Blog 2 : Response Prep

Social Perspective

In the text ""Brand Malala": Western Exploitation of a Schoolgirl", the author Carol Anne Grayson sheds light on how society is caught up with social icons such as Malala Yousafzai, that they don't pay attention to the other women who are just as victimized and passionate about causes such as women's educational rights or gender equality. She aims to open her readers' eyes on how people in a higher power such as the government or the media exploit and manipulate such icons in order to benefit themselves and feed off of the fame they provide them. People with a large impact on society such as Malala generally have good intentions, but they don't realize the bigger picture or as Grayson mentioned "The extent of exploitation" (Grayson, pg.593)

Emotional Perspective

Throughout the text Grayson clearly voices her anger towards the effects the media and governmental figures have on female activists, and the way they are unconsciously being exploited. Her anger also pours out for the victimized women and children in Pakistan who aren't receiving the same privileges as those with United Kingdom mentors like Malala has. She brings up a tone of suspicion as she constantly doubts whether Malala and her father's intentions and alliances with the United Kingdom are entirely pure. She shows sarcasm as well by using single words in quotations such as "mentors", "alliance", "save", etc.. (Grayson, pg.594) to give us the idea that what she is quoting isn't what it seems.

Rhetorical Perspective 

The text ""Brand Malala": Western Exploitation of a Schoolgirl" is argumentative, nonfictional and impersonal. The author uses repetition when mentioning, throughout the text,  the suppressed women  who are fighting for justice while being  over-shadowed by the exploitation Malala has received. Parallelism is also used (Malala the portrait, Malala the the book, Malala the...etc) (Grayson, pg596) to convey the extent of Malala's fame. The author uses comparison to show the similarities between Malala's situation under the limelight and that of another Nobel nominee, Rigoberta Menchu. Rhetorical questions are plentiful in the text (I have met many...deserving than the other?, Can we assume she will not be targeted in the US?, How many people...Malala was shot?) (Grayson, pg 595,596) used for the sake of arising curiosity and doubt within the reader.

Logical Perspective

The text highlights many issues such as exploitation of women, gender equality, where the author clearly portrays her disapproval. Her suspicion of the so called "alliance" Malala supposedly has with her UK mentor and the benefits both her and her father received open up a window of debate. The question is whether Malala's intentions are pure but Grayson further proves that indeed they are by stating " Malala was thrust into the limelight, pressurized by others" (Grayson, pg.596) indicating that it's not her at fault, it's those around her who are manipulating her attempts at bettering society. The text is primarily a work of inductive reasoning, for Grayson begins it with Malala's journey and the influence she has on Pakistan, and then broadens that idea to talk about the many other female activists who are trying to fight for more than just Malala's cause at hand.

Ethical Perspective

As for the ethical aspect of this text, it's clear that the author finds it ethically wrong for men in power to exploit innocent women who are merely trying to straighten out the dents of society.