Entry #4: Title Significance

The title of the memoir, I am Malala, has both a simple literal meaning and a deeper figurative meaning. The title literally serves as an introduction to the author of the memoir, Malala Yousafzai, by stating her name and her identity. Furthermore, by saying “I am Malala” and not “My name is Malala,” the author identifies herself as “The Girl Who Stood Up For Education And Was Shot By The Taliban,” as the subtitle states, rather than introducing herself as a name without character behind it. Also, by introducing herself with only her first name, Yousafzai creates an immediate connection with the reader. Additionally, Yousafzai explains in the book how her father named her after a defiant and brave heroin in their country named Malalai. The title, I am Malala, suggests that her name encompasses who she is. Yousafzai is brave and defiant, just as Malalai was. For these reasons, making the title of the memoir I am Malala is significant in a literal sense because Malala Yousafzai is introducing herself to readers.

The novel figuratively portrays the message that Yousafzai tries to send throughout the memoir: that she will continue to be persistant and defiant no matter what. During the book, Yousafzai refuses to back down from all the obstacles that stand in her way during her fight for the education of girls. After being shot, Yousafzai speaks to her mother about her injuries in the hospital, saying, “‘It doesn’t matter if I can’t smile or blink properly,’ I told her. ‘I’m still me, Malala’”(292). This assertion of her own identity mirrors her refusal to stop standing for her beliefs. The boldness of the statement “I am Malala” characterizes Yousafzai’s very being and sets the tone for her defiance during the rest of the memoir. In other words, the title portrays Malala Yousafzai’s confidence in being herself even though it is her identity that puts her in life-threatening situations. The last line of the memoir is perhaps the best representation of this. Yousafzai states, “I am Malala. My world has changed but I have not” (313). The title serves as a clear message to the Taliban and other detractors that she has no intention of disappearing or stepping down from her fight.

Her confidence in being herself, someone of the female gender, is also significant because women in her society are thought to be much less worthy than men. In the first paragraph of the novel Yousafzai already makes this clear by stating, “I was a girl in a land where rifles are fired in celebration of a son, while daughters are hidden away behind a curtain, their role in life simply to prepare food and give birth to children” (13). In her society, a girl making her voice heard, especially in order to give power to other women and girls, is very uncommon and frowned upon by many. This makes Yousafzai's assertion of her identity even more significant, because it defies the standards of the society she lived in.