How did the author feel to be besieged by dignitaries and world leaders?
Ans: It had been a pleasant experience for the author to be besieged by dignitaries and world leaders.
Dignitaries and world leaders came to meet the author to pay their respects before the inauguration of the democratically elected government of South Africa.
It was surely an occasion of honour for the author. But above all, the enthusiasm and warmth shown by dignitaries and world leaders symbolise their respect for democracy, freedom, and justice. The author could not help being happy about that.
On which day was the first democratic, non-racial government of South Africa installed?
Ans: The first democratic, non-racial government of South Africa was installed on 10 May,1994.
Why did the author say that he had been ‘pleasantly besieged’ by dignitaries and world leaders?
Ans: The author said so because he could not and did not hide his happiness over the ways the dignitaries and the world leaders responded to him and extended their support to the newly elected democratic government of South Africa.
He liked being ‘besieged’ by world leaders. It marked the respectful attitude the world had towards the newly installed democracy in South Africa.
How was the weather on the day the democratic government of South Africa was to be installed?
Ans: The weather was good on that very day. The day was bright and clear and symbolised a bright future for the people of South Africa.
Line: The ceremonies took place…..non-racial government.
Where did the swearing in ceremony take place?
Ans: The swearing in ceremony took place ‘in the lovely sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria’.
Which building had been the seat of white supremacy for decades?
Ans: The Union Buildings in Pretoria had been the seat of white supremacy in South Africa for decades.
What does the phrase ‘white supremacy’ signify?
Ans: The phrase ‘white supremacy’ refers to a discriminatory political system that had been established and operational in South Africa for years.
The very political system based on the racist approach propagated that white Europeans in South Africa were superior to the sons of the soil and discrimination against the people of colour was to be seen in every sphere of public administration, social as well as political life.
What does the phrase ‘rainbow gathering’ signify?
Ans: The phrase ‘rainbow gathering’ refers to a gathering of people across the world belonging to different caste, creed, race, religion, and culture. It refers to a gathering which is full of diversity and devoid of narrow and prejudiced consideration of the supremacy of one race over another. In this gathering, like a rainbow in which different colours exist side by side, people from different socio-political backgrounds join hands and stay together.
Where did the ‘rainbow gathering’ take place?
Ans: The ‘rainbow gathering’ took place in Pretoria, South Africa.
Why did the ‘rainbow gathering’ take place?
Ans: The ‘rainbow gathering’ took place on the occasion of the installation of the first democratically elected non-racial government in the political history of South Africa.
Line: On that lovely autumn……the Republic and its people.
Name the season of the year the inaugural ceremony took place.
Ans: The inauguration ceremony took place in the season of autumn.
Who accompanied the author in the swearing-in ceremony?
Ans: In the swearing in ceremony, the author was accompanied by Zenani, his daughter.
Who was the first person to be sworn in?
Ans: Mr. De Klerk was the first person to be sworn in.
Which post was Mr. de Klerk sworn in?
Ans: Mr. de Klerk was sworn in as the second deputy president of South Africa.
Who was the first deputy president of South Africa’s democratically elected government?
Ans: Thabo Mbeki was the first deputy president of South Africa’s democratically elected government.
What did the author pledge to obey and uphold when his turn came to swear in?
Ans: The author pledged to obey and uphold the constitution and to devote himself to the well being of his country and its people.
Line: Today, all of us……be proud.
What does the author refer to by the expression ‘newborn liberty’?
Ans: By the expression ‘newborn liberty', the author refers to the installation of the democratically elected first non racial government of South Africa.
This very event marked an end to an oppressive as well as a racial system of white’s people supremacy over the people of colour.
This very event marked an end to injustice and socio-political Liberty in the form of restoration of human rights for people of colour in South Africa.
What will all humanity be proud of ?
Ans: All humanity will be proud of a free and democratic society that was born out of the experience of a human disaster ushered in by an oppressive political system based on a racial approach of white people’s supremacy of the people of colour.
Line: ‘We, who were outlaws……human dignity.
