PROSE

Chapter 2- NELSON MANDELA LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

TITLE

The title, Long Walk to Freedom is appropriate for the extract as it traces the long and difficult
journey of the South African leader. Nelson Mandela, from the dark shadow of racism to the
liberation of the dark-skinned people. Mandela recounts not only his own struggle and that of his
comrades to carve out a life of dignity for themselves but also his rich learnings from his
experiences. It is these experiences and the learnings from them that make for the 'walk' to the
freedom of his country and the establishment of democracy in South Africa. The title hints at the
efforts and aspects of the highly motivating account that the extract depicts.

THEMES

●​ Standing up for one's rights

●​ Acting against racism
●​ Importance of courage, patience and persistence
●​ Being conscious of one's duty towards family and country

MAIN CHARACTER

Nelson Mandela

courageous, patient, perseverant,

meticulous, philanthropic, selfless

(NCERT PAGE 18)

Q1 Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are
made of sandstone?
Ans. The ceremonies took place in the sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings
in Pretoria. Some public buildings in India made of sandstone are the Rashtrapati Bhawan and
the Red Fort in Delhi.

Q2 Can you say how 10th May is an 'autumn day' in South Africa? We
Ans. Since South Africa is in the Southern hemisphere, the month of May has the autumn
season. Thus, literally, 10th May was an autumn day. Metaphorically, autumn indicates a rebirth.
In the context of the Democratic Government of South Africa, the day indicates a rebirth of a
just, peaceful and dignified society.

Q3 At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions "an extraordinary human disaster." What
does he mean by this? What is the "glorious... human achievement" he speaks of at the end?
Ans. By mentioning 'an extraordinary human disaster', Mandela is referring to the practice of
apartheid followed in South Africa. This meant that there was racial segregation based on
colour, due to which the blacks suffered a lot. They were not allowed to demand freedom and
did not have any basic human right.
The 'glorious…….. human achievement' that Mandela referred to in the end was that as South
Africa had gained its freedom, a black person had become its President.
It was an achievement for the nation as earlier racial discrimination, oppression and torture was
the basis of the nation. Now with the first non-racial democracy, each and every human was
entitled to certain rights, freedoms and equality which were earlier denied.

Q4 What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?

Ans. Mandela thanked the international leaders for their presence in the inaugural ceremony.
Due to their presence, the event could be considered as a remarkable victory of the South
African people for justice, peace and human dignity.

Q.5 What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
Ans. Mandela set out certain ideals for the future of South Africa. He stated that all people
would be free from poverty, deprivation, suffering and discrimination of all kinds. They would
never be made slaves again. All of them would enjoy equal rights and privileges.

(NCERT PAGE 21)

Q.1 What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed and why?
Ans. The military generals saluted Mandela to express their loyalty to democracy.
Their attitude has changed from what it used to be before the ceremony. Earlier, these generals
had treated Mandela as a criminal and had arrested him.
This attitude is changed due to the fact that Mandela was now the elected President of their
country.

Q.2 Why were two National anthems sung?

Ans. Two National anthems, one of the blacks and the other of the whites, were sung to end
racial prejudice. It was done to signify equality of both the races.

Q.3 How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country (i) in the first decade
and
(ii) in the final decade, of the twentieth century?

Ans. Mandela describes the systems of government in his country as follows—-

(i) In the first decade of the twentieth century, the white-skinned people of South Africa ended
their own differences. They started a system of racial domination against the dark-skinned
people of South Africa. The system they created formed the basis of one of the harshest and
most inhumane societies the world had ever known.
(ii) In the final decade of the twentieth century, the previous system had been removed forever.
It had been replaced by one that recognised the rights and freedoms of all people, regardless of
the colour of their skin.

Q.4 What does courage mean to Mandela?

Ans. For Mandela, courage did not mean the absence of fear, but the victory over it. According
to him, brave men did not need to be fearless but they should be able to conquer fear. He
recounted instances of all those brave men who have stood up to attacks and torture , steadfast
and resilient and have shown the world their courage in doing so. These are the truly
courageous human beings.
Q.5 What does he think is natural, to love or to hate?
Ans. He thinks love is natural, whereas hate is not natural.
The feeling of love comes to our heart spontaneously. In contrast, we have to learn how to hate,
as this feeling does not develop by itself.

