Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Class Dismissed: Malala's Story (From Mike Lohre)

Take notes on the documentary Class Dismissed: Malala's Story found at

http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000001835296/class-dismissed.html

Homework: In the Comments section, write a response to this short documentary. 


If you were reviewing this for another, would you give it a positive, negative, or mixed review?  Why?

What evidence or information from the film and Malala's story would you use to support this conclusion? 

Use evidence from your notes and a direct quote somewhere in your response.


She has a voice with the purity of the principled.  This is Malala Yousafzai.

23 comments:

  1. When writing a review for this film, I would rate this review a positive review. I thought this video did an excellent job giving the audience all the details but also let the audience hanging. After watching this review, I wanted to read more about Malala Yousafzai and her life story.

    I thought this review was positive because throughout the video, Malala and her father were always fighting for what they wanted. It was a constant battle and there was not one time that neither Malala or her father gave up. Malala said, "I will get my education whether it's at school, home or any place." After January 15th, the girls were no longer allowed to go to school and that never stopped Malala. She continued with her schooling. Even thought the tough times her father always kept fighting for his country. In Swat, Pakistan, it's a very dangerous place to live because of the Taliban. 70% of the Pakistan troops were in Swat. Also, it's a difficult place to live because the Taliban were out to get Malala's father. In this video I see great amounts of courage that I admired. Swat is a constant battle and the war is never ending.

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  2. The review I have for this film would be a positive one. This video was one that I was really intrigued in, I usually never really am interested in videos we watch in class but I was very interested in this one.

    This video really inspires me, the way that Malala and her father never lost home. Also the way that Malala was worried about her books and always wanted to read. When Malala was living with her aunt she was saying how she got very bored because she didn't have any books to read, and the shows that learning is precious to her. "This hide and seek goes on all night." This quote really got to me, how this war they are having is really considered a game in this quote. I know that Malala and her family don't think that war is a game but that quote just struck me that way. I just love that how emotional Malala gets over not being able to attend school and just how upset she is. Most people now a days don't get upset about not being able to go to school, they actually want school to be canceled half the time. So this just shows how precious school is and how Malala and the other girls in her school take school very seriously and love it.

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  3. This video certainly gave off a positive vibe, but it also was very passionate and hopeful. Malala's story of how her father fights for his hometown and inspires Malala to become a politician and a proud, educated women, is a tragic yet beautiful story. And that is why it deserves a positive review.

    Malala Yousafzai and her family live in a once bustling city, Swat City, located in the north west region of Pakistan. In 2007 Swat Valley was taken over by Taliban forces and one of the Taliban's missions was to completely eliminate girls education. The Taliban has destroyed 200 plus girls schools forcing around 50,000 girls to loose their education. Malala father, Ziauddin who has ran a school for 14 years is worried that his hard work will soon be terminated. The Taliban soon create more of a threat and soon the citizens of Swat Valley are force to flee. There was, and is so much destruction and pain. But Ziauddin refuses to sit back and wait. He decides to go off to the Capital and fight for Swat, but this sets him and his family six hours apart. It was just so eye opening to see how some families live in fear and are unable to see each other because their rights are in danger. We take things for such granted in American sometimes, Malala is heartbroken because she was unable to see her father for three months and had to abandon her school books in Swat. Once the family is reunited and returns to Swat, once the Taliban calm down, things just are not the same. Their city is vacant, and they sit on the roof of the run down school building Ziauddin owns and watches a war. But it's beautiful because the family returns and fights for their rights and love education too much to stand down. It's a dose of needed reality for people like us who are handed education without fear.


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  4. My review of this this film was very positive. I thought this video really made you understand and have perspective on what Malala and her family went though. It showed the violence and fear in Swat and want the people actually saw and had to deal with.

    I thought this movie was positive because Malala and her father wanted to fight for “their Swat” and kept teaching school even though everyone was scared and they were the only school left. They felt like they were in a “war zone” and felt “trapped on all sides” but they still tried to act as if life was normal. They stayed their till the last possible second and had to leave. Even after they weren’t in Swat, Malala’s dad became all about trying to find a way to get Swat back from the Taliban soldiers and her and her dad went to a meeting with a US representative talking about what they needed. Malala talks as if she is an adult and it impressed me. After 3 months of being apart the family is reunited and heads back to Swat and describes it as a “ghost town”. They find that Pakistan troops stayed at their school but nothing was missing! Which surprised me since a lot of the other buildings looked destroyed. Malala was most happy that all her school stuff was safe because that was most important to her. Even though they knew that the Taliban was still in Swat countryside they still stayed in Swat. Malala and her school friends love school and find it to be the most important thing to them. Her courage and strength and maturity really got me and made me more interested in the whole story because she acted like a grown woman and knew what she wanted to do with her life.