Who had been referred to as outlaws?
Ans: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the author, and his associates who fought along with him for an end to the discriminating political system in South Africa were treated as outlaws during the reign of the racial government in South Africa.
Why does the author say thanks to international guests?
Ans: The author thanks the international guests for coming to South Africa to attend the inauguration ceremony of the democratic government and thereby supporting and becoming a part of the fight for universally acknowledged democratic values such as ‘justice’, ‘peace’, and ‘human dignity’.
Line: We have, at last,.....other discrimination.
What does the author mean by the expression ‘political emancipation’?
Ans: By ‘political emancipation’, the author refers to the installation of democratically elected government superseding the racial one. It marks the restoration of all the fundamental rights of the people of colour in South Africa. It refers to the effort of paying respect to democratic values of freedom and justice through the installation of a democratically elected government as the mainstream political system.
Name the elements from whose bondage the author pledges to liberate his people.
Ans: The author pledges to liberate his people from ‘the bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender, and other discrimination.’
Line: A few moments later…….the new South African flag.
What does the array of South African jets, helicopters, and troop carriers stand for?
Ans: The array of South African jets, helicopters, and troop carriers stand for a demonstration of the military force of the country.
How did the highest generals of the South African defence force and police treat the author?
Ans: On the eve of the swearing in ceremony of the first democratically elected government in South Africa, the highest generals of the country’s defence force and police treated the author with awe. They saluted him and pledged their loyalty to him.
What difference did the author perceive in the attitude of the police and the defence staff towards the author in the time of pre-democratic government and after the installation of the democratic government in South Africa?
Ans: Nelson Mandela, the author of the prose piece and the president of the non-racial government in South Africa, noticed a huge difference in the way personnel from the South African defence force and the police treated him during the Apartheid era and post -Apartheid era.
The generals and the police who were ever in search of an opportunity to arrest him in the time of Apartheid started saluting him and pledged their loyalty for him without any hesitation.
Line: The day was symbolised…….words by heart.
What symbolised the day?
Ans: The day was symbolised by the playing of the two national anthems of South Africa side by side. The whites singing ‘nkosi Sikelel' ’- iAfrika’ and the blacks singing their traditional ‘Die Stem’.
This marked unity in diversity which had been so far absent in South Africa’s socio-political arena which was deeply divided between the whites and the blacks.
How many national anthems does South Africa have?
Ans: South Africa has two national anthems.
What is ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ - iAfrika’?
Ans: ‘Nkosi Sikelel’- iAfrika’ is the African version of the song ‘Long Live Africa’.It was sung by the white people of South Africa and enjoyed the status of the national anthem of the country.
What is ‘Die Stem’?
Ans: ‘Die Stem’ is a traditional hymn sung by the indigenous people of South Africa and held by them as an alternative to ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ - iAfrika’. (elaborate)
What is the significance of playing the two anthems side by side?
Ans: There was a rivalry between the whites and the blacks over the two songs i.e - ‘Nkosi Sikelel’ - iAfrika’ and ‘Die Stem’ sung respectively by the whites and the blacks.
The white and the black were not ready to accept the other community’s song as the national anthem.
The sentiment of both of the communities was taken into account by playing both the songs one after another. Thus a balance was made between them. It may well be seen as an effort to start a cultural exchange between them.
The event is symbolic of the efforts put in to create an atmosphere of national harmony in the country.
Line: On the day of the inauguration……the colour of their skin.
When did the Anglo-Boer war take place?
Ans: Anglo-Boer war took place in the first decade of the twentieth century.
What did the white people do after the Anglo-Boer war?
Ans: The white people of European origin in South Africa had conflict of interests that led them to fight a bitter war known as the Anglo- Boer war. The two sides engaged in the war were the English and the French.
But eventually they realised the futility of such a war and came to an understanding. They erected a political system based on the racial approach of white supremacy over the indigenous people of the land to protect and further their interest by exploiting the people of colour - both politically and economically.
How was the system that the white people erected in South Africa?
Ans: The system the white people erected was ‘a system of racial domination’ against the indigenous black people of South Africa.
