Long Walk To Freedom - Written by Nelson Mandela
Long Walk To Freedom is more than the autobiography of a great man. It's a life story of a son who breaks from tradition and his family, a voice for liberty who is captured, isolated and imprisioned and a human being who in freeing himself to his demons, also became free to give his devoted leadership to his country and the world. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was born on the 18th of July 1918, and sadly passed away after a long battle from a respiratory infection on the 5th of December, 2013.
Quote from Mandela: " What counts in life is not mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead".
In the Long Walk To Freedom, Mandela said, " I dedicate this book to my six children, Madiba and Makaziwe (My first daughters), who are now deceased, and to Makgatho, Makaziwe, Zenani and Zindzi, whose support and love I treasure; to my twenty-one grandchildren and three great- grandchildren, who give me great pleasure; and to all my comrades, friends and fellow South Africans whom I serve and whose courage, determination and patriotism remain my source of inspiration".
Response & Text Response Questions -
What are the conventions of autobiography? Conventions of an autobiography are things like its usually written in first person which makes the text become personal and emotional, they are mostly written in past tense and are usually very anecdotal, at the front of the novel there normally is personal information about family background and members and that everything is the novel is non-fiction.
What are some of the stylistic elements commonly used in autobiographies? Autobiography is the type of writing in which authors tell about events in their own lives. Normally the setting is described vividly and the anecdotes are often short and funny.
Why do you think the person wrote their autobiography? In the Long Walk to Freedom Nelson Mandela reveals a lot about the history of South Africa, his involvement in the African National Council and his 27 years spent in imprisonment. I believe Nelson Mandela wrote this book to show people how tough life was in South Arica and the consequences that come with a tough life. He writes a lot about his belief's and his leadership style. He wanted people to have a free life and he able to stand up for what they believe is right.
Who do you think their target audience was? I believe that the target audience for the Long Walk of Freedom was for black South Africans. Nelson Mandela was passionate and dedicated to fight against racial oppression and was determined to make it equal.
Long Walk To Freedom is more than the autobiography of a great man. It's a life story of a son who breaks from tradition and his family, a voice for liberty who is captured, isolated and imprisioned and a human being who in freeing himself to his demons, also became free to give his devoted leadership to his country and the world. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was born on the 18th of July 1918, and sadly passed away after a long battle from a respiratory infection on the 5th of December, 2013.
Quote from Mandela: " What counts in life is not mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead".
In the Long Walk To Freedom, Mandela said, " I dedicate this book to my six children, Madiba and Makaziwe (My first daughters), who are now deceased, and to Makgatho, Makaziwe, Zenani and Zindzi, whose support and love I treasure; to my twenty-one grandchildren and three great- grandchildren, who give me great pleasure; and to all my comrades, friends and fellow South Africans whom I serve and whose courage, determination and patriotism remain my source of inspiration".
Response & Text Response Questions -
What are the conventions of autobiography? Conventions of an autobiography are things like its usually written in first person which makes the text become personal and emotional, they are mostly written in past tense and are usually very anecdotal, at the front of the novel there normally is personal information about family background and members and that everything is the novel is non-fiction.
What are some of the stylistic elements commonly used in autobiographies? Autobiography is the type of writing in which authors tell about events in their own lives. Normally the setting is described vividly and the anecdotes are often short and funny.
Why do you think the person wrote their autobiography? In the Long Walk to Freedom Nelson Mandela reveals a lot about the history of South Africa, his involvement in the African National Council and his 27 years spent in imprisonment. I believe Nelson Mandela wrote this book to show people how tough life was in South Arica and the consequences that come with a tough life. He writes a lot about his belief's and his leadership style. He wanted people to have a free life and he able to stand up for what they believe is right.
Who do you think their target audience was? I believe that the target audience for the Long Walk of Freedom was for black South Africans. Nelson Mandela was passionate and dedicated to fight against racial oppression and was determined to make it equal.
Using evidence from the text construct a detailed timeline of the major events in the person’s life. You will need to include a summary of each event/ achievement explaining -
- 1918: July 18th Rolihlahla Mandela was born in the small village of Mveso on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. His father was Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa and his mother Nosekeni Fanny. Rolihlahla was given the name Nelson when he started school.
