Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is a strong advocate of education especially for women. She was born in Mingora, Pakistan specifically in the Swat Valley which was gradually falling under the authority of the Taliban. The Taliban was intervening in educational rights as the group strived to hinder girls from receiving their education. Malala came from a family that viewed education with significance specifically since her father was the founder of the school she attended. At a young age, Malala was passionate about gaining an education and firmly believed that receiving an education was her right regardless of gender. When the Taliban was trying to enforce their principles in the Swat Valley, Malala did not remain silent. On the other hand, she started voicing her opinion anonymously through BBC blogs using the name Gul Makai to secure her identity. However, her identity was eventually revealed to the public. Although Malala was exposing herself as a target of the Taliban group, she was determined to continue expressing her viewpoints. Due to her unceasing activism which stemmed from her father’s support, Malala was nominated for various accolades including the International Children’s Peace Prize in 2011 and later awarded Pakistan’s National Youth Peace Prize during the same year (“Profile: Malala Yousafzai”). Meanwhile, the Taliban was planning ways to oppose Malala and even threatened to kill her at the age of 14. Despite such terrifying intimidation, Malala was unwavering which eventually led to the catastrophic event on October 9, 2012. When she was returning from school on the bus, the Taliban attacked Malala by shooting her in the left portion of her head and injured other students during the process. Due to her severe condition, she was rushed to a hospital in Peshawar. Various surgeries and operations were conducted to elicit Malala’s recovery in Peshawar, but she was eventually transferred to Birmingham, England to receive more effective care. After undergoing numerous procedures, Malah was able to recuperate and begin her new life in Birmingham, England as she started attending school in March of 2013. As Malala’s story became widespread, she earned the genuine support of people all over the globe who admired her unusual courage and perseverance. Moreover, she received the prestigious opportunity to give a speech at the United Nations during her sixteenth birthday (“Malala Yousafzai”). Even after the attack, Malala was not hesitant in supporting educational rights for women as she published her autobiography which was titled as I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban.
Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most famous artists in the world who has left an unforgettable legacy in regards to art. First of all, Van Gogh was born in Holland, Netherlands in 1853 to a spiritually devout family especially since his father was a minister. Due to financial instability, he had to leave school at 15 to become an art dealer along with his uncle. Upon a love failure with his landlady’s daughter, Van Gogh made the firm decision to commit his life to God by following his father’s footsteps eventually studying theology. However, his plans to become a religious leader ended in failure as he refused to take his exams in Latin since he viewed the language unfit for preaching to the destitute. After this incident, Van Gogh began to work as a missionary in a poverty ridden coal factory located in Belgium. During his stay, he would often draw pictures of the factory workers. Since his dreams of becoming a clergy member began to seem unattainable, Van Gogh decided to move to Brussels attending the Academie Royale des Beaux-Arts in 1880 in order to spend the rest of his life as an artist (“Vincent van Gogh: Overview”). For the most part, he taught himself by studying various books and copying printed images found in published materials. As an aspiring artist, he thought it was essential that he started off using black and white before incorporating other colors into his art. During his first few years, Van Gogh was having little success in the art industry and was caught up in a love obstacle course. Inspired by Barbizon artists including Jean-Francois Millet, Van Gogh was interested in making rural life the subject of his works. In 1885, he created The Potato Eaters which was his first major work of art largely based on the use of dark hues. As an art dealer, his brother Theo recommended that Van Gogh incorporate more color into his paintings since impressionism, the idea of using bright colors, was gaining popularity. In search of inspiration and an improved understanding of impressionism, he moved to Paris and observed the works of widely known artists such as Bernard and Gauglin. Soon, Van Gogh took on a transformed art style which ultimately culminated in the zenith of his artistic career. In fact, he began using lively colors and bold brush strokes which was especially evident in his Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (“Vincent van Gogh 1853-1890”). Despite artistic success, Van Gogh was experiencing mental decline due to depression and feelings of solitude. He began to spend most of his time in hospitals, but Van Gogh continued to seek joy and hope in art. At this point, he voluntarily moved into an asylum where he produced some of his masterpieces including Starry Night. After spending a significant portion of his life creating approximately 900 paintings and more than 1,100 works on paper, Van Gogh committed suicide in 1890 (“Vincent van Gogh”). Although he didn't receive proper recognition for his masterpieces during his life, Van Gogh’s art certainly became admired and influential after his death.
