Malala Yousafzai: Nobel Peace Prize Speech

Last year, Malala Yousafzai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. In her acceptance speech, Malala shows great knowledge about the subject, and through touching stories and comments on the assassination atempt by the Taliban, she reaches out to people from all over the world. The three rhetorical modes of appeal, ethos, pathos and logos, are all frequently used in Malala's speech. But what exactly do they mean, and how can we spot them?

Ethos is how the speaker establishes credibility. Naturally, we believe the people who we admire or respect. Thus, the speaker must convince the audience of their credibility, and that they are worth listening to. In the following sentence, we see an example of how Malala uses ethos in the speech: "Some people call me the girl who was shot by the Taliban. And some, the girl who fought for her rights. Some people, call me a "Nobel Laureate" now." In this quote, Malala builds on her personal experience from the Taliban assassination attempt and her title as a "Nobel Laureate" to present herself as a reliable person. She continues the speech by saying: "However, my brothers still call me that annoying bossy sister. As far as I know, I am just a committed and even stubborn person who wants to see every child getting quality education (...)". Through this, she creates a common ground with the audience and makes it easier for them to identify.

The second rhetorical mode of appeal, pathos, is about creating emotions. Malala  uses pathos frequently in her speech by speaking with conviction, using vivid language and varying her tone of voice. She also tells many stories, both from her own life and from other people who have experienced similar things as herself. Here is an example of how Malala creates emotion in the speech: "I had two options. One was to remain silent and wait to be killed. And the second was to speak up and be killed. I chose the second one. I decided to speak up."

Lastly, the third rhetorical mode of appeal is logos. Logos is the appeal to logic, and and centers around structure and logical argumentation. In order to to support her statements and conclusions, Malala several times uses concrete facts and logical argumentation. The following quote is an example of how she presents a conclusion and then underpins with facts: "When I was in Swat, which was just a place of tourism and beauty, suddenly changed into a place of terrorism. I was just ten that more than 400 schools were destroyed. Women were flogged. People were killed. (...)" In addition, Malala uses contrasts to create structure in her speech: "Education went from being a right to being a crime."

Through making good use of the rhetorical appeals, Malala really manages to get her message across. Without rhetoric, speeches like Malala's, Martin Luther King's or Lincoln's might not have been as effective and powerful. This might be something to think about if you ever want to persuade  someone of something, or maybe give a speech, in the future.

The Truth About Domestic Violence

In this TED-talk, the American writer Leslie Morgan Steiner talks about the secrets of domestic violence. Leslie is not a psychiatrist, a social worker or an expert in the subject. She does, however, have a story to tell. As a 22 year old Harvard graduate, Leslie had just moved into her own apartment in New York City for her first job as a writer and editor at Seventeen magazine. But she also carried a big secret: her husband had threatened to kill her more times than she could count. You might not think of Leslie as the typical domestic violence survivor, having a B.A. in English from Harvard, an MBA in marketing from Wharton Business School and having been married for 20 years with three children. This illustrates one of her main points: domestic violence can happen to anyone.

"Why did she stay?" is a commonly asked question when it comes to the subject. In order to give an answer, she starts talking about the stages of the "domestic violence pattern". The first step involves threat of violence to see how the victim reacts. In Leslie's case, her abuser bought several guns to "protect himself", although it was really a message for her. Secondly, the abuser strikes. This could be everything from small comments, pushes, punches or beatings, to severe cases of violence that in worst case lead to death. The last step is apologizes, promise of change and gifts. When this stage is over, the cycle repeats itself. So why did she stay? The answer is simple: she did not know he was abusing her. Leslie rather considered herself a strong woman in love with a deeply troubled man.

I find it simply shocking to realize how difficult it is for domestic violence victims to recognize that their relationships are abusive. And even if they do realize it, it might not make it easier for them to leave. Over 70% of domestic violence murders happen after the victim has ended the relationship, a number that makes it more understandable why victims choose to stay with their abuser. Other outcomes include long-term stalking, denial of financial resources and manipulation of the family court system to terrify the victim and her children. So how are you supposed to get out of an abusive relationship? In the talk, Leslie repeatedly emphasizes the importance of breaking the silence. By telling the police, your neighbors, friends and family or complete strangers, you protect yourself and make it more difficult for the abuser to continue with the abuse. However, not only the victims can do something to prevent this from happening. It is very important that we bring domestic violence to light, talk about it and make ourselves aware of all the visible signs and patterns that exist. It is EVERYBODY'S business.

Gran Torino - Multicultural Communication

Gran Torino is a 2008 American drama film directed and produced by the famous actor Clint Eastwood. Eastwood also plays the main character of the film; the Polish-American former Ford factory worker and Korean War veteran, Walt Kowalski. The film also features a large Hmong American cast, including Bee Vang, playing the role of Walt’s neighbor Thao Vang Lor.

Being set in Detroit, Michigan, Gran Torino is the first modern American film to feature Hmong Americans. They were recruited from Southeast Asia by the US during the Vietnam War, and the first Hmong arrived in America in the 1980s and 90s. In the film, Walt Kowalski comes into conflict with a Hmong family and gang in the neighborhood. He is a miserable and racist man, much due to bitter memories from the Korean War. When he catches Tao trying to steel his 1972 Gran Torino, pressured by his cousin’s gang, the Hmong teenager’s family forces him to do chores for Walt. Eventually, Walt ends up becoming friends with Tao and his family, and learns a lot about their culture. Undoubtedly, he is the one who changes the most throughout the film. Finally, he attempts to protect Tao and his sister from the gang, which sadly includes getting himself killed.

