No Voice : Muted Group Theory

Her quality of existence deteriorated from there: she got betrayed by Jalil, her mother committed suicide, and Jalil’s wives forced her to marry a wicked widow, Rasheed.

Within a single culture there are differences based on religion, politics, nationality, race, and ideology that go largely unassumed by its members. This leads to people defining others in ways that are entirely inaccurate. Members of these imagined communities who live without their identities being recognized by the larger majority are very similar to the subordinate, more “primitive” cultures that exist in the world in the sense that most of the time, they go unacknowledged by larger, more advanced powers. When these subsidiary entities are unable to make themselves known, they simply become easily influenced by higher powers since they tend to become “a quiescent, ignorant, manipulable electorate” (Pratt, 510). It is vital that these marginalized peoples learn to make themselves heard, for there are many principles and ideas that can be learnt from them.

Education is one of the most important contributors to having a successful future. In developed countries such as North America boys and girls are fortunate enough to have access to an unbiased education system. Therefore, allowing children to have countless opportunities. However, in countries like Afghanistan girls are marginalized and neglected the right to learn. Afghanistan is a country of war, where women and girls are often the worst victims. In 2011, Afghanistan was known as the most dangerous place in the world for a girl to be born (Kissane). Malala Yousufzai, a female education activist was also a victim of war. Yousufazi was shot in the head and neck for advocating for girls and their rights to have access to education. Similarly, to Yousufzai many women in Afghanistan stand up for their entitlement to having equality. Those courageous women often become victims of abuse and are often killed. Investing in girls’ education is critical, not only is it life-altering for a girl’s future, but it’s also poses benefits to society. By allowing Afghan girls access to educating we are also promoting better socioeconomic s, a reduction in child marriages, and an improvement in mortality rates.

By beating Rasheed with a shovel and killing him with it, Mariam reveals that she has finally decided to stand up to Rasheed for Laila and herself. Because Mariam stood up to Rasheed and killed him, now Mariam and Laila have lifted a huge burden off their shoulders and Laila can live with Tariq and her children. Mariam learns that if she wants to be happier in life she has to make her own decisions, like killing Rasheed. If she had not defended Laila, Rasheed could have killed Laila, and Mariam would have continued to live a stressful life. Throughout the book, Miriam endures on-going violence and abuse and she begins to make poor choices; she also begins to act out violently as means of learning to cope with her surroundings. Her actions drastically changed the course of her life for herself as well as others for worse and for better.

An unlikely promiscuous figure became the pinnacle of peace and equality. This figure is Malala Yousafzai, a driven girl from the valley of Swat in Pakistan, stood up against her peers and spoke out against an imposed custom on girls. Malala’s endeavours began with the introduction of the Taliban within Pakistan. Now ran by tyranny, Pakistan became a place of oppression, especially against the rights of females. Malala and her father, Ziauddin, were among the very sparse population of activists within Pakistan, advocating against the Taliban’s influence. Malala effectively expresses her story by utilizing rhetorical devices such as evocative imagery, juxtaposition and ethos.

Malala Yousafzai’s home town in the Swat Valley of Pakistan is where her journey first takes place where oppression against womens education is enforced by Taliban rule. The Taliban staunchly opposed Malala’s fierce beliefs in the right for women to have an education and they did their best to silence her voice. Malala and the other women in the Swat Valley were forced to obey their oppressive regime and not gain an education. Despite the harsh climate against her Malala spoke up against this tyranny with the faith that she could cause a change for the better. Unfortunately due to this she was singled out and faced severe retaliation. A Taliban gunman stopped her school bus and proclaimed that she must be punished for insulting the

After her death, Mariam is forced to marry Rasheed, and soon sees the pain and struggles that her mother was once telling her about.

Days after this event, Laila is separated from her family when her house is bombed because of the war. She later wakes up and learns that someone digs her out of the rubble from the explosion and accepts her into the family providing her with shelter, food, and a new life. These person who digs her out is Rasheed, a big, rough man in his sixties, and his wife Mariam, a woman in her thirties. At first, Rasheed and Mariam were planning on getting rid of Laila because they do not have the necessities to care for her, however Rasheed brings up the idea that marriage between them two is the only way she can stay with them. This leads to their marriage and eventually Laila bears his child.

