4. Long Walk to Freedom
Extract from Nelson Mandel's autobiography
Notes compiled by Shabir Sir English
1. Why is May 10 an “autumn day” in South Africa?
Ans. May 10 is an autumn day in South Africa because on this day the South African
blacks were able to obtain freedom from the whites. May 10 has a symbolic
meaning were. just l like farmers get the fruit of their hard work in “autumn,
similarly the blacks were able to reap the fruit of their hard work on May 10 1994
when they got political freedom.
2. At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentioned “an extraordinary
human disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious human
achievement” he speaks of at the end?
Ans: By “an extraordinary human disaster” Mandela means the white rule over the
blacks in South Africa. “The glorious human achievement ” refers to the freedom of
South African black A.
3. What ideals he set out for the future of South Africa?
Ans: He aims to liberate his people from various bondages, like poverty, deprivation,
suffering. He also dreams of a society where there would be no discrimination based
on gender or racial origins.
4. Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the
inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
Ans: A large number of international leaders attended the inauguration to pay their
respect to the new government. It signified the triumph of human dignity.
5. What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those
African Parrots” who had gone before him?
Ans: Mandela wants to pay his tribute to all the people who had sacrificed their lives
for the sake of freedom. To him freedom for all blacks was not a man’s show. In fact,
all the blacks contributed for that noble cause. That is why he says so.
Extract from Nelson Mandel's autobiography
Notes compiled by Shabir Sir English
1. Why is May 10 an “autumn day” in South Africa?
Ans. May 10 is an autumn day in South Africa because on this day the South African
blacks were able to obtain freedom from the whites. May 10 has a symbolic
meaning were. just l like farmers get the fruit of their hard work in “autumn,
similarly the blacks were able to reap the fruit of their hard work on May 10 1994
when they got political freedom.
2. At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentioned “an extraordinary
human disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious human
achievement” he speaks of at the end?
Ans: By “an extraordinary human disaster” Mandela means the white rule over the
blacks in South Africa. “The glorious human achievement ” refers to the freedom of
South African black A.
3. What ideals he set out for the future of South Africa?
Ans: He aims to liberate his people from various bondages, like poverty, deprivation,
suffering. He also dreams of a society where there would be no discrimination based
on gender or racial origins.
4. Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the
inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
Ans: A large number of international leaders attended the inauguration to pay their
respect to the new government. It signified the triumph of human dignity.
5. What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those
African Parrots” who had gone before him?
Ans: Mandela wants to pay his tribute to all the people who had sacrificed their lives
for the sake of freedom. To him freedom for all blacks was not a man’s show. In fact,
all the blacks contributed for that noble cause. That is why he says so.
