This summer all you incoming freshman were asked to read either I am Malala or The Honor Code. As mentors we read both! Both books spoke about the issues that our society is facing today particularly using examples from the middle east. These books demonstrate the power of people in creating social change.
I was very excited to read I am Malala because the story of Malala Yousafzi has been one of great courage and bravery. The idea that someone just a year younger than myself has been able to bring such a great amount of change is absolutely incredible. It demonstrates the idea that we are all capable of creating change in the world. After reading the book, I learned a great deal more about Malala’s involvement in the fight for women’s education. Her father is the force that pushed her to learn and explore the world. He insisted she not make it her goal to become an uneducated house wife. Although Malala showed independence and maturity at such a young age, she had the support of her father throughout the process. This being said, Malala put this cause above all else in her life. She vocally activated for the cause, she went onto BBC to speak for the cause, and she demonstrated the cause by attending school herself. Malala’s sense of motivation and determination is brought through the book and her words. This book is awe inspiring and gave me the feeling that the word impossible does not exist. As Malala quotes in the beginning of the book it’s better dying honorably than living a coward.
Speaking about honor, The Honor Code, examines the traditional definition of honor thorough the different cultures and times. Appiah discusses the dueling among the British gentlemen, foot binding among the Chinese elite, and slavery in the British Empire. In each of these cultures honor is defined as the journey from entitlement to respect. These traditional practices describe how to achieve the respect and also how you can lose the respect. However, in all three of these practices the path to honor is seen as ridiculous by other in society. Foot binding was seen as such an honorable practice, but when outsiders started coming into China they ridiculed the chinese people for this tradition. When the Chinese people saw that this practice was more ridiculous than honorable they realized it wasn’t really honorable and in a generation the practice dissipated. Appiah emphasized these “moral revolutions” to discuss the issue of honor killings in the middle east. As seen in these other revolutions the objective was to align morality with honor. If we want to see change in the middle east we need to show that honor killings are not honorable and are not moral. As a society, we can cause revolutionary change as long as we argue against the cause with a sensible, respectable case. We see this way of change with Malala and I agree that with this intelligent way of battling dishonorable traditions eliminates the inapplicable arguments thrown at advocates.