Malala Yousafzai used an anecdote in her speech to relate her story with the audience. In the speech it says, “The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.” This example gives the audience hope that they can take action and achieve gender equality rights by using their words and actions. The anecdote appeals to the audience’s emotions, by using specific word choice such as strength, power, and courage. This helps connect Malala’s view to the audience. “I remember that there was a boy in our school who was asked by a journalist, Why are the Taliban against education? He answered very simply. By pointing to his book he said, A Talib doesn’t know what is written inside this book. They think that God is a tiny, little conservative being who would send girls to hell just because of going to school. The terrorists are misusing the name of Islam and Pashtun society for their own personal beliefs.” This quote shows the audience why the terrorists do crimes and mass murders, and Malala Yousafzai is teaching her audience to be forgiving and use words and

According to Kramarae groups within our society are muted, or go incompletely heard due to the lack of an effective means to express certain groups of ideas, experiences, or thoughts. Kramarae calls these groups muted and focuses specifically on the muted group of women. She argues that language is "man-made" and "aids in defining, depreciating and excluding women" (Griffin,1997,459). Muted Group Theory sees language as excluding women based on several factors. For example the

Following Rasheed and Mariam's "honeymoon duration" wherein Mariam begins to discover herself content material, Rasheed and Mariam’s marriage takes a turn that it isn't handiest sour, but violent. all over again, Mariam unearths herself eager for a exchange in her life with the chance of her being pregnant. but, as is regular with different points inside the novel, Mariam’s hope is crushed with the loss of her first and next

In contrast, Malala’s attempt to create social change was far more dangerous. Malala and many other girls in Pakistan are denied the right to education when the Taliban seize power in the Swat Valley, Pakistan. Malala’s struggle takes place in contemporary Pakistan where speaking out is considered very dangerous. The memoir revels the destruction of Pakistan founder, Ali Jinnah’s original vision of a ‘land of tolerance’ by increasing Islamisation; two military dictatorships ; corrupt politicians, poverty, illiteracy and the rise of the ‘forces of militancy and extremism’ exemplified by the Taliban, who was led by Maulana Fazlullah and the imposition of terror and fear under the guise of sharia law. The repression of individual freedom made people fearful to speak out. The Taliban had banned women from going ‘outside without a male relative to accompany (them)’ and told people ‘stop listening to music, watching movies and dancing’. The Taliban had ‘blown up 400 schools’ and had held public whippings demonstrated the consequences of disobedience, as did the execution of ‘infidels’ like young dancer, Shabana, whose body was dumped in the public square. Both texts, however more so Malala than Rita reveal that speaking out in a volatile and dangerous political environment does involve more risks, but is essential for change to occur.

Cheris Kramarae, professor of speech communication at the University of Illinois, would probably feel closer to satisfied if the summary section of this paper were not necessary, if the connotations and ideas that muted group theory entails came to mind automatically. Unfortunately though, I would confuse a great deal of people if I used the terms "muted group theory" in writing and conversation without further explanation. This demonstrates a fundamental concept in Kramarae's theory. Muted group theory was designed to explore the experience of a subordinate group, particularly women, and therefore, the majority of the general public does not recognize it. In order for the theory to become wide spread the dominant

The co-cultural theory was created in order to assist in understanding the various ways in which people who are marginalised traditionally in dominant structures of society, communicate every day. This co-cultural communicative theory is derived from the personal experiences from a range of traditional less privileged cultural groups, which include women, people of colour, the disabled, people from a lower social economic background and gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender (Orbe & Groscurth, 2006). The co-cultural theory shows an understanding of the ways in which these co-cultural groups discuss their difference in culture with the wider public. These less privileged cultural groups who were traditionally labelled ‘inferior’, communicate in a variety of ways such as using the media and protesting or having their say in a political manner (Cohen & Avanzino 2010). There are three approaches of communication; non-assertive, assertive and aggressive. There are also three preferred outcomes; assimilation, accommodation and separation (Lapinski & Orbe, 2007).

Mariam is the first main protagonist the readers meet in the novel. Her first apparition is at the age of fifteen, she lives with her mother commonly known as Nana, in a small shack just out of Herat. Jalil is a wealthy man, also Mariam’s father who lives in Herat with his three wives and his kids. The main character has