what meaning did Nelson Mandela find in the word 'freedom' as a boy and as a student? How does he contrast the meanings of these 'transitory freedoms' with the basic and honourable freedoms'? Write in 100 - 150 words
Answers
Nelson Mandela has compared two freedoms, stating that he was limited to the transitory freedoms he desired, while the noble freedoms had to do more with the role of his citizens in society.
- When Nelson Mandela was young, he used to run freely in the fields and swim in the streams in his village. For him, freedom at that time was restricted to his own freedom.
- As a boy, Mandela wasn't eager to be free, because he thought he was born free. As long as he obeyed his father, and kept up with his tribe's traditions, he was safe in every way he knew.
- As a student, freedom meant hanging out in the evenings, reading whatever he liked or going anywhere he wanted.
- Yet later he realized that this kind of liberty was just an illusion. To him, the foundation and noble freedom had been to fulfill his ability, gain his survival, marry, and have a child.
As a child Mandela thought freedom meant freedom to run in the fields near his mother’s hut, freedom to swim in the clear stream that ran through his village, freedom to roast mealies under the stars and ride the broad backs of slow-moving bulls.
As a student he believed freedom meant being able to stay out at night, read what he pleased and go where he chose. Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, he yearned for the basic and honourable freedoms of achieving his potential, of earning his keep, of marrying and having a family — the freedom not to be obstructed in a lawful life.
Achieving total freedom from the evil of apartheid became his prime motive of survival. He just wanted to live like a common man and enjoy the common blessings of life. He also wanted this freedom for the colored people of South Africa.