It was an abusive system that exploited the black people by denying them their rights to live a life of dignity and diversity.
How was the system that replaced the one that was erected by the white people?
Ans: The system that replaced the one erected by the white people was based on democratic values such as equality, justice, fraternity, peace, and human dignity. It marked the end of an oppressive system which had been based on a prejudiced and narrow minded approach that advocated white supremacy over the rest.
What are the differences between two systems? / How is the new system different from the earlier one?
Ans: The differences between the two systems are huge. They are worlds apart.
The system erected by the white people was an oppressive one that was overtly racist and sprung from a deeply ingrained feudalistic mindset.
But the new system was based on justice, peace, and equality that sprung from a democratic mindset.
Line: That day had come about ……. had wrought.
‘That day had come about….’ - Which day is referred to here?
Ans: The day on which the democratically elected government was sworn in overthrowing an oppressive system based on racist prejudices was a memorable one.
How was the installation of a democratic government realised?
Ans: The installation of a democratic government was made possible because of the sacrifices of thousands of people who were victims of an oppressive political system based on racial prejudices.
Continual struggle against the racial system and a burning desire to overthrow it made the dream of a democratic government based on democratic values such as freedom, equality, justice, and peace a reality.
How did the author acknowledge the contribution of thousands of people who fought for democracy?
Ans: The author was fully conscious of the contributions made by thousands of people. He uses the expression ‘unimaginable sacrifices’ to acknowledge their contribution. He felt that their sufferings and courage could never be ‘counted or replied’. He also expressed his pain that he was unable to thank them. It also gave him pain that those who made sacrifices would never be able to see the outcome of their sacrifices.
Line: The policy of apartheid…..the purest diamonds.
What are the effects of the policy of apartheid on the people of South Africa?
Were they all good? Discuss both of them.
Ans: According to Nelson Mandela, the author, the policy of apartheid had two contradictory effects on the people of South Africa. It created a deep wound in the minds of the people. Between two groups of people, it created a deep division that weakened the nation from within.
But the author sees it as a blessing in disguise because the oppressive nature of the apartheid policy produced leaders of ‘extraordinary courage, wisdom, and generosity’ who fought for a better system and strengthened the country from within.
Name some of the leaders who were the product of the oppressive policy of apartheid.
Ans: Some of the leaders who were the production of the oppressive policy of apartheid were Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fisher, Robert Sobukwe.
‘Oppressive system gives rise to leaders of strong character who fight for justice.’ - Explain
Ans: An oppressive socio-political system is based on injustice, exploitation of one by another, and disregard for human rights. Such a system poses challenges to each and everyone who seeks to defy it and tries to crush him or her. No freedom-loving person can tolerate such a situation and they emerge victorious overcoming all the challenges posed by the system. They, indeed, come out as leaders having strong character and respect for justice.
How does the author compare the people of his country with minerals and gems? Why does the author make such a comparison?
Ans: The author is well-aware of the presence of valuable minerals beneath the soil of his country. But as a humanist, he values his countrymen more than the valuable minerals. He, in a convinced manner, says that he knows the greatest wealth of his country is its people. He even compares his countrymen with top quality diamonds and declares that his countrymen are finer and truer than those diamonds.
The author uses such a comparison to show his deep faith in his countrymen.
Line: It is from these comrades……conquers that fear.
Who taught the author the meaning of courage? How?
Ans: The author's struggle against the oppressive system taught him the meaning of courage.
The author stood witness to the activities of men and women who were subjected to attacks and tortures. He saw people risking their lives for an idea; he saw people showing strength and resilience by silently bearing with torture without breaking.
These types of sacrifices and resilience revealed before the author the true meaning of courage - that courage did not mean the absence of fear but the triumph over it.
What did the author learn about the true meaning of courage?
Ans: The true meaning of courage taught the author that someone who is not at all afraid is not a brave man. The definition of bravery is something different for the author. To him, one, who overcomes fear, is the real brave man.
