84 pages • 2 hours read
Christina Lamb, Malala YousafzaiI Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Discussion/Analysis Prompt
The Quran is a complex and multi-faceted symbol throughout I Am Malala. Reflect upon the moments that the Quran appears throughout the text, and discuss the following questions as a class:
- How does the Quran contribute to Yousafzai’s messaging in the book around Individual Versus Society? As a Muslim-majority nation, consider how the Quran is used in Pakistani citizens’ private lives and how it is used as a mechanism of control/power.
- How does the Quran contribute to the battle of Knowledge Versus Ignorance in I Am Malala? Who is permitted to read the Quran? How is it used as a tool to further knowledge/education? How is it used as a tool to maintain ignorance?
- As a written text, how does the symbol of the Quran emphasize the Power of Words?
Teaching Suggestion: Throughout I Am Malala, the Quran is not only a symbol for control and power; it is also a symbol representing hope, peace, and protection. As a symbol for control/power, Malala documents how certain groups and individuals can interpret the Quran in ways that attempt to sway the community and seize power—for example, see Chapter 9 in the way that Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah draws on the Quran and Muslim faith in his takeover of Swat Valley.
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