Long Walk to Freedom Summary

Long Walk to Freedom : Nelson Mandela Solution, Summary, Word Meaning

Long Walk to Freedom Summary

Apartheid was a political system in South Africa that segregated people based on race. Nelson Mandela, a key figure in the fight against apartheid, spent 30 years in prison for his activism. In 1994, South Africa held its first democratic elections, and Mandela became the nation’s first black president.

Historic Inauguration

Mandela’s inauguration on May 10, 1994, marked the end of over three centuries of white rule. The event took place at the Union Buildings amphitheatre in Pretoria and was attended by dignitaries from over 140 countries. Mandela emphasized that South Africa would never again experience racial oppression and highlighted the significance of the day as a victory for justice, peace, and human dignity.

Mandela’s Speech

In his speech, Mandela acknowledged the extraordinary human disaster of apartheid and celebrated the birth of a society that all humanity could be proud of. He thanked international guests for their support and pledged to liberate South Africans from poverty, deprivation, suffering, and discrimination. He called for the end of oppression and the dawn of freedom.

Military Display and National Unity

The inauguration featured a display of military precision and loyalty to the new democratic government. The event was symbolized by the playing of two national anthems, representing unity between blacks and whites. Mandela reflected on the history of racial domination and the sacrifices made by countless individuals to achieve freedom.

Reflection on Apartheid and Courage

Mandela discussed the deep wounds inflicted by apartheid and the resilience it fostered among South Africans. He praised the courage, wisdom, and generosity of leaders like Oliver Tambo and Walter Sisulu. Mandela learned that true courage is overcoming fear and that love is more natural to the human heart than hate.

Twin Obligations

Mandela spoke about the twin obligations every man has: to his family and to his community and country. Under apartheid, fulfilling these obligations was nearly impossible for black South Africans. Mandela’s journey from personal freedom to fighting for the freedom of his people transformed him into a leader willing to sacrifice everything for justice.

Freedom and Humanity

Mandela emphasized that freedom is indivisible; the chains on one person are chains on all. He argued that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity. True freedom requires liberating both parties from hatred, prejudice, and narrow-mindedness.

Character Sketch of Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, is celebrated for his unwavering fight against apartheid. Born into the Thembu royal family, he joined the African National Congress (ANC) and co-founded its Youth League. Mandela’s activism led to 27 years of imprisonment, during which he became a global symbol of resistance and hope. Released in 1990, he led negotiations to dismantle apartheid and was elected president in 1994. Known for his resilience, courage, and commitment to reconciliation, Mandela emphasized unity and equality. His legacy endures as a beacon of justice, human dignity, and the power of forgiveness.

Difficult Words from Lesson Along with Their Meanings

Apartheid – A political system of racial segregation and discrimination.

Inauguration – A formal ceremony to mark the beginning of a major public leader’s term of office.

Amphitheatre – A building without a roof, with many rows of seats rising in steps, typically used in ancient Greece and Rome.

Supremacy – The state or condition of being superior to all others in authority, power, or status.

Resilience – The ability to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

Emancipation – The act of freeing someone from slavery or oppression.

Deprivation – The state of lacking or being denied something considered to be a necessity.

Discrimination – The unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.

Array – An impressive display or range of a particular type of thing.

Chevron – A pattern in the shape of a V.

Despised – Regarded with contempt or disdain.

Profound – Very great or intense; having deep insight or understanding.

Wrought – (Old fashioned) Done or achieved.

Patriots – People who vigorously support their country and are prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors.

Generosity – The quality of being kind and generous.

Virtuous – Having or showing high moral standards.

Indivisible – Unable to be divided or separated.

Prejudice – Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.

Inclinations – Natural tendencies or urges to act or feel in a particular way.

Inevitably – As is certain to happen; unavoidably.

Twilight existence – A half-secret life, like a life lived in the fading light between sunset and darkness.

Illusion – Something that appears to be real but is not.

Transitory – Not permanent; temporary.

Curtailed – Reduced in extent or quantity; imposed a restriction on.

Animated – Full of life or excitement; lively.

In Column A are some expressions you will find in the text. Make a guess and match each expression with an appropriate meaning from Column B.

