In Malala’s life story, there are bullies referred to as the Taliban. Unlike school bullies that like stuffing kids in lockers and stealing their lunch money, the Taliban are way more serious. They will kill or beat people if they didn’t follow the rules, but what makes a bully rise to power? Something that allows a bully to rise to power in any aspect is how they can persuade people using threats, weaknesses or even blackmail.

Weaknesses are commonly pursued because they are used for power. The weaknesses can be used to blackmail any person into any action, letting the bully rise to power.

The Taliban used the earthquake that shook Mingora to control the civilians because they convinced them that Allah wasn’t pleased with their actions. They would, of course, believe them since the majority didn’t receive any education. Since the people didn’t want another devastating disaster to happen, they allowed themselves to be ruled by the Taliban in hopes that Allah would forgive them.

Threats are another way bullies gain power. It’s a way of putting fear into people’s minds.

It’s easy to let any sort of bully rise to power with the sensation of fear in someone’s head, especially if their life is on the line. “Malala Yousafzai, the Taliban said, should be killed.”

Bullies may easily rise to power by convincing people using their threats and weaknesses. Bullies are always unpleasant even if some are more serious than others. Standing up for yourselves will give a fighting chance of stopping those bullies.