What is the purpose of comparing narratives surrounding Malala Yousafzai story? More specifically, what does this reveal about the way narratives are constructed to present conventions linked to Western ideology?
The purpose of comparing the narrative in I Am Malala to the narratives in the selected news media that surround Malala Yousafzai is to establish whether the same events are reinforced in both narratives. On one hand, to reveal the events which are or not presented in each narrative yet are connected to Malala‘s story. On the other hand, to investigate why that news media presents narratives to reinforce ideology rather than events.
In saying that, the event most common and significant in each narrative by online news media other than Malala‘s UN speech is Malala‘s attack by the Taliban. In each narrative this has been to found to define Malala‘s presented identity similar to how I Am Malala presents Malala‘s story as ―The Girl Who Stood Up For Education and Was Shot By The Taliban‖. (Lamb, Yousafzai front cover) In other words, according to news media the event of Malala‘s attack is where Malala‘s narrative begins. In contrast to the events in I Am Malala which does present the attack as a pivotal moment in the narrative yet presents events surrounding Malala‘s childhood, Pakistan‘s political and cultural history Malala‘s journey with the media as equally significant to her narrative journey.
I Am Malala achieves this by presenting a journey that follows the narrative arc of heroes. Campbell‘s theory of the hero‘s journey proves to be a sharp guide to analysing the construction of narrative structure in I Am Malala. In doing so, the presented story
surrounding Malala‘s journey in accordance to a hero narrative showcases how I Am Malala functions in the same way as Campbell theory towards myths. As previously explored I Am Malala breaks conventions associated to the identity of the Taliban and the West‘s
involvement in shaping the events in Pakistan that affected presented Malala‘s journey. This is similar to the theory Billions cites based on Campbell‘s theory on the role of myths In this sense, the effect of I Am Malala provides a narrative that projects an image that enables the reader to understand her presented point of the ―contemporary conditions‖ (Billions 152) and enables an understanding of Malala‘s presented universe.
On the other hand, the selected news media narratives in thesis present a universe like I Am Malala where Malala is the hero and the Taliban is the villain. But does so to validate and enforce presentations of identity differently to I Am Malala. From my findings news
media appropriates Malala‘s story and identity in order to serve its own interest. Yes news media presents Malala as a hero who embarks on a hero‘s journey for education, yet it does so through imperialist rhetoric. Malala‘s identity in the analysed articles is repeatedly in
connection with her age and a victim. This thesis believes intends to serves or reinforce associated identities connected to Third World women as established by Mohanty. The narratives presented do not embark in same way as I Am Malala to give voices to the unheard voices of girls like Malala, but rather to enforce ideals that the news organisation supports such as interventionist education in other countries. Notably, this incentive is not for the USA or Britain, but in other poorer countries that represent ―the Other‖ as Beauvoir applies the term.
Considering each news organisation is identified as reflection of the spectrum of Western ideology for example left, liberal to right, conservative and traditional Western values; there is very little difference in the point of view and construction of each narrative reflected in the story that surrounds Malala. Postcolonial feminist theory has proven fruitful in this sense; it has proven a highly relevant analytical tool revealing the purpose behind
presenting Malala‘s narratives. In doing, my findings are strongly to postcolonial feminist theory that has already claimed presentations of people like Malala are appropriated as an opportunity to reinforce imperialist beliefs of superiority in Britain and the U.S over other cultures and ideologies. For instance, this is evident in the demonization and criminalisation of the Taliban in each narrative. Although the Taliban are presented in I Am Malala to conduct abhorrent, prejudice and hate filled violent acts towards women, the narrative provides context which explores that the Taliban developed not because they are inherently evil rather they played on society‘s insecurities and struggles. That is, I Am Malala‘s narrative is constructed to provide insight to the conditions the world it re-presents similar to the
function of myths. As claimed by Bruner who states autobiographies are respected for their
―human insight‖, the narrative in I Am Malala presents events associated to the Taliban, Pakistan‘s government and Pakistan‘s society from this viewpoint through Malala as the narrator. Whilst, news media narratives cannot provide the same ―human insight‖ because it does not relay the event from the narrator‘s self-reflexive point of view. In opposition, news media which narrative presents lists of selected facts. In doing so, simplify the problem across in relation to children‘s access to education and the suffering of women postcolonial
countries.
Although, liberal news media does provides space for other viewpoints, for instance the re-presentation of Malala‘s interpretation of Islam or the presentation of Malala‘s
non-violent approach that is linked to Mohatma Gandhi peaceful teachings. Conservative media in this thesis is more reliant in their narratives to present the Taliban as inherently ―barbaric‖
and ―backwards‖ reflecting the ability of Western traditional values to base all identities on what is determined innate in nature. For instance, the Daily Mail‘s headlines surrounding famous women in Western society as mothers, sexual objects or jealous wives. Fox News achieves this through its focus on violent events against children in particular girls in poorer countries. In no circumstance does the narrative provide context or links to other articles that show the social conditions which led to the events as present in I Am Malala. Overall both present the West as superior in the sense that there are not issues to same scale in USA or Britain.
Works that examine the role of language and power have proved beneficial to the analysis in this thesis. Semiotic theory was an effective tool to analyse how the language in Western online news media presents imperialist ideology through language and image. Other studies such as Ryder‘s study of counter narratives, Sørmo‘s study of literary devices in Malala‘s speech and Walters study language in British newspapers proved beneficial to understanding these practices.
Overall the Guardian, the Daily, the Lede and Fox News‘s re-presentation of Malala‘s story do not structure their narratives as hero narratives in the same sense as Campbell
outlines, but they do present Malala as a hero. In comparison I Am Malala presents Malala as a hero because she her story is an example of an ordinary girl who achieves greatness because of her beliefs yet remains ―ordinary‖, for instance the sentence of the narrative states ―I Am Malala. My world has changed but I have not‖ (265). Opposed to Malala‘s role as a hero in the online news media analysed which intends to reinforce a much bigger debate that shed lights on the ideals that reiterate the West, more specifically the U.S and U.K as superior saviours to the world.. It may be of interest in further academic study of narratives of Malala to focus the presentation of Malala‘s in news media narratives as to whether she is a hero in countries other than the U.S or U.K.
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Images
AFP/Getty Images. Defiance: Pakistani girls at school in Mingora, the main town of Swat
AFP/Getty Images. Defiance: Pakistani girls at school in Mingora, the main town of Swat