights as men. Thus, they didn't have many opportunities to speak out or change anything, but some stood up for what they believed in and were very successful. For example, Malala Yousafzai is a schoolgirl who stood up for the right of education, survived being shot and she is now a global advocate for women's rights. Malala is not hero for surviving being shot, she's not a hero because she won a Nobel peace prize, she's a hero because she stood up for women's rights in swat

Malala Yousafzai, does that name sound familiar at all? In schools all over the country, she was the main topic for fighting for education. She was almost killed, all because she was fighting for the women in Pakistan (her home country) to get the education that they deserve to have. Not only did she face adversity from fighting for education, she also faced it while fighting for her own life afterwards, that didn’t stop her though. She came to the U.S. to live safely, and is continuing to fight for the education; raising more and more awareness about it everyday. “5 years ago, I was shot in an attempt to stop me from speaking out for girls’ education,’ she wrote. ‘Today, I attend my first lectures at Oxford” (Malala Yousafzai). She took

“They will not stop me. I will get my education if it is in a home, school, or any other place” these are the words of Malala Yousafzai, a Nobel peace prize winner, a human rights activist, and a Pakistani girl, who has traditions, stories, and a unique experience. She was named after Malalai of Maiwand, the greatest heroine of Afghanistan, and she lives up to her name as a heroine for girls education. Despite the cultural traditions of Malala Yousafzai’s community, she has grown as a world leader in spreading world peace throughout the globe, through her challenges, her accomplishments, and her growth in publicity, with her common goal being an education for all girls.

Heroes have many goals and many challenges, but whether they are successful or not is a whole different story. Always trying their best to achieve their certain goal and risking to help others is what heroes live for. For example, during the attacks of 9/11, boat drivers such as were rescuing people from the island of Manhattan in New York. There were thousands upon thousands of people, but with enough support, the boat drivers were able to rescue everybody. Vincent Ardolino, one of the boat drivers during the 9/11 boatlift, said in the documentary “Boatlift” that he tells his children to “never go through life saying you should have. If you want to do something, do it.” This mindset is what all heroes should adopt for the future. These people may not have the most difficult job in the world, but they carry out small challenges with a lot of passion. Likewise, were the heroes during Hurricane Harvey and Irma, two very devastating Hurricanes that have costed the USA many lives. Many people from outside of the area have done countless things to help like rescue people with their boats, donate money, and help rebuild. Many of these heroes have risked their lives and struggled on for the greater good.