(i) A rainbow gathering of different colours and nations – A beautiful coming together of various peoples, like the colours in a rainbow
(ii) The seat of white supremacy – The centre of racial superiority
(iii) Be overwhelmed with a sense of history – Feel deeply emotional, remembering and understanding all the past events that have led up to the moment
(iv) Resilience that defies the imagination –  great ability (almost unimaginable) to remain unchanged by suffering (not losing hope, goodness or courage) 
(v) A glimmer of humanity – A sign of human feeling (goodness, kindness, pity, justice, etc.)
(vi) A twilight existence – A half-secret life, like a life lived in the fading light between sunset and darkness

Would you like me to explain any of these matches or provide more context from the text?

Solution to Long Walk to Freedom : Nelson Mandela 

First set of Oral Comprehension Check questions:

1. Q: Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone?
A: The ceremonies took place in the sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria. (The text doesn’t provide information about sandstone buildings in India, so that part of the question can’t be answered based on the given information.)

2. Q: Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
A: South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. Therefore, May is an autumn month in South Africa.

3. Q: 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?
A: The “extraordinary human disaster” refers to the long-lasting apartheid system in South Africa. The “glorious human achievement” refers to the end of apartheid and the establishment of a new, democratic, non-racial government.

4. Q: What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?
A: Mandela thanks the international leaders for coming to “take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.”

5. Q: What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
A: Mandela sets out ideals of liberating all people from poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. He pledges that South Africa will never again experience oppression of one by another.

Second set of Oral Comprehension Check questions:

1. Q: What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
A: The military generals salute Mandela and pledge their loyalty. Their attitude has changed because previously they would have arrested him, but now they recognize him as their leader due to the change in government.

2. Q: Why were two national anthems sung?
A: Two national anthems were sung to symbolize the unity of the nation. Both the old anthem (Die Stem) and the new one (Nkosi Sikelel –iAfrika) were sung by all races, representing reconciliation.

3. Q: 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?
A: (i) In the first decade, he describes a system of racial domination against dark-skinned peoples, forming one of the harshest, most inhumane societies. (ii) In the final decade, he describes a system that recognized the rights and freedoms of all peoples, regardless of skin color.

4. Q: What does courage mean to Mandela?
A: To Mandela, courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. He says the brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.

5. Q: Which does he think is natural, to love or to hate?
A: Mandela believes love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.

Third set of Oral Comprehension Check questions:

1. Q: What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
A: Mandela mentions obligations to one’s family (parents, wife, and children) and obligations to one’s people, community, and country.

2. Q: 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”?
A: As a boy, freedom meant running in fields, swimming in streams, and following tribal customs. As a student, it meant staying out at night, reading what he pleased, and going where he chose. He contrasts these with “basic and honourable freedoms” of achieving his potential, earning his keep, and having a family without obstruction.

3. Q: Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/Why not?
A: No, Mandela does not think the oppressor is free. He believes that the oppressor is a prisoner of hatred, locked behind bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. He states that one is not truly free if they are taking away someone else’s freedom.

Solution to Long Walk to Freedom – Thinking about the text

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

A: A large number of international leaders attended the inauguration to show their support for the end of apartheid and the establishment of a democratic, non-racial government in South Africa. It signified the triumph of democracy, justice, and human rights over the oppressive system of apartheid.

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

A: Mandela means that his achievement is not his alone, but the result of the collective efforts, sacrifices, and struggles of all the African patriots who fought against apartheid before him. He sees himself as a continuation of their legacy and struggle for freedom.

3. Q: 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?

A: Mandela illustrates this idea by mentioning leaders like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, and others who showed extraordinary courage, wisdom, and generosity despite facing severe oppression. He suggests that such extreme adversity can bring out remarkable qualities in people.

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

A: Mandela’s understanding of freedom evolved over time:
– As a boy, he thought he was born free and could do as he pleased within his village and tribe.
– As a young student, he wanted freedom for himself – to stay out late, read what he wanted, and go where he chose.
– As a young man, he desired basic freedoms like achieving his potential, earning a living, and having a family.
– Finally, he realized that true freedom meant the liberation of all his people from oppression, poverty, and discrimination.

