Extra Questions for Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Class 10 first Flight
Important Questions1
'El A few moments later we all lifted our eyes in awe as a spectacular array of South African jets, helicopters and troop carriers roared in perfect formation over the Union Buildings. It 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. Only moments before, the highest generals of the South African defence force and police, their chests bedecked with ribbons and medals from days gone by, saluted me and pledged their loyalty. I was not unmindful of the fact that not so many years before they would not have saluted but arrested me. Finally a chevron of Impala jets left a smoke trail of the black, red, green, blue and gold of the new South African flag.
(a) What for were the jets, helicopters etc. there?
(b) Why were the highest generals there?
(c) What does the smoke trail of Impala symbolise?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means 'decorated'.
Answer
(a) These were there to celebrate the installation of a new Govt. in South Africa.
(b) They were there to salute the author as the new President to be sworn in.
(c) It symbolises the new national flag of South Africa.
(d) It is 'bedecked'.
2
The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in my country and my people. All of us will spend many years, if not generations, recovering from that profound hurt. 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 time—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.
(a) What is meant by the 'profound hurt'?
(b) What produced great men of character as given here?
(c) How does the author look at his own people?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means large-heartedness'.
Answer
(a) It means the 'wound' caused by the policy of apartheid.
(b) The 'effect' of decades of oppression produced them.
(c) He looks at them as the finer and truer than the diamonds of his country.
(d) It is 'generosity'.
3
No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it’s opposite. Even in the grimmest times in prison, when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits, I would see a glimmer of humanity in one of the guards, perhaps just for a second, but it was enough to reassure me and keep me going. Man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished.
(a) Why is it easy to learn to love?
(b) When did Mandela and his friends have the most unpleasant time?
(c) What was the opinion of Mandela about the man's goodness?
(d) Trace a word from the passage that means 'severe'.
Answer
(a) It is easy to learn to love because love comes most naturally to the human heart.
(b) Mandela and his friends had the most unpleasant time in prison when they were pushed to their limits.
(c) Mandela's opinion about the man's goodness is that it can be hidden but not extinguished.
(d) It is 'grimmest'.
4
I was not born with a hunger to be free. I was born free—free in every way that I could know. Free to run in the fields near my mother's hut, free to swim in the clear stream that ran through my village, free to roast mealies under the stars and ride the broad backs of slow-moving bulls. As long as I obeyed my father and abided by the customs of my tribe, I was not troubled by the laws of man or God.
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 of achieving my potential, of earning my keep, of marrying and having a family-the freedom not to be obstructed in a lawful life.
(a) With what freedoms was the author born?
(b) When was he not troubled by laws of men or God?
(c) What did he realize as a young man?
(d) Find a word from the passage which means 'temporary'.
Answer
(a) These were: riding the bulls, roasting the mealies etc.
(b) He was not troubled by laws of man or God when he obeyed his father’s and his tribe’s customs’.
(c) As a young man he realized that ‘freedom’ had been taken him.
(d) It is transitory’.
1
Answer
The author thanks all the international guests. They have come to take possession of the country. It is the common victory for justice. It is also meant for peace and human dignity. At last they have got political freedom. He promises that the country shall not again experience the oppression of one by another.2
Answer
The decades of oppression made him a strong person. He set out the goal to liberate the people of South Africa from continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering and other discrimination. He decided to have freedom and justice for all.3
Answer
Nelson Mandela was sad for not able to thank those African patriots who had fought for independence and sacrificed their lives for it. This pained him that they were not able to see what their sacrifices had brought.4
What future of the country of South Africa does Nelson Mandela see in his oath-taking speech?
Or
What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?
Or
What is the dream of Nelson Mandela for the future of South Africa?