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  5. If I were to write a review of the documentary, I would be mixed in the review. If the point of the video was to give the first person account of Malala, then I would say they did not accomplish that goal. If the point was to give information about the situation in Pakistan and use Malala’s family as an example of people afflicted by the tragedy, then the documentary did its job well.
    The documentary did not tell the story of the little girl, Malala. The story did involve the girl and her family, but all I learned about her was that she loved studying, and she wanted to be a doctor. The rest was all about her family and the situation in Pakistan. It felt like her family was used more as an example of the effects of the violence. The documentary even uses lines like: “Citizens like Zahudeen, who are desperate to return home, cling to the good news.” Lines like this show the family as an example of those effected rather than the main focus. The documentary followed her father around in his relocation and gave all the background information about what was happening around them. If anything it might be a story about her father and their family throughout the crisis, but not just about her. I did not learn much about her other than her strong headed nature and her desire to learn, but other than that I did not feel like I got to know her. If the name of this documentary was something like “Pakistan: a War on Education” or “The Swat Valley Crisis,” I would have felt like the name fit the film that followed, but since it claimed to be a profile of a young girl Malala I feel it did not accomplish its purpose.

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  6. I think the threat that the world faces is greater than we know. The sheer brutality of the Taliban, Jihad, Al Quida and now ISIS is incomphrehendable. I love this documentary because it is bold. People are fighting for what they believe in regardless of the consequences. They have accepted death as a fate that everyone has to encounter so they do not fear it. As Malala's father Ziaudin, one of the sole remaining activists said, "Death has a certain time and when it comes it comes". Knowledge is power, by limiting girl's schools, the Brotherhood is able to limit power. Someone has to stick up for what is right and Malala, who once wanted to be a doctor, realizes that. Her new dream is to be a politician and save her country so that school is no longer a "place of fear and violence" but instead a place of learing once again.

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  7. My review is positive because Malala's story is very captivating with how she had to leave her home due to outside forces coming in to Swat and that she wants to have an education even when education for girls is not going to happen. I liked how at first she wanted to be a doctor and not a politician, but then after having to spend months in exile she decides that it would be best if she did become a politician so that she can save her country. A quote that got to me was when she said, "Schools are not places of learning, but of fear and violence." This quote describes what it is like now in school because some schools for girls are under assault. Another quote that I liked was when her father said, "In a third world country like ours you have to scream for everything." I would most definitely recommend that people should watch this documentary because there seems to be a lot of talk about having freedom from girl who is very young.

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  8. My review for Class Dismissed: Malala's Story is positive however I believe that they do not tell Malala's full story like intended in the title of the video.

    Prior to watching this documentary I knew a little bit about Malala Yousafzai, whether it was her getting shot by Taliban or her recently winning the Nobel Piece Prize. However I never took the time to dig in and learn more about her life and her activism. This documentary gives the audience insight on the city of Swat and the issues its residents are facing. The story mainly focuses around Malala and her father Ziauddin. Ziauddin runs an all girls school that Malala attends. However the Taliban have issued threats to the schools banning girls from going to school. It was said that "50,000 school girls will lose their education." I think that this documentary helps shed light on what is happening in Pakistan and how girls are not getting educational opportunities like boys are as well as the war against the Taliban. The negative points of the documentary that I have found are that the video seems to focus more about Ziauddin as opposed to Malala, like what title says. Many of the interviews seemed to focus on Ziauddin, his school, his time during exile, and returning home. After watching the video I was left still questioning about who Malala really is, what her life was like growing up, why she is so passionate about her education, and more about what her goals are for the future. However I did enjoy the documentary and learned a lot of new information. It left me wanting to go out and do some more research on her.

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  9. I would definitely give this documentary a positive review; because it shows the tragedy that is taking place in Swat Valley. The fact that girls aren't allowed to go to school is awful. There's no reason why girls shouldn't be allowed to go to school, like Malala said "Why our future is targeted?", this is destroying the girls futures. Malala wanted to be a doctor, but is denied her opportunity to get an education by the Taliban. Not only this, but teaching is the way some people make their living, like Malala's father, he taught at all girls school, and supported his family off of this. With the Taliban shutting down his school, he has no income to support his family.

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  10. My review of the story is a positive one. Many people here in america may not know what was and is going on with the Taliban and other extremest Islamic groups similar to them are doing not only to us with there attacks but to the people in those areas where they have overtaken the government. It gives a very powerful and good perspective by using the malala's point of view and the footage from swat valley where the standoffs took place and caused devastation. The thing that I cant believe or understand is why they would not want to educate or allow for the education of the girls. It is truly sad that this happens and we really do take for granted here the education system we have here in america.