(NCERT PAGE 24)

Q.1 Which 'twin obligations' does Mandela mention?

Or
What, according to Nelson Mandela, are a man's twin obligations?
Ans. According to Nelson Mandela, every man has twin obligations. The first obligation is to look
after his family, parents, wife and children. The second obligation is to serve his people, his
community and his country.

Q.2 What did being free mean to Mandela as a boy and as a student? How does he contrast
these 'transitory freedoms' with 'the basic and honourable freedoms'?

Ans. As a boy, for Mandela 'being free' did not have much meaning as he thought he was born
free. He was free to do what he liked. He believed that as long as he obeyed his father and the
rules of his tribe, he was free in every way.

As a student, Mandela realised that the freedoms that he enjoyed as a child were an illusion and
he was actually not free. Then, he wanted the temporary freedom that existed only for his own
self.

He wanted freedom to stay out at night, read what he pleased and go wherever he wanted.

Then, as a young man, Mandela wanted basic and honourable freedom of achieving his
potential, of earning money, of marrying and having a family.

However, very soon, he realised that these are 'transitory freedoms' and not true freedom.
True freedom for Mandela, was the freedom of his community to live life with dignity and
self-respect.

Q3 Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/Why not?

Ans. Mandela does not think that the oppressor is free.
He thinks that the oppressor is a prisoner of hatred. He is locked behind the bars of prejudice
and narrow-mindedness.

(NCERT PAGE 24)

Q.1 Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it
signify the triumph of?

Ans. A large number of international leaders attended the inauguration to pay their respects to
the freedom of South [Link] signified the triumph of the people over discrimination and
oppression. It also signified the recognition of human equality.

Q.2 What does Mandela mean when he says he is "simply the sum of all those African patriots"
who had gone before him?

Ans. When Mandela says he is 'simply the sum of all those African patriots', he means that he
represents the ideals and the dreams for which the African patriots sacrified their lives. These
patriots created a path of unity and cooperation which supported him in his journey to make
South Africa free. In other words, as the new President of the nation, he represented the vision
of all African freedom fighters.

Q.3 Would you agree that the 'depths of oppression' create 'heights of character'? How does
Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own examples to this argument?

Ans. Yes, I agree that the 'depths of oppression' create 'heights of character'. To illustrate this,
Mandela gives the example of many patriots like Oliver Tambo, the Walter Sisulu, the Chief
Luthuli, the Yusuf Dadoo, etc.

These freedom fighters emerged due to the extreme oppression faced by the blacks. They had
extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity.

We can also add our own examples to illustrate this. In our freedom struggle, the oppression of
the Britishers produced courageous patriots such as Bhagat Singh, Lala Lajpat Rai and
Mahatma Gandhi, besides many others.

Q.4 How did Mandela's understanding of freedom change with age and experience?

Ans. Mandela's understanding of freedom changed a lot with age and experience. As a child,
freedom for him meant doing things that he wanted to do because he was born free. For him, as
long as he obeyed his father and followed the rules of his tribe, he was free in every way. As he
grew up, he realised that freedom that he enjoyed as a young boy was just an illusion. Infact, he
did not have any freedom. Now he developed a desire to gain freedom. When he was a student,
the freedom was just for himself but soon he wanted freedom for his community.

Mandela slowly realised that not only his but the freedom of all blacks was also curtailed. With
this understanding, he developed a hunger for the freedom of his people and started working for
it.

Q.5 How did Mandela's 'hunger for freedom' change his life?
Ans. When Mandela realised that the entire Black community lacked freedom, his life changed.
A 'hunger for freedom of his people to live a life of respect and dignity transformed him.
Because of this hunger, the frightened young man transformed into a bold man. He built his
entire life around fighting for the basic fundamental rights for his community. He was more
selfless and virtuous ever.