Answer
In his address Nelson Mandela sees a bright future of the country. He promises that under his President ship the country shall never experience the oppression of one by another. It shall progress and progress further. The sun shall never set on its freedom. Freedom shall rule. All people shall be free to do what they like. God shall bless their doing so.5
Answer
The author thought of history then. He went into the past. He thought of the bitter Anglo-Boer war. Before his own birth the white-skinned peoples of South Africa had patched up their differences. They had created a system of racial domination. It was over the black people. This was the most inhumane and harshest society. He was against it.6
Answer
The author said that this system of the white people was overturned forever in the last decade. It was replaced by another system. This system was different. It recognised the rights and freedoms of all people. There was no difference among the South African people on account of the colour of their skin.7
Answer
'Apartheid' is a political system that separates people according to their race. In this system the black-coloured people in South Africa had no freedom in which they could discharge their personal and social obligations. These were of being parents, sons, husbands etc.8
Answer
The policy of apartheid was very unfortunate for the South African people. It created a deep and lasting wound in the country and the people. Decades of oppression and brutality produced many great men. They were Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulus, Yusuf Dadoo, Bran Fischer etc. There were others also like them. They were men of great character.9
Answer
The author thinks of the country's wealth in its physical terms. He says that his country is rich in the minerals and gems. These lie beneath its soil. But the greatest wealth of the country is its people. They are finer and truer than the purest diamonds. They are the real wealth of the nation.10
Answer
The author defines courage as not the absence of fear. But it Fear is the triumph over it many bad for the country. The brave man is not he who does not feel fear of any kind. But he is different. He is the brave man who conquers that fear.11
Answer
The author saw this ray of humanity in prison. It was in the grimmest times. His comrades were pushed to their limits. They were pushed with their back to the walls. He saw this ray of humanity. It was in one of the guards just for a second. This ray of humanity is man’s goodness. It is a flame. It can't be put out.12
Answer
Each man could not fulfil these obligations in South Africa. It was because of colour prejudice. A man who tried to fulfil these was punished and isolated. He was punished for being a patriot. He was isolated from his family. He was made to live separately. He couldn't do what he wanted.13
Answer
Decades of oppression resulted in snatching of freedom of the locals, the coloured people. There also developed a system of racial discrimination against the dark-skinned people of their own land. The unintended effect was that it produced great leaders like Oliver Tambos, Walter sisulus, Yusuf Dadoos etc.14
Answer
The author faced many problems. It was because he was fighting for the people of the country. In the beginning he tried to serve his people. But he found that he was prevented from fulfilling his obligations. These spread over many relations. These were as a son, a brother, a father and a husband.15
Answer
He realised that his brothers and sisters were not free. In fact, all his countrymen were not free to do what they wanted. He saw that his freedom was not controlled. But the freedom of everyone was curtailed. This was when he joined the African National Congress. His hunger for freedom for his people became more.16
Answer
The author wanted freedom for his country and his countrymen. Desire for the freedom of his people changed him into a bold one. It was the freedom to live their lives with dignity. He was now without a home. He was a monk. He could not enjoy the limited freedom. He wanted to do what he thought was good.17
What does the author say of 'freedom'?
Or
How does the author define 'freedom'?
Answer
Nelson Mandela states his ideas about freedom. He states it clearly that freedom is indivisible. The chains on anyone of his people were the chains on all of them. He says that the chains on all of his people were the chains on him also. All his countrymen were not free. So, he wanted freedom for all.18
Answer
The author knew that the oppressor must be set free as the oppressed. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred. He is locked in prejudice and narrow- mindedness. He is not truly free if he is taking someone else's freedom. The oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of humanity.1
Answer
Nelson Mandela means by an "extraordinary human disaster" the apartheid policy of the white race against the black people. For long the white people ruled South Africa. They snatched freedom from the coloured race to whom South Africa belonged. The black people were subjected to oppression for long. They didn't have any freedom to discharge their obligations to their own families and their own community and country. They yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms of living their own lawful lives. The white rulers had on compassion for them. They oppressed their own people and put them in prison. If they had some freedom it was curtailed. They lived the life of a slave.2
Answer
The author says that the country's political freedom is due to the great sacrifices of thousands of his own people. These can't be repaid. He thinks himself the sum of all those African patriots. He regrets that he won't be able to thank them. He states that the policy of apartheid greatly wounded the people of his country. Recovering from that was not possible. It would take centuries to heal. But decades of oppression and brutality produced great freedom fighters. They were like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulus, Luthulis, Dadoos, Fischer, Sobukwe etc. They were the men of courage, wisdom and large-heartedness. They really underwent great sufferings for the political independence of the country.3
Answer
The author says that every man has twin obligations. One obligation is to his family, to his parents, to his wife and children. The second obligation is to his own people, his community and his country. In a civil and humane society, a man should fulfil these obligations. But it was impossible to do so in South Africa as the people were not free. A man who tried to live like a human being there was punished. He was isolated from his family and home. In the beginning the author did not put people above his family. He tried to serve them. But he was prevented to fulfil his twin obligations.4
Answer
When freedom was reduced from the author he felt much for it. He saw that his brothers and sisters were not free. He joined the African National Congress. His hunger for freedom became greater for the freedom of his people. It was the desire to live lives with dignity and self-respect. It made him into a bold man. But he realized that freedom is indivisible. The chains for his own people were chains for him also. He wanted all to be free. The author says that both the oppressor and the oppressed deserve freedom. The oppressor is a prisoner of hatred. He is locked behind the bars of hatred and narrow-mindedness. The oppressed has no freedom.5
Answer
Mandela says it right that the oppressor and the oppressed alike are robbed of their humanity. Both are the victims of hatred. A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred. He has prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Both are robbed of their humanity. Freedom is natural to all living beings. Then man has to discharge his personal and social obligations. Without freedom man can't discharge his duties. He is destined to live a lawful life with freedom. The person who snatches this freedom is really an oppressor. His humanity is gone. It is the same case with the oppressed because he becomes oppressed by others.6
Answer
It is a fact that "depth of oppression" creates "heights of characters". The policy of apartheid had created a deep and lasting wound in South Africa and its people. This oppression resulted in the production of great leaders like Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Chief Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos etc. They were men of great and extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity. Such great leaders may never be known again. It means that if there had not been such an oppression of the coloured people, such great leaders could not have been created. Mandela illustrates this truth in this way.