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  11. After watching this documentary, I would definitely give it a positive review. Although the film covered very negative material, I do think it was necessary to show the tragedies and brutality caused by the Taliban to get the entire point across to the viewer.

    I have previously heard about Malala Yousafzai but I knew little about her before watching this documentary. After watching the film I feel that I have a much better understanding of Malala and the situation in Pakistan, especially Swat Valley. Swat is inhabited by the Taliban which target schools for girls. More that 200 schools for girls have been destroyed by the Taliban and the numbers continue to grow. Malala's father, Ziauddin states that "Schools are not places of learning but places of fear and violence." When Malala's family was forced to leave Swat for three months due to Taliban threats, the viewer watched as Malala suffered without any books or school work. It was during this scene that I realized how important Malala's education was to her. I think this scene was also the turning point where Malala decided that she wanted to be a politician instead of a doctor. Returning home to Swat she saw dead bodies rotting in the streets and the remains of buildings destroyed by the Taliban. Malala knew her country was in trouble and she felt that it was up to her to make a difference. I admire her for taking such a dangerous position at a young age and standing up for her rights to education. I really enjoyed this documentary and I plan on purchasing Malala's book to learn even more about her.

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  12. If I were to give a review of I am Malala I would give it a positive view. This documentary showed a little bit about her life and how she lives but also a little bit about Pakistan and how she is helping to change the problems that are there. They do a good job of balancing the two so you can almost think of it as one. This is a very informational piece. I for one did not know truly how bad it was in Pakistan until they showed me this documentary. A quote I really felt was powerful in this documentary was when Malala said "They can not stop me, I will get my education" I think this shows the audience how dedicated she really is. Overall I found this to be a very good documentary and I would suggest that everyone should take the time to watch it.

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  13. In watching this film, I would give it a positive review for covering the main points to inform the viewer about the generality of Malala's story. Although the main points in this film were extremely negative and dealt with a lot of brutality and violence towards people in general, I think that that's what makes us feel so much sympathy towards those people, and makes us want to do something about it.

    The quote that most stood out to me was the very first quote that Malala said at the very beginning of the film, "In the area where I live, there are some people who want to stop educating girls through guns." This quote stood out to me more than the rest because not only was it the very first sentence in the film, but also, it makes me, as a woman, reflect on the struggles women have had in the past just to have a basic right such as education. As Americans, we have basically been handed education since we were younger, from our parents letting us watch educational programs on TV, to sending us to day care and pre-k. The fact that that isn't allowed or encouraged in other countries really is mind-bottling to me, and it's made me appreciate the things that I have. I think this film really opened my eyes, and made me a lot more thankful for the things that I have.

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  14. After watching the video, I would give it a very positive review. Even though the Taliban was trying to eradicate women's education, it was very inspirational to watch such a young girl fight so hard for women's rights. I also thought that it was very sad to see how the people of Swat viewed their land as paradise lost. Even though they viewed it like this, they still continued to come back and try to bring back their home region.

    The quote that stood out the most to me was when the little girls were saying,"God willing we will meet again." as they were leaving school. This quote shows how dangerous the girls' situations are as they lived in Swat. The quote clearly shows the fear of the girls for their lives.

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  15. If I had to write a review for this documentary, I would give it a more positive rating. This documentary helps bring awareness to the struggles of third world nations around the world. It does it's to educate people on the kinds of problems people have to deal with, more specifically with terrorism.

    The documentary talks about how life is for a family that live in an area with strong Taliban influence. It's not scared to show any of the violence that's going on and it goes into detail about how life is like with violence like that happening almost all the time. Things like going to school became very dangerous because of the strong Taliban influence. Girls trying to go to school are hurt the most from this. The documentary says that the Taliban don't want the girls to go to get an education and thy're trying to prevent it with violence, "In the area where I live, there are some people who want to stop educating girls through guns". This quote shows that the girls trying to go to school are literally risking their lives. The town that they live in even eventually becomes a war zone and everyone was forced to temporarily move out. Taliban influence has made it an extreme struggle to live for the people that live in Swat.

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  16. I would also give this documentary a positive review. I think that the video really lets us Americans see the day to day struggles that some countries and their inhabitants must endure. I think that Malala's passion for education is beautiful. She is a good example of someone who has found something they truly love, enough to almost die for it.

    Student's in America are for the most part unambitious towards going to school everyday. Their think of it as almost a chore which their must fulfill before they can go have fun with their friends, go home and play video games, or whatever people these days fancy. Malala is terrified for her and her families' lives every day and still make the journey to school eager to learn.

    One quote from the documentary that Malala said I really liked, it was " They cannot stop me, I will get my education at school, home , or any place."

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  17. If i had to recommend this to somebody, i would give it a very positive review. This was truly eye opening and jaw dropping. I know that other countries don't get as good of an education as we do but i did not realize this it was this bad.