“Why is the film called Gran Torino?” you may ask. Firstly, Gran Torino is the brand of Walt Kowalski’s car. However, there are several deeper reasons as to why the movie was named after it. For instance, the car is the one object that ties Walt, Tao, and his Hmong family together. If Tao had not tried to steal Walt’s Gran Torino, they would never have developed a relationship in the way they did. Furthermore, the car can also be a symbol of Walt’s connection to his past, and a reflection of pride and better times. When he gives the car to Tao in the end of the movie, he somehow transfers these values and beliefs to him.

Walt and Tao

The 1972 Gran Torino

The film deals with many themes, such as aging, violence, family and respect. However, the perhaps most important theme is multiculturalism and culture clash. Walt is a cranky, racist and sometimes downright hostile man, and he does not adapt well in the multicultural neighborhood. He makes it clear from the beginning that he wants nothing to do with the Hmong, whereas Tao and his family truly make an effort to make him feel welcome in their company. As Walt eventually realizes that he is the minority, and spends more and more time with the Hmong, he gradually develops understanding and openness. In this way, Walt is an example of how people can be blinded by prejudice, and consequently overlook the good qualities in people.

How Is Social Media Changing Journalism?

In this video from theatlantic.com, a group of media professionals were asked to discuss how new platforms are transforming radio, TV, print, and digital. Watch and hear their answers! (Link to the website here)

Traditional Media & Social Media

Last Thursday, we watched a TED talk by Markham Nolan in our International English class. One of the main topics of the talk, was how we find news today compared to "earlier days", and the shift in the balance of power from the news organizations to the audience. Prior to the arrival of social media, the audience did not really have any way of affecting news or making a change. Now, we have the opportunity to choose from dozens of social media platforms if we want to express our opinion to the public. Furthermore, the news organizations use social media in their search for news stories. An example from the TED talk, was how an earthquake that traveled between two cities in 60 seconds, was already on the internet 30 seconds later. Therefore, in theory, the whole world had the opportunity to know that an earthquake happened almost instantly.

Another topic that Nolan talked about, was the importance of source criticism. As a result of the prevalence of social media, reliable news stories are now more difficult to find; both for news organizations, and for you and me. The fact that manipulation and photoshopping is now almost common knowledge, has made the search for trustable news even harder. Consequently, journalists have to do more thorough background- and credibility checks before they can use their source. In the TED talk, Markham gave an example of a news story that an unknown YouTube-account had uploaded. The video showed a lightening stroke that hit a back garden, and the journalist was dying to use it. After showing the video, Nolan shared some of the investigative techniques that he and his team used to verify the information.

As we have seen, the relationship between traditional and social media continues to evolve. Some might ask themselves the questions: Will "citizens journalism" take over? Could a social media platform such as Twitter overtake a news organizations like The Times? Will social media simply replace traditional media? However, most people might agree that for now, traditional and social media need each other to function. The press need social media in their search for news stories, whereas social media users need mass media to participate in online discussions and forums. In this article, James Matheson shares his thoughts on the matter.

Visit to the Nobel Peace Center

Last Thursday, the class went to visit the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. The center is a showcase for the Nobel Peace Prize and the ideals it represents, as well as being an arena for political and cultural reflection. When we arrived, a guide took us on a tour around the building. The main theme was democracy and social media, and through both multimedia, interactive technology and regular exhibitions, we discussed different aspects of this subject. Some of the questions we talked about were; Will social media lead to more democracy? Is Snowden a traitor or a hero? Could social media challenge authorities, and what happens when or if social media replaces traditional mass media? We were also encouraged to participate in the debate about how social media changes society, by answering questions on social media. I found the visit very interesting, and I learnt a lot from it. One of the things that maybe made the strongest impression on me was realizing how all our online activity is stored and analyzed somewhere, and also exactly how much power social media has.

Social Media

Communication has always been an important part of the human life, as well as being essential for developing our society. As long as we can remember, we have used communication of different forms: body language, sign language and verbal language. Today, we have come even further in developing new ways to communicate; by introducing social media and networking. But how exactly do we use social media, and are there only good sides to it?

 

Social media can be defined as “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos).” (definition from www.merriam-webster.com This phenomenon has become a natural part of most people’s everyday life. Everywhere you look, people are chatting, blogging, commenting on forums, instagramming, tweeting and snapchatting. We can access it at all times by simply logging on to our smartphones, iPads, computers or other electronic devices.

There are several advantages of using social media. Some of the most commonly used sites are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and tumblr, and through these platforms, we can connect with other people and be part of an online community. In addition to this, it allows us to share our thought and ideas, and to keep up with what is happening in the world. According to socialnetworking.procon.org, over 50% of people learn about breaking news on social media.

However, the widespread use of social networking sites can also have negative consequences. When you make an account on a social networking site, all the personal information you add, the things you post, share or like, is stored somewhere. On some platforms, like for example Facebook, your activity on the site is used to build up a picture of you and target you with advertisement. Moreover, if the information falls into the wrong hands, it could have much worse outcomes.

Even though we like to think that social media brings people together, it could be a source of isolation. Many people rather spend time on social networks than going out and having face-to-face interaction. Amongst others, this could lead to both physical, mental and emotional problems. The fact that people can stay in their rooms, and simultaneously spend time on social network (often anonymously), could also cause cyber bullying. Many organizations, such as "End to Cyber Bullying Organization" (ETCB), are constantly working to raise awareness in this particular area.

In conclusion, there are both good and bad sides to social media. However, one thing is for sure: it has come to stay. The best thing we can do is to make sure we are aware of the consequences that social media usage can have, and to use the sites responsibly.