CHAPTER-2
NELSON MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
NELSON ROLIHLAHLA MANDELA✍
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| NELSON MANDELA |
NELSON MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM SUMMARY
1.
Occasion of the Speech
👉 The story is based on Nelson Mandela's speech on 10th
May 1994, the day South Africa got its first democratic government.
👉 It was a historic day when Nelson Mandela became the
first Black President of South Africa.
👉 Leaders from all over the world came to attend the
inauguration ceremony.
2.
The Inauguration Day
👉 The ceremony took place in the Union Buildings in
Pretoria.
👉 The event was attended by many international
dignitaries.
👉 Nelson Mandela thanked all those who helped in
bringing freedom and democracy to the country.
👉 Two national anthems were sung – one for the white
people and one for the black people – showing equality and unity.
3.
What Mandela Felt on That Day
👉 Mandela felt overwhelmed and proud.
👉 He said it was not just the victory of a political
party, but of justice, peace, and equality.
👉 He remembered the freedom fighters who sacrificed
their lives for the country's independence.
👉 He also regretted that many of them could not live to
see this day.
4.
Meaning of Courage (as per Mandela)
👉 Mandela explained that bravery is not the absence of
fear, but the ability to overcome fear.
👉 He admitted he was scared earlier, but he conquered
his fear for the greater cause of freedom.
5.
Two Responsibilities of a Person
👉 Mandela believed that every human being has two
responsibilities:
1. Towards family and home
2. Towards the community and country
👉 Under apartheid, it was impossible for black people to
fulfill both responsibilities freely.
6.
Oppression Hurts Both
👉 Mandela said that oppressors are as much a prisoner of
hatred as the oppressed are.
👉 He believed that no one is born hating others because
of color or background – it is taught by society.
7. Freedom Has a Deep Meaning
👉 For Mandela, freedom was not just about not being in
prison.
👉 True freedom meant:
o
Living with
dignity
o
Having equal
rights
o
Not being
afraid
👉 As a child, he thought he was free until he realized
that his rights were limited due to his skin color.
8.
Tribute to Freedom Fighters
👉 Mandela gave credit to thousands of unknown heroes who
gave their lives in the fight for justice.
👉 He said their suffering and sacrifice built the
foundation of the new nation.
9.
Mandela’s Dream
👉 He dreamt of a country where:
o
People of all
colors lived together in peace.
o
There was no
discrimination.
o
Everyone had
equal rights and opportunities.
Moral/Message
of the Chapter
👉 The chapter teaches us about:
o
Courage,
sacrifice, and dedication
o
The importance of
freedom and equality
o
Unity in
diversity
o
The value of
human dignity and mutual respect
NELSON MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM SHORT
QUESTION
1.
Based on your reading of the lesson, what can you infer about
Mandela as a father and as a leader?
Answer: Nelson
Mandela was a loving father and a brave leader. Though he stayed away from his
family for the freedom struggle, he always cared for them. As a leader, he
united people and fought against injustice and apartheid. He was ready to
suffer for others and believed in peace, equality, and freedom for all.
2.
Mandela feels that courage is triumph over fear. How would you
define courage in this context?
Answer: According to
Mandela, courage means not the absence of fear but the strength to overcome it.
It is the power to face difficulties, danger, or injustice without giving up.
Real courage is when a person stands up for what is right, even when they are
scared or may have to suffer for it.
3.
If you were in Mandela’s position, would you have given preference
to your family or your country? Why?
Answer: If I were in Mandela’s position, I would
choose my country over my family, just like he did. It would be a painful
choice, but I would feel responsible for bringing freedom and justice to many
people. Sacrificing personal happiness for the greater good is true leadership
and shows deep love for the nation.
4.
Mandela says that his country’s greatest wealth is its people and
not the purest diamonds. Justify his statement.
Answer: Mandela believed that the true wealth of a
nation lies in its people, not in diamonds or gold. Natural resources can
finish one day, but people, with their talent, courage, and hard work, build a
strong nation. By valuing and supporting people, a country can grow, stay
united, and achieve true freedom and progress.
5.
Create a questionnaire of two most important questions that you
would have liked to ask Nelson Mandela during an interview. Give your reasons
for choosing those questions.
Answer:
1. What was the hardest decision you made during your fight for freedom, and
how did you deal with it?
Reason: This question would help us understand Mandela’s courage and how he
handled tough situations. It would also show how great leaders make sacrifices
for a bigger cause.
2. What is your hope for South Africa’s future, and what should the youth do
to protect freedom and peace?
