‘comprehension Check Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone? The ceremonies took place in the sandstone “Amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Some public buildings in India made of sandstone are the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Red Fort in Delhi. Can you say how 10th May is an ‘autumn day! in South Africa? As South Aftica is in the southern hemisphere, the month of May has the autumn season. Thus, 10th May was an autumn day. 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? By mentioning ‘an extraordinary human disaster’, Mandela is referring to the practice of apartheid followed in South Africa. This meant that there was racial segregation based on colour, due to which the blacks suffered a lot. They were not allowed to demand freedom and did not had any basic human right. 0 The ‘glorious ......... human achievement’ that Mandela referred to in the end was that as South Africa had gained its freedom, a black person had become its President. Tewas an achievement for the nation as earlier racial discrimination, oppression and rorture was the basis of the nation. Now with the first non-racial democracy, ‘each and every human was entitled to certain Tights, freedoms and equality which were earlier denied 4 What does Mandela thank the international leaders for? 1 Mandela thanked the international leaders for their Presence in the inaugural ceremony. Due to their Presence, the event could be considered as a common Victory of the South African people for justice, peace and human dignity. CERT FOLDER we have covered questions given in the NCERT textbook along with their answers.) 5 What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa? ‘Mandela set out certain ideals for the future of South Africa, He stated that all people would be free from poverty, deprivation, suffering and discrimination ofall kinds. They would never be made slaves again. All of them would enjoy equal rights and privileges. Oral Comprehension Check 1 What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed and why? Ans. The military generals saluted Mandela to express their loyalty co democracy. Ans. ‘Their attitude has changed from what ic used to be before the ceremony. Earlier these generals had treated Mandela as a criminal, and had arrested him. This attitude is changed due tothe fact chat Mandela ‘was now the elected President of their country. 2 Why were two National anthems sung? Ans, ‘Two National anthems, one of the blacks and the other of the whites, were sung to end racial prejudice. Ic was done co signify equality of both the races. 3 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? Ans. Mandela describes the systems of government in his country as follows () In the first decade of the twentieth century, the white-skinned people of South Africa ended their own differences. They started a system of racial domination against the dark-skinned people of South Africa. The system they created formed the basis of harsh and most inhumane societies the world had ever known. (i) In the final decade of the twentieth century, the previous tem had been removed Forres Ie sn replaced by one that the delisted eco eel ponies less of the colour oftheir skin,Alléane English Language and Literature Class a ————————— ee SS—S—S—TTT 4 What does courage mean to Mandela? Ans. For Mandela, courage did not mean the absence of fear, but the victory over it. According to him, brave man did not need to be fearless, but they should be able to conquer fear. 5 What does he think is natural, to love or to hate? Ans. He thinks love is natural, whereas hate is not natural. The feeling of love comes to our heart naturally. On the other hand, we have to learn how to hate, as this feeling does not develop by itself. Oral Comprehension Check 1 Which ‘twin obligations' does Mandela mention? Or What, according to Nelson Mandela, are a man's twin obligations? CBSE 2019 Ans. According to Nelson Mandela, every man has twin obligations. The first obligation is to look after his family, parents, wife and children. The second obligation is to serve his people, his community and his country. 2 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’? Asa boy, for Mandela ‘being free’ did not have much meaning as he thought he was born free. He was free to do t he liked. He believed that as long as he obeyed his father and the rules of his tribe, he was free in every way. As a student, Mandela realised that the freedoms that he enjoyed as a child was an illusion and he was actually not free. Then, he wanted the temporary freedom that existed only for his own self. He wanted freedom to stay out at night, read what he pleased and go wherever he wanted. Mandela contrasts these ‘transitory freedoms’ wich ‘the basic and honorable freedoms’. Now, he wanted to achieve his potential, earn his money, marry and start his family. These freedoms unlike the transitory freedoms revolved around himself as well as the ‘his community. This freedom existed ion. Ans, Thinking about the Text 1 Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of? A large number of international leaders atte the inauguration to pay their respects to the freedom of South Africa. It signified the triumph of the people over discrimination and oppression. It also Signified the recognition of human equality. Ans. 2 What does Mandela mean when he says}, is “simply the sum of all those African — patriots” who had gone before him? When Mandela says he is ‘simply the sum ofl those African Patriots’, he means that he represents the ideals and the dreams for which the African patriots sacrified their lives. These patriots for him created a path of unity and _ cooperation which supported him in his journey to get South Africa free. In other words, as the new President of the nation, he represented the vision of all African freedom fighters. Ans. 3 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? Yes, I agree that the ‘depths of oppression’ creates ‘heights of character’. To illustrate this, Mandela gives the example of many patriots like Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Chief Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos, etc. These freedom fighters emerged due to the extreme oppression faced by the blacks. They had extraordinary courage, wisdom and generosity. We can also add our own examples to illustrate this. In our freedom struggle, the oppression the Britishers produced courageous patriots s as Bhagat Singh, Lala Lajpat Rai and Mahatma Gandhi, besides many others. 4 How did Mandela's understanding of freedom change with age and experien®® Mandela’s understanding of freedom changed? loc with age and experience. As a child, freedo' ‘o for him meant doing things that he wanted (© 3 because he was born free. For him, as long * obeyed his father and followed the rules of hs tribe, he was free in every way. Ans. Ans.As he grew up, he realised that freedom that he enjoyed as a young boy was just an illusion. Infact he did not have any freedom, Now he developed a desire to gain freedom. When he was a student the freedom was just for himself but soon he wanted freedom for his community. Mandela slowly realised that not only his but the freedom of all blacks was also curtailed (deprived). With this understanding, he developed a hunger for freedom of his people and started working for it. 5 How did Mandela's ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life? Ans. When Mandela realised that the entire Black community lacked freedom, his life changed. A ‘hunger for freedom’ of his people to live a life of respect and dignity transformed him. Because of this hunger, the frightened young man transformed to a bold man. He built his entire life around fighting for the basic fundamental rights for He wa re selfless and virtuous mo} es penne nenaLong Answer (LA) Type Questions do you think about the obligations When Mandela was a child, the author never the author is talking about? Also thought of such an obligation. But as he grew older Bhi : and started thinking about them in his oppressive ; ngs for them. society, he realised that he could not falfl them, In ieee. hina ee, his attempt to fulfil his duty to his people, towards his famil arents wife and children comensiiey and patigaale = ten away from his Whe Lis oo his bie eee mer family and home. He had to live in secrecy. He Rieti becson. one "ig $ to fulfill could aah es Se family asa 2 these obligations. But being a black in South ee ie ee a ae a 9 Real a man was not free to perform his Mandela couldn’t enjoy the fulfilment of his twin tions. He got punished if he tried to live as a obligations. However, he fought for his peop oe} ; pe2 peas the yee of freedom for human beings and how it is important for the growth of civilisation and humanism as described in the lesson ‘Nelson Mandela : Long Walk to Freedom’. ; CBSE 2014 } The value of freedom is better known to that human being who has not enjoyed it till he gets it. A person, who is bounded within limits and not allowed to perform his duties freely, values freedom more than anyone else. For instance, the value of freedom is known better to Mandela who remained behind bars for most of his li fe. Think about a bird or animal which is caged. As it has the habit of living with full freedom, but in the cage, it is not free and its condition is very pitiable. Similarly, life becomes hell if we are deprived of freedom. There is no growth of civilisation as it grows only when one has freedom. Similarly, humanism grows in the atmosphere of freedom. If a man is free to do his duties, he can produce better results. An oppressed person always commits mistakes and is unable to perform well, so freedom is important for the growth of civilisation.