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes was a notable African American writer who expressed black life in America during the Harlem Renaissance through writing. To begin with, Hughes was born on February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri. Since his parents had divorced early in his life, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother. After turning thirteen, Hughes moved to live with his mom and finally settled in Cleveland,Ohio where he started his career as a poet. In school, learning about influential poets including Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman moved Hughes to start writing poems (“James Langston Hughes”). In fact, he would often publish his poems, plays, and short stories in the high school magazine. After high school, he went to visit his father in Mexico where he developed one of his first widely accepted poems, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers.” Upon returning to America, Hughes attended Columbia University until 1922 when we dropped out to be part of the Harlem Renaissance, an African American cultural movement marked by involvement in the arts. Although Hughes continued to write poems, he had various jobs as busboy, launderer, assistant cook. While he was working as a busboy for Wardman Park Hotel, he had to opportunity to speak with poet Vachel Lindsay who was fascinated by Hughes's poetic style and opened up new doors for publishing his work. This encounter ultimately led to the publication of his poem, “The Weary Blues”, for which he received accolades by Opportunity magazine. Furthermore, he was able to publish his first book of poetry, The Weary Blues, after working in conjunction with critic, Carl Van Vechten. His works which included poems, plays, novels, and short stories predominantly explored the black heritage and culture. His distinctive writing was also heavily influenced by the musical style of jazz which is especially evident in his poetry book, Montage of a Dream Deferred. After the successful publication of his first novel, Not Without Laughter, he decided to carry out a profession solely focused on writing. Hughes spent the rest of his life producing works that were based on his people’s experiences in American society as he depicted their struggles in overcoming racial barriers. After dedicating his life to writing, Hughes passed away on May 22, 1967 due to prostate cancer (“Langston Hughes”). All in all, Langston Hughes significantly contributed to literature despite his limitations as an African American in an America society based on social inequality.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in Hartford, Connecticut on July 3, 1860 as the youngest child and girl in the family. After her father’s abandonment of the family, the rest of the family lived in poverty and Gilman was encouraged lead an autonomous life by her mother. Although she was unable to receive substantial formal education, Gilman would often spend time in the library reading various literary works and engaging in independent study predominantly about history and philosophy. In order to be self reliant, she took on a job as a tutor early in her life and later became a commercial artist at the Rhode Island School of Design in 1878. Meanwhile, she was starting her literary profession as she started publishing articles and poems with various periodicals including “Woman’s Journal.” Eventually, she fell in love with a with an artist named Charles Walter Stetson. During the early phase of her marriage, Gilman was already pregnant and started to become depressed. Even after giving birth to her daughter, she continued to display signs of depression. Her doctor recommended that rest would alleviate the depression, but it just made things worse. Gilman’s condition could be compared to that of the woman in her short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” which was published in 1888 (“Biography of Charlotte Perkins Gilman”). Stenson and Gilman opted for divorce after they could no longer continue the marital relationship. With the end of marriage, Gilman moved to California and stepped up as a feminist due to her involvement in the suffragist movement. In fact, she even started the Women’s Peace Party. During the same time, she entered the zenith of her writing career as she began to incorporate her feminist beliefs into various literary works especially Women and Economics. Gilman was diagnosed with untreatable breast cancer in 1932 which eventually led her to commit suicide in 1935. After her death, many of her works gained momentum including “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Herland” (Caldwell). Without any doubt, Gilman is recognized as a significant contributor to the literary world through her brilliant masterpieces which were largely based on the inequality of women in the typical 19th century society.