Reason: I chose this question to know Mandela’s vision for the country and
learn what today’s generation can do to continue his dream of a united and
equal South Africa.
6.
Your teacher organised a mini-debate competition in class on the
topic:
Courage, Wisdom and Generosity are the ONLY attributes of a remarkable leader.
Write the debate script with two points to supplement your stand, either as a
proposition speaker or as an opposition one.
Answer: Good morning respected teachers and dear
friends.
I stand here in favour of the topic: Courage, Wisdom, and Generosity are the
only attributes of a remarkable leader.
A true leader like Nelson Mandela showed wisdom in guiding his people, courage
in facing injustice, and generosity in sacrificing personal comfort. These
three qualities help a leader serve others selflessly and inspire change. I
truly believe they define a great leader. Thank you.
7.
Struggles teach us many lessons. With reference to the times you
struggled with mastering a skill or learning a concept, write about the lessons
you learnt.
Answer: Being a
non-native English speaker, I struggled to speak fluent English. During the
lockdown, I used my time wisely to improve this skill. As I explored the
language deeply, I discovered its beauty. This journey taught me that hard
work, regular practice, patience, and staying focused are the keys to mastering
any skill. Struggles make us stronger and more confident.
8.
You recently read a blog by your teen friend, on ‘Freedom-My
Perception’. You feel that your perception of freedom has seen a transformation
after having read The Long walk to Freedom.
Complete the dialogue in 120 words, with your friend, explaining your new
understanding of freedom. You may begin like this:
Friend: I think the freedom to watch T.V. for extended hours or choose the kind
of programmes I’d like to view is important.
You: ………………………………………………………
Friend: Hmmm. I still feel that the restrictions are not required. I want my
freedom. I’m human too, am I not?
You: ………………………………….
Answer: Friend: I think
the freedom to watch T.V. for extended hours or choose the kind of programs I’d
like to view is important.
You: I used to think like that too. But after reading The Long Walk to Freedom,
I understand freedom in a deeper way now. Nelson Mandela showed that real
freedom is not just doing what we like. It’s about living with respect,
equality, and dignity.
Friend: What do you mean?
You: Mandela spent 27 years in jail so that people of all races could live
freely and equally. He taught that true freedom means caring about others, not
just ourselves.
Friend: Hmmm. I still feel that the restrictions are not required. I want my
freedom. I’m human too, am I not?
You: Yes, but real freedom comes with responsibility. We must use our freedom
wisely, so that it doesn’t hurt others or ourselves.
NELSON MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM LONG
QUESTION
1.
Freedom is inconsequential if it is behind bars of prejudice and
narrow mindedness. How would you explain this statement? Support your answer
with suitable examples from the real world.
Answer: The
statement means that freedom has no real value if it is limited by hatred,
prejudice, or narrow thinking. Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison
fighting against apartheid in South Africa, believed that both the oppressor
and the oppressed are not truly free. An oppressor who denies others their
rights is a prisoner of his own narrow mind. True freedom comes with respect,
equality, and open thinking.
Example 1: The death of George Floyd in the U.S. showed that racial prejudice
still exists. His death led to massive protests under the “Black Lives Matter”
movement, demanding justice and equal rights.
Example 2: In Pakistan, repeated attacks and unfair treatment of religious
minorities show that many people are still trapped in the mindset of
discrimination.
So, unless we break these mental prisons, we cannot say we are truly free.
2.
Prejudice based on race and colour or any other reason causes
profound hurt.
Write about any one character from the chapters in First Flight who was
subjected to such prejudice?
Discuss the consequence of this prejudice for the character.
Answer: Prejudice based on race, colour, or
background can deeply hurt the person facing it. In the chapter “The Hundred
Dresses” from the First Flight book, Wanda Petronski is a victim of such
prejudice. She is a quiet Polish girl who lives in a poor part of town and
wears the same faded blue dress every day. Her classmates, especially Peggy and
Maddie, make fun of her name, clothes, and background.
Wanda never fights back. Instead, she silently bears the insult and expresses
her creativity by drawing a hundred beautiful dresses, which win her the
school’s drawing competition. Her talent surprises everyone, and her classmates
feel guilty for judging her unfairly.
This story shows how discrimination can hurt someone deeply but also how
kindness, talent, and patience can earn true respect in the end.
3.
After having read the lesson on the oppression that communities
faced in South Africa, you were deeply hurt. You could also relate to the
struggles and hardships of millions of Indians who fought against the
oppressive British rule.
Write a diary entry expressing your feelings about oppression faced by people
in their homeland.