5. Q: How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?

A: Mandela’s hunger for freedom transformed him from a law-abiding attorney into a “criminal” in the eyes of the apartheid government. It turned him from a family-loving husband into a man without a home, and from a life-loving man into one who lived like a monk. His desire for freedom drove him to join the African National Congress and dedicate his life to the struggle against apartheid, even at great personal cost.

Solution to Thinking about Language

Q: Make a list of noun-verb pairs from the text where the noun is formed by adding -(at)ion or -ment to the verb. Note any spelling changes.

A: Here is a list of such noun-verb pairs found in the text:

1. inauguration – inaugurate
2. installation – install
3. obligation – oblige
4. discrimination – discriminate
5. demonstration – demonstrate
6. domination – dominate
7. imagination – imagine
8. oppression – oppress
9. rebellion – rebel
10. constitution – constitute
11. formation – form
12. government – govern

Read the paragraph below. Fill in the blanks with the noun forms of the verbs in brackets.

Martin Luther King’s contribution (contribute) to our history as an outstanding leader began when he came to the assistance (assist) of Rosa Parks, a seamstress who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. In those days American Blacks were confined to positions of second class citizenship by restrictive laws and customs. To break these laws would mean subjugation (subjugate) and humiliation (humiliate) by the police and the legal system. Beatings, imprisonment (imprison) and sometimes death awaited those who defied the System. Martin Luther King’s tactics of protest involved non-violent resistance (resist) to racial injustice.

II. Using the Definite Article with Names” in a question-answer format:

Q1: In the sentence “… the decades of oppression and brutality … produced the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, … of our time,” what does the use of ‘the’ and the plural form of these names mean?

A1: The correct answer is (b) many other men like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu …/many men of their type or kind, whose names may not be as well known.

Q2: What do the following sentences mean when using ‘the’ with proper names?

1. Mr Singh regularly invites the Amitabh Bachchans and the Shah Rukh Khans to his parties.

A2-1: This means Mr Singh invites famous Bollywood actors like Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, or others of their caliber and fame, to his parties.

2. Many people think that Madhuri Dixit is the Madhubala of our times.

A2-2: This suggests that Madhuri Dixit is considered to be as talented, beautiful, or iconic in modern times as Madhubala was in her era.

3. History is not only the story of the Alexanders, the Napoleons and the Hitlers, but of ordinary people as well.

A2-3: This means that history isn’t just about famous leaders or conquerors like Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler, but also includes the stories of common people.

In all these cases, using ‘the’ before names indicates that the speaker is referring not just to the specific individuals, but to a category of people with similar qualities or status.

III. Idiomatic Expressions:

Match the italicised phrases in Column A with the phrase nearest in meaning in Column B.

1. I was not unmindful of the fact – (i) had not forgotten; was aware of the fact
2. when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits – (iii) felt that we could not endure the suffering any longer
3. to reassure me and keep me going – (ii) help me continue to live in hope in this very difficult situation
4. the basic and honourable freedoms of…earning my keep,… – (i) earning enough money to live on

In groups, discuss the issues suggested in the box below. Then prepare a speech of about two minutes on the following topic. (First make notes for your speech in writing.)

“True liberty is freedom from poverty, deprivation and all forms of discrimination.”

First, let’s make notes based on the suggested issues:

1. Causes of poverty and means of overcoming it:
– Lack of education and job opportunities
– Economic inequality
– Solutions: Improve education, create jobs, implement fair economic policies

2. Discrimination based on gender, religion, class, etc.:
– Gender inequality in workplace and society
– Religious intolerance
– Class-based discrimination
– Solutions: Laws against discrimination, education, promoting diversity

3. Constitutionally guaranteed human rights:
– Right to equality
– Right to freedom
– Right against exploitation
– Right to education

Now, here’s is a two-minute speech:

“Ladies and gentlemen, when we think of liberty, we often picture political freedom or the right to vote. But true liberty goes far beyond that. As Nelson Mandela once said, ‘To be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.’ Today, I want to argue that true liberty is freedom from poverty, deprivation, and all forms of discrimination.

