First Flight Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela - Long Walk To Freedom

In his boyhood, Mandela enjoyed every freedom. He was free to run in the fields near his mother’s hut or to swim in the clear stream that ran through his village. His sense of freedom was limited to his own enjoyment. As long as he obeyed his father and abided by the customs of his tribe, his freedom wasn't restricted by the laws of man or God. Gradually, he learnt that his boyhood freedom was an illusion. 
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

When Nelson Mandela was a boy, he thought he was free. To him, freedom was doing whatever he wanted to do; 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 etc. He was contented as long as he followed the social norms. As a student, he had percieved freedom differently. He wanted freedom only for himself. 
When he discovered that he was a victim of oppression and discrimination, he understood that his perception about freedom was unreal. He could realize the bondages when he was deprived of the basic rights of humans like achieving his potential, earning his keep, marriage and a family. With the sense of reality of his plight, he observed that the people of his own race were the victims of the same oppression. This inflamed his purpose for the collective struggle against the injustice. It gave him the moral strength to become a courageous man.

Being deprived of the basic rights of a human being, Mandela discerned that he is a victim of racial discrimation. His discontentment kindled hunger for his freedom. Soon, he observed that he is not alone but the people of his race are victimized by this quagmire. This made him restless and inflamed his passion for fight against the oppression. Eventually, he joined the African National Congress. His hunger for freedom was now everybody's hunger for freedom. This desire for freedom changed him into a bold and courageous man. I turned him into a criminal and a monk.  

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.

1. to create such heights of character.
2. but the triumph over it.
3. but he who conquers that fear.
4. they can be taught to love.
5. I was born free.

             2.  but arrested me.
             3.  know the words by heart.
             4.  but I have always known that its greatest wealth is its people, finer and truer than the purest diamonds.
             5.  but a demonstration of the military’s loyalty to democracy, to a new government that had been freely and fairly elected.
              6. frightened young man, a law-abiding attorney, a family-loving husband

The word Apartheid means 'the state of being apart'. Apartheid’ is a political system of racial segregation that separates people according to their race.

Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa after more than three centuries of White rule. He was an anti-apartheid revolutionary who had to spend thirty years in prison for the same. Finally, he was crowned as the  president on 10 May, 1994 after the democratic elections of South Africa. He served as the president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. 

Nelson Mandela wrote his autobiography, 'Long walk to freedom'.

Nelson Mandela joined African National Congress in 1943 while he was studying Law. He joined the party to fight against apartheid.

Mandela speaks about the historic occassion of the inaugural ceremony in which he was crowned as the first black president of South Africa.

The inauguration ceremony took place in the Union Buildings amphitheatre in Pretoria. It was attended by politicians and dignitaries from more than 140 countries around the world.

The sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria was the seat of white supremacy.

His daughter, Zenani accompanied him on the day of inauguration.

Mr de Klerk was sworn in as second deputy president.

Thabo Mbeki was sworn in as first deputy president.

When his turn came, he pledged to obey and uphold the Constitution and to devote himself to the wellbeing of the Republic and its people.

Mandela thanked all the international guests who had come to attend the inaugural ceremony. He thanked them because they were present there to praise Mandela for his courage, determination and patience, to celebrate the emancipation and to show their support for fight against the system of Apartheid.

He pledged to liberate all his people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination. He also said that this beautiful land would never again experience the oppression of one by another.

The spectacular array of South African jets, helicopters and troop carriers displayed pinpoint precision and military force. It demonstrated the military’s loyalty to democracy and to the new government that had been freely and fairly elected.

The day was symbolised for him because two national anthems were sung. One was the vision of whites singing ‘Nkosi Sikelel –iAfrika’ and the other was blacks singing ‘Die Stem’, the old anthem of the Republic. 

The first decade of the twentieth century had the bitter memories of the Anglo-Boer war. It witnessed the white-skinned peoples of South Africa erecting a system of racial domination against the dark-skinned people of their own land. The system formed the basis of one of the harshest, most inhumane, societies the world has ever known.

In the last decade of the twentieth century, the system had been overturned forever and replaced by one that recognised the rights and freedom of all people, regardless of the colour of their skin.

Mandela was pained because he was not able to thank those glorious men who made unimaginable sacrifices to fight for the justice and achieve emancipation. It also made him sad that they were not able to see what their sacrifices had wrought.

The decades of oppression and brutality had produced men of extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity that their like may never be known again. Few of them are the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Chief Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos, the Bram Fischers, the Robert Sobukwes.

The greatest wealth of his country is its people, who are finer and truer than the purest diamonds.

Mandela says so because he had learnt the meaning of courage from his people during the days of struggle. He had seen men and women giving their lives for an idea. He had seen men stand up to attacks and torture without breaking, showing a strength and resilience that defies the imagination.

He learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. A man is not brave if he does not feel afraid. A man is brave only when he conquers that fear.

According to Mandela, every man has twin obligations. His first obligation is towards his to his family, to his parents, to his wife and children. His second obligation is towards his people, his community, his country. 

When Nelson Mandela was a child, he thought he was free. He enjoyed his freedom by running in the fields near his mother’s hut, swimming in the clear stream that ran through his village, roasting mealies under the stars and riding the broad backs of slow-moving bulls.

By 'transitory freedoms', Mandela refers to the freedoms that are temporarily required. As a student, he wanted freedom only for himself. The freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what he pleased and go where he chose to.

Mandela said so because the system of racial segregation was practiced in South Africa. In those times, blacks who attempted to live as a human beings were severely punished and isolated. Those who tried to fulfil their duty towards people were inevitably ripped off from their families. They were forced to live a life apart, rebelling in secrecy.

Mandela yearned for the basic and honourable freedom of achieving his potential, freedom of earning income and freedom of marriage and having a family. He didn't want any obstruction in his life that abided law.

Mandela realized that he wasn't the only one who was deprived of those freedoms. But everyone of his race was deprived of those freedoms.

When Mandela joined the African National Congress, his hunger of freedom from himself became the greater hunger for the freedom of his people.

Mandela's desire for the freedom of his people so that they could live their lives with dignity and selfrespect, inflamed his passion for struggle and transformed him from a frightened young man into a bold one. It drove him to become a criminal that forced him to live like a monk.

Mandela said that a man who takes away another man’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred because he himself is a victim of prejudice and narrowmindedness. He justified it by saying thought a man is not free if his freedom is taken away from him. Likewise, if he is taking away someone else’s freedom, he is not truly free.

(i)  The words that describe the movements and actions of the tiger in the cage are:-

The repetition is a literary device that repeats the same words or phrases to emphasize a concept. Here, in the poem the repetition of 'quiet' is used to emphasize the tiger's helpless silence. ‘Velvet quiet’ refers to the quiet velvet pads of the tiger, which cannot run or leap. They can only walk around the limited space in the cage. It also gives prominence to the rage that is building inside the tiger. The tiger wants to wander in the wild but he has to walk with quiet steps in his little cage unwillingly. The poet has repeated 'brilliant' to bring into notice the tiger's aspiration for freedom. As we know, a tiger's eyes are shining and glowing. With those shining eyes, he keeps staring at the shining stars and wishes to free like them. As the stars are inhabiting a place which is their natural home, the tiger also wants to wander around in the forest because that is the place where he belongs to.