You may begin like this:
24 August 20XX, Monday 9:00 pm
My heart is filled with sadness as I think of the oppressed who had to tolerate
the inhuman attitude of the oppressors in their own land. …………………………
Answer:
24 August 20XX, Monday 9:00 pm
My heart is filled with sadness as I think of the oppressed who had to tolerate
the inhuman attitude of the oppressors in their own land. Reading about
apartheid in South Africa shook me deeply. How could people be treated so badly
just because of their skin colour? It reminded me of the painful times in India
when our freedom fighters struggled under British rule.
Both the people of South Africa and India were denied basic rights and had to
fight for dignity and equality. It’s heart breaking to imagine children growing
up in fear, people being beaten, or silenced for raising their voices.
Yet, I also feel proud and inspired. Leaders like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma
Gandhi showed courage, patience, and strength. They taught us that real freedom
comes through unity, sacrifice, and respect for others.
I now understand that freedom should never be taken for granted. It must be protected,
shared, and respected by all.
NELSON MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM EXTRACT
BASED QUESTION
EXTRACT-1
We have, at last, achieved our
political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the
continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other
discrimination.
Never, never, and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again
experience the oppression of one by another.
The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement. Let freedom reign.
God bless Africa!
i.
State
any one inference about Nelson Mandela from the given context: 1
"We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation."
ii.
State
True or False: 1
When Mandela says, "God bless Africa", he intends to mean well-being
and welfare of only black people in South Africa.
iii.
"Nelson
Mandela's speech is full of optimism." Elaborate in about 40 words with
reference to the extract. 2
iv.
Which
phrase would correctly substitute 'so glorious', in the given sentence from the
extract. 1
"The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement."
EXTRACT-2
But the decades of oppression and brutality had
another unintended effect, and that was that it produced the Oliver Tambos, the
Walter Sisulus, the Chief Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos, the Bram Fischers, the
Robert Sobukwes of our times — men of such extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity
that their like may never be known again. Perhaps it requires such depths of
oppression to create such heights of character. My country is rich in the
minerals and gems that lie beneath its soil, but I have always known that its
greatest wealth is its people, finer and truer than the purest diamonds. It is
from these comrades in the struggle that I learned the meaning ofcourage.
Time and again, I have seen men and women risk and give their lives for an
idea.
i.
What was
the unintended effect of the long oppression? Choose the correct option.
A. It made the people indifferent to injustice.
B. It made the people reject oppression.
C. It influenced a generation to fight against injustice.
D. It made people accept their oppression.
ii.
Men of
such extraordinary courage refers to the people who………………..
A. liberated and abolished the Apartheid system.
B. used their resources to spread awareness.
C. fought for their country’s freedom.
D. demonstrated utmost strength to oppose the system..
iii.
Nelson
Mandela compares to diamonds.
A. his countrymen B.
patriots
C. wise men D.
the oppressed
iv.
When
Nelson Mandela says, “I have seen men and women risk and give their lives for
an idea.”, he means that they are…………
A. stubborn. B.
committed.
C. intelligent. D. proud.
v.
Select
the suitable word from the extract to complete the following:
depths: heights : : compassion : .
A. wisdom B. oppression
C. struggle D. courage
EXTRACT-3
"It was only when I began to
learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man
that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it.
At first as a student I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms
of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased and go where I chose.
Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honourable
freedoms..."
i.
Which
freedoms did Mandela first desire as a student?
a) Freedom for his people
b) Freedom to stay out at night, read freely, and travel
c) Freedom from apartheid laws
d) Freedom to choose his career
ii.
Fill in
the blank:
Mandela realised that his boyhood freedom was an _______.
iii.
What
change did Mandela experience in his understanding of freedom from boyhood to
adulthood?
iv.
Choose
the antonym of “illusion” from the options below:
a) Reality b) Dream
c) Myth d)
Fantasy
ANSWER
EXTRACT-1
i. Nelson Mandela believed that
political freedom had been finally achieved after years of struggle.
ii. False. iii. Nelson Mandela’s speech reflects optimism as he celebrates the
end of oppression and envisions a future of equality, justice, and dignity for
all citizens of South Africa, free from discrimination and suffering. iv. so
magnificent / so great
EXTRACT-2
i-c ii-d, iii-a, iv-b, v-b
EXTRACT-3
i-b, ii- illusion,
iii- As
a boy, Mandela enjoyed carefree freedom, unaware it was an illusion. In
adulthood, he realised his freedom had already been taken. Initially, he
desired personal, temporary freedoms, but later he longed for basic and
honourable freedoms for himself and his people. iv-a
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