Let’s start with poverty. In our world today, millions still struggle to meet their basic needs. Poverty isn’t just about lack of money; it’s about lack of opportunity. It’s the brilliant mind unable to access education, the hard worker with no job prospects. To achieve true liberty, we must tackle the root causes of poverty. We need to invest in education, create job opportunities, and implement fair economic policies that give everyone a chance to succeed.

But freedom from poverty alone isn’t enough. We must also address deprivation in all its forms. This means ensuring access to healthcare, adequate nutrition, and quality education for all. It means building a society where no one is left behind, where everyone has the tools they need to live a dignified life. This is not just the responsibility of governments, but of each one of us as members of society.

Finally, true liberty means freedom from all forms of discrimination. Whether it’s based on gender, religion, class, race, or any other factor, discrimination strips people of their dignity and opportunities. We need strong laws to protect against discrimination, but laws alone are not enough. We need education to change hearts and minds, to foster understanding and respect for diversity.

Our constitution guarantees fundamental rights – the right to equality, freedom, and protection against exploitation. But these rights on paper mean little if they’re not a reality for everyone.

In conclusion, true liberty is a comprehensive concept. It’s about creating a society where everyone, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to live a life of dignity and fulfill their potential. This is the liberty we should strive for, the liberty that will truly set us all free. Thank you.”

I. Looking at Contrasts

Complete the following sentences using the given phrases:

1. It requires such depths of oppression (v) to create such heights of character.
2. Courage was not the absence of fear (iii) but the triumph over it.
3. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, (iv) but he who conquers that fear.
4. If people can learn to hate, (i) they can be taught to love.
5. I was not born with a hunger to be free. (ii) I was born free.

II. This text repeatedly contrasts the past with the present or the future.

1. For decades the Union Buildings had been the seat of white supremacy, and now … it was the site of a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations for the installation of South Africa’s first democratic, non-racial government.

2. Only moments before, the highest generals of the South African defence force and police … saluted me and pledged their loyalty. … not so many years before they would not have saluted but arrested me.

3. Although that day neither group knew the lyrics of the anthem …, they would soon know the words by heart.

4. 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.

5. The Air Show was not only a display of pinpoint precision and military force, but a demonstration of the military’s loyalty to democracy, to a new government that had been freely and fairly elected.

6. It was this desire for the freedom of my people … that transformed a frightened young man into a bold one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-loving husband into a man without a home.

III. Expressing Your Opinion

Do you think there is colour prejudice in our own country? Discuss this with your friend and write a paragraph of about 100 to 150 words about this. You have the option of making your paragraph a humorous one.

Serious approach:

While India has made significant strides in combating discrimination, colour prejudice unfortunately remains a reality in our society. This bias manifests in various ways, from preferential treatment in job opportunities to societal beauty standards that favor lighter skin tones. The popularity of skin-lightening products and matrimonial advertisements specifying ‘fair’ brides or grooms are testament to this deeply ingrained prejudice. This bias not only affects individuals’ self-esteem but also perpetuates harmful stereotypes and social inequalities. To address this, we need more awareness campaigns, representation of diverse skin tones in media, and stricter laws against discrimination. Ultimately, changing societal attitudes requires a collective effort to celebrate our diversity and recognize that a person’s worth is not determined by the color of their skin.

Humorous approach:

In India, we’ve mastered the art of turning every shade into a spectacle. Our obsession with fairness has reached such heights that we might as well rename our country ’50 Shades of Beige’.

Matrimonial ads read like paint catalogues: ‘Wanted: Fair, very fair, or exceptionally fair bride. Wheatish complexion may apply if they come with a lifetime supply of fairness cream.’

Our skin-lightening industry is so booming, I’m surprised we haven’t tried to bleach the night sky yet. ‘Tired of the dark night? Try our new ‘Midnight Sun’ cream! Get a glowing moon-like complexion in just 7 days!’

And let’s not forget our movies, where the only time you see a dark-skinned person is when the hero needs to look ‘rugged’ for a song in the desert.

But fear not! Scientists predict that by 2050, we’ll have perfected the art of photosynthesis, turning us all into various shades of green. Finally, we’ll achieve our dream of true color equality – as long as you’re the right shade of chlorophyll, of course!

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