Approach of the Study

Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, “Today Swat is Part of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or KPK as many Pakistanis call it” Yousafzai, 2013: 7. Based on geographical condition, Swat valley is located in the territory of Hindu Kush Mountain. It is a mountain that stretches along the Afghan-Pakistan border, central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. By seeing the geographical condition, Afghanistan and Pakistan are neighboring country. Therefore, when there is a problem between them, they often help each other. For example, thousand men from Pakistan go to Afghanistan in order to help Afghanistan in fighting against NATO. The governor of our province issued a statement that anyone who wanted to fight in Afghanistan against NATO forces was free to do se. Some 12,000 young men from Swat went to help the Taliban. Many never came back Yousafza, 2013: 40. Because Swat is in the territory of Hindu Kush Mountain, the scenery is very beautiful even it used to be well-known as Uddyana or garden for people who lived in it. There were fields of beautiful flowers, delicious fruits, and river. Besides, there were many beautiful places to visit, like waterfalls, lakes, ski resort, the wali’s palace, and the Buddha statues. Therefore, many people came on holiday in Swat valley to enjoy the clean air and scenery. We lived in the most beautiful place in all the world. My valley, the Swat Valley, is a heavenly kingdom of mountains, gushing waterfalls and crystal-clear lakes. WELCOME TO PARADISE, it says on a sign as you enter the valley. In olden times Swat was called Uddayana, which means „garden’. We have fields of wild flowers, orchards of delicious fruit, emerald mines and rivers full of trout Yousafzai, 2013: 7. The beauty of Swat not only attracts the visitors but also people surrounding it to move and live in it, especially in Mingora. Mingora is the biggest town in Swat. In fact, there are 175,000 people who live there Yousafzai, 2013: 39. Because many people live there, Mingora is not as fresh as before. The fresh air is polluted by vehicles and rubbish. Then beautiful trees on the hills and mountains are being chopped down for timber. We lived in Mingora, the biggest town in the valley, in fact the only city. It used to be small but many people had moved in from surrounding villages, making it dirty and crowded. It has hotels, colleges, a golf course and a famous bazaar for buying traditional embroidery, gemstones and anything you can think of. The Marghazar stream loops through it, milky brown from the plastic bags and rubbish thrown into it Yousafzai, 2013: 7.

2. Setting of Time

According to Hugh Holman and William Harmon, setting of time is the time or period in which the action takes place Holman and Harmon, 1986: 468. The setting of time in I Am Malala is around 20 th and 21 st centuries when Taliban officially establish their group in Swat. This establishment creates severe condition in Swat because Taliban destroy everything that they think haram or forbidden. For example, in the beginning of Taliban’s regime, around 2007, Taliban raid houses that they claim are being used as massage centre. They close down DVD’s shops and make bonfires of CDs and DVDs. On July, 2007, Swat becomes a bloody district because Taliban use their power to kill the innocent people. By nightfall on 10 July, when the siege was finally over, around a hundred people had been killed including several soldiers and a number of children. The news showed shocking pictures of the wreckage, everywhere blood and broken glass, and dead bodies. We all watched in horror Yousafzai, 2013: 60. On October 8, 2007, Taliban destroy Buddhist statues because they believe that the statues and painting are perceived as haram and sinful.