NCERT Solution of Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 1:
Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India that are made of sandstone?
Answer
The ceremonies took place in the campus of the Union Building of Pretoria, which were attended by dignitaries and leaders of many nations.
In India; Rashtrapati Bhavan and Red Fort are buildings made of red sandstone.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 2:
Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
Answer
As South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, may falls in the autumn season. Thus 10th May is an ‘autumn day’.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 3:
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?
Answer
By human disaster Mandela means to say that coloured people have suffered a lot due to discrimination in the hands of whites.
He considered it as great glorious human achievement that a black person became the president of a country where the blacks are not considered as human being and are treated badly.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 4:
What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?
Answer
Mandela thanks the international leaders for coming to take possession with the native people of South Africa. It is a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 5:
What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
Answer
Mandela set out the ideals of poverty alleviation, removal of suffering of people. He also set the ideal for a society where there would be no discrimination based on gender or racial origins.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 6:
What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
Answer
The military earlier arrested and disrespected the Blacks. But after Mandela became the President of South Africa, the highest military generals of South Africa saluted Mandela and pledged their loyalty towards the new emerging Africa.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 7:
Why were two national anthems sung?
Answer
Nelson Mandela wanted to make Africa a safe and equal country for everyone and promote universal brotherhood. So, on the day of the inauguration one national anthem was sung by whites and the other by blacks.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 8:
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?
Answer
(i) In the first decade of the century, the whites erected a system of racial domination against the blacks, thus creating the basis of one of the harshest and most inhumane societies the world had ever known.
(ii) In the final decade of the 20th century, the . previous system had been overturned and replaced by one which recognised rights and freedom of all people regardless of color of their skin.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 9:
What does courage mean to Mandela?
Answer
For Mandela courage does not mean the absence of fear but a victory over fear. According to him brave men need not be fearless but should be able to conquer fear.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 10:
Which does he think is natural, to love or to hate?
Answer
For Mandela, love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 11:
What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
Answer
Mandela mentions that every man has twin obligations. The first is to his family, parents, wife and children; the second obligation is to his people, his community and his country.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 12:
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”?
Answer
When Mandela says that he was ‘simply the sum of all African patriots,’ he means that he could identify with the unimaginable sacrifices of all those noble and courageous men who fought for the collective freedom of the African people. He was pained that he could not thank them and that they could not see what their sacrifices had wrought.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 13:
Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/Why not?
Answer
Mandela does not feel that the oppressor is free because according to him an oppressor is a prisoner of hatred, who is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. He feels that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 14:
Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
Answer
The presence of large number of international leaders was a gesture of solidarity from international community to the idea of the end of apartheid.
It signified the triumph of good over evil, the triumph of the idea of a tolerant society without any discrimination.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 15:
What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before him?
Answer
By saying that he is simply the sum of all those African patriots, Mandela wants to pay his tribute to all the people who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of freedom. He says that he is grateful to those who had gone before him because those heroes of past had paved the path of co-operation and unity for him. Therefore, he could try to come to power to bring equality for his people with their support.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 16:
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?
Answer
Yes, I agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”. Nelson Mandela illustrates this by giving examples of great heroes of South Africa who sacrificed their lives in the long freedom struggle. India is full of such examples. During our freedom struggle there was a galaxy of leaders of great characters. Probably the oppression of British rule created so many men of such characters. If we compare this with the quality of political leaders India is having today, then Nelson Mandela seems to be absolutely right.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 17:
How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Answer
With age and experience, Mandela understood the real meaning of freedom. As a young boy, he thought that he was born free and believed that as long as he obeyed his father and abided by the customs of his tribe, he was free in every possible manner. As he grew older, freedom to raise a family and freedom to earn livelihood started dominating his thoughts. Gradually he realised that he was selfish during his boyhood. He slowly understood that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. It was the freedom from fear and prejudice. Age and experience widened his perspective of freedom.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Question 18:
How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?
Answer
Mandela realised in his youth that it was not just his freedom that was being curtailed, but the freedom of all blacks. This changed the fearfulman to a fearless rebel.
He sacrificed the comforts of a settled family life to fight for a greater cause. He joined the African National Congress and this changed him from a frightened young man into a bold one who fought against racial prejudice.
Class 10 English Chapter 2 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