    From what i see in America (including myself sometimes) most students do not put forth that much effort toward their education. They don't want to "waste" their time in school when they could instead sleep or party or do whatever else. This is really sad that we have become like this as a nation. We take all of this for granted because of the country we live in. Malala had such a strong passion for her education and i really admire that. When her country was getting shot up and she was forced to move out "all Malala cared about was if her books were okay". She didn't care if her own life was in danger she just wanted to better herself and get an education.

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  18. If I where to write a review for this documentary I would write a negative review for this documentary simple because it was not very informative and it didn't focus on Malala at all.

    The reason I feel this way is that the only real information they gave on this situation was in the first five minutes or so of the film and then the rest of the documentary was more of an interview with her father then focused on her. even when they where interviewing Malala they where always focused on her father and what he was doing. all of the information about her i learned was from our discussion after the film. the only benefit I found to this film was that they talked a little about the conflict in swat.

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  19. If I were reviewing this documentary for someone else, I would definitely give it a positive review. I would give this documentary a positive review because it is a very inspiring story that lets you in on the secrets and hardships of Malala, her family, and the people of Swat Valley, Pakistan, as a whole.

    This is very helpful because most Americans and even other countries citizens have no idea what these people go through every day in dealing with the Taliban killing and hurting innocent people. An example of how Malala described the Taliban's actions was by saying "Our dreams are shattered, and we are destroyed". This quote really means a lot because in America people go through hardships and struggles, but most of us are not constantly in fear for our lives because of another group of people who want to kill us and take away all of our rights. But on the other hand, it is kind of an everyday thing for the people of Swat based on this next quote. Malala is quoted saying "At night we here a big blast while we lay in our beds, but then we just go back to sleep". I think that eventually they just become accustomed to violence and murder since it is in there everyday lives. This documentary is very helpful in allowing us to understand a little more about the lives of people in the middle east that live in fear of the Taliban.

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  20. If i had to review this documentary i would give it a positive review. In the aspects that the documentary was covering there's no doubt as to the absolute coverage that was mentioned and shown.

    This was very helpful because americans never really see a brutal Taliban terrorizing a town and making death threats over the radio. The only Taliban most americans know is the ones mentioned in some attacks by the media. Malala described the actions as so intense that she "Often doesn't sleep due to fear for herself but mostly for her father." This documentary has opened my eyes as an american and seeing this violence occur through a little girl's eyes as well as her Father's. It is also truly inspiring to see a little girl that is overcoming so much in her life. I knew very little about this little girl and now i see so much of her life and I'm really interested and seeing more of her through her book and other documentaries. Her quote of how little she sleeps is a piece of honesty and is something any human can relate to in thought. This documentary has opened an americans eyes and is a good source as to Malala and her story, a girl in the middle east who wants to learn, and fix the troubles her city as well as her country faces.

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  21. To review this documentary I would give it a positive review. overall it was very touching and generated a lot of sympathy by showing scenes in Pakistan that you do not normally get to see on daily television.

    There is a lot of violence that goes on every day in Pakistan that makes the lives of innocent people trying to mind their own business very hard. Many of these violent acts are not usually seen by the public in the west due to censorship and trying to not display such gory acts to youth. The scene in the documentary that featured a public execution and other public punishment acts are unnerving and it is especially sad to see the public gather around as if it becomes apart of nature. I like that this documentary shows the non-violent victims side of the conflicts in the middle east.

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  22. I would give this movie a very positive review because this film shows the struggles of third world countries and the problems that they are faced with. Such as fighting for the basic right of education.

    This film had many inspiring quotes that show the passion of ones country and their willingness to fight for their rights. One quote that really stuck me was when Ziaduan Malala's father said " I must bring my people out of their quagmire, it is my duty." This quote shows the passion that he has for his country and that he feels he must " help his friend as she is in need." These quotes show the passion of the people and how they are willing to fight for what they want.

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  23. I thought Malala's story was very emotional. It was so sad to see what her family had to go through. I thought that she was so mature for her age and really passionate about what she believed in. When she started crying when she talked about wanting to become a doctor but she thought it was going to be impossible, it showed just how lucky we as student in the United States are. We are able to pursue out passions through school and we don't have terrorists trying to prevent is from going to school. One thing that really stood out to me was when Malala said "we are innocent, what is our sin?" It was awful to see that she thought her people were being punished for something. When she decided that, instead of being a doctor, she wanted to be a politician, it really showed her committment to fight for what she believed in. She gave up her dreams in hope of saving her country. A second quote that struck me was when Zuiadin said "death cannot be a hindrance in my struggle." These people were literally willing to die for what that believed in. The fact that the thing they believed in was education makes their story even more amazing.

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