- 1927: Nelson's father passed away and he is placed under the guardianship of the acting chief of the Thembu tribe.
- 1937: He attended Wesleyan College in Fort Beaufort, then moved on to study at Fort Hare University.
- 1939: Nelson becomes involved in a boycott against the Universities policies and has to leave university.
- 1939: Nelson escaped an arranged marriage and runs to Johannesburg.
- 1939: He completed his BA through correspondence and studied Law at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
- 1943: Nelson Mandela become a member of the African National Congress.
- 1944: Nelson and Oliver Tambo, formed a Youth League of the African National Congress.
- 1944: Nelson Mandela married Evelyn Mase. They go on to have 4 children.
- 1948: The apartheid policy of segregation was set across South Africa
-1952: Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo opened the first black legal firm in South Africa.
- 1952: Nelson provided free and cheap legal aid to the black
- 1955: Freedom Charter calling for equal rights was adopted at the Congress of the people.
- 1956: On the 5th of December Nelson Mandela and 155 other political activists were charged with treason.
- 1957: Evelyn Mase and Nelson Mandela's marriage ended.
- 1958: Nelson Mandela married a women named Winnie. They had 2 children together.
- 1959: New laws passed separating homelands for black groups and increasing racial segregation.
- 1959: Pan Africanist Congress was formed and the ANC lost many of their members and financial support to the group.
- 1960: At the Sharpeville Massacre 69 black South Africans are shot by police at a peaceful protest and over 150 are wounded. And the ANC is banned and Nelson Mandela goes underground forming 'The Spear of the Nation' (MK) military group.
- 1961: Nelson issues a call to arms and becomes leader of the Umkhontoat ANC guerilla movement.
- 1962: On the 5th of August, Nelson Mandela was arrested and imprisoned in the Johannesburg Fort.
- 1962: On the 25th of October, he was sentenced to 5 years in prison.
- 1964: Nelson Mandela was recaptured, tried for treason and sabotage and is sentenced to life imprisonment. He is 46 years old and goes to Robben Island prison where he spends the next 18 years of his imprisonment, before being moved before his release in 1990.
- 1965: Rhodesian independence, with only white representation in government.
- 1968: Nelson Mandela lost his eldest son in a car crash and his mother also had passed away.
- 1968: The United Nations expels Rhodesia because of its apartheid policies.
- 1976: Steve Biko protested in Soweto and Sharpeville , result in the death of over 600 black people.
- 1977: Steve Biko was killed while in police custody.
- 1980: Oliver Tambo launched an international campaign to have Nelson released from prison.
- 1980: Zimbabwe gains independence.
- 1990: On the 11th of February Nelson Mandela was freed from prison after 27 years.
- 1991: Nelson Mandela became president of the ANC.
- 1992: Winnie Mandela was convicted of kidnapping and as an accessory to assault. That year Nelson and Winnie separated.
- 1993: Nelson Mandela and Frederik Willem de Klerk are awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1994: April 26th – first elections where blacks can vote. The ANC wins the election with 252 seats out of 400.
- 1994: Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first black President of South Africa in May.
- 1995: Nelson Mandela wore a Springbok shirt at the South African hosted Rugby World Cup, this was seen as a gesture of healing and trust between black and white.
- 1998: On the 18th of July Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel got married.
- 2000: Nelson Mandela was appointed mediator civil war in Burundi.
- 2001: Nelson Mandela was treated for prostate cancer.
- 2004: At 85 years of age Nelson Mandela announces retirement and was granted the honor of freedom of the city of Johannesburg.
- 2005: 6th of January Nelson Mandela's son Makgatho died of AIDS.
- 2009: The United Nations General Assembly declares July 18th 'Mandela Day' as a tribute to his contribution to world freedom.
- 2013: On the 5th of December Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95 in Johannesburg, suffering from a respiratory infection.
Consider how you felt about the events in the text, whether your perception of the person changed, and what your interpretation reveals about your own attitudes and values:
I believe that Nelson Mandela fought for every right he believed was a disadvantage to those who faced racial issues or who were black. My perspective of Nelson Mandela stayed the same through the whole text because I saw him as a leader and as a person who believed that every individual was equal.