[ Both fear and bravery are human qualities. It is normal for a human being to be afraid of what threatens or challenges his or her existence. Because the tendency of self-preservation is a natural instinct. One who can ignore that natural instinct by fighting with his or her inner self is a real brave person.]
Who, according to the author, is a brave man?
Ans: One who conquers his or her fear is a brave man.
What did the author see men and women doing?
Ans: The author saw men and women indulging in feats of bravery by risking
and sacrificing their lives for an idea. He saw men standing up to attacks
and torture without breaking, thereby showing an unimaginable
amount of strength and resilience.
Line: No one is born hating another person….but never extinguished.
Is hatred an inborn phenomena that comes naturally to man? How can it be countered?
Ans: Hatred is not an inborn phenomena that comes naturally to man. No one is congenitally hateful towards another because of one’s race or religion.
Hatred can be countered by teaching people the bliss of love, help people realise the power of love and awakening in them the magic of love which remains in a dormant state in each and everybody.
What did the author and his comrades not fail to observe even in the grimmest times in prison? What does it signify
Ans: The author and his comrades did not fail to observe ‘a glimmer of humanity’ in one of the prison guards. They did not fail to observe hope and optimism even in the face of great disaster.
It meant that they did not lose hope even if they found themselves in a trying situation. They showed optimism and positive mindset in their effort to find out traces of humanity in a world characterised by injustice and cruelty.
Mention the figure of speech used in the expression 'Man's goodness is a flame. … . ‘.
Why does the author say that man's goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never extinguished’?
Ans: Man’s goodness is directly compared to ‘flame’. A word such as ‘like’ has not been used. The figure of speech used here is metaphor.
The author has tremendous faith in the inner goodness of man. It may be suppressed by external circumstances but can never be erased. This goodness symbolises hope for a prosperous society based on peace and equality.
Hence, the author intends to say that he does not lose hope for a society which will be based on finer human values. And at the same time, he does not lose faith in man's goodness which is going to be the sole driving factor behind such a society.
Line: In life every man has twin.….a father and husband.
How many obligations does a man have in his life?
What are they?
Ans: A man has two obligations in his life - obligations to his family and obligations to his people.
How does a country like South Africa differ from a Civil and humane society when it comes to fulfilling the obligations that a man has in his life?
Ans: The South African society differs from a civil and humane society when it comes to fulfilling the obligations that a man has in his life. In a civil and humane society, a man is free to fulfill his obligations towards his family and his people simultaneously. But in South Africa, one cannot fulfill these two obligations simultaneously. Because in South Africa, anyone wishing to serve one’s own community without having a white background, is definitely going to incur the wrath of white people and he is barred from living a normal life like any other human being.
What treatment a man of colour in South Africa is mated out to if he or she attempted to live as a human being?
Ans: A man of colour in South Africa is meted out a very harsh treatment if he tries to live as a human being. He is punished and isolated if he tries to live as a human being.
What consequences did a man of colour in South Africa face while trying to fulfill his duty to his people?
Ans: For the ruling white people of South Africa, it meant rebellion against them if a man of colour attempted to fulfill his duty to his people. Therefore, if a man of colour attempted to do so, he would face dire consequences. He would be subjected to all types of hardship in leading his normal day to day life. He would be separated from his family and would be forced to live the secretive life of a rebel.
What did the author personally experience while trying to serve people? What did he do in response?
Ans: The author’s personal experience while trying to serve his people was not encouraging at all. He found it difficult to fulfill both of his obligations towards his people and his family. While trying to fulfill his duty towards his people, he found that he was prevented from fulfilling his obligations to his family as a son, as a brother, as a father, and also as a husband.
Line: I,was not born with.… .. laws of a man or god.
What were the actions that symbolised freedom for the author in his boyhood?
Ans: In his boyhood, the author considered actions that gave him pure physical pleasures as symbolic of freedom. To him, returning in the fields near his mother’s hut symbolised freedom; an opportunity to swim in the clear stream that crisscrossed the village symbolised freedom; ‘to roast mealies under the stars……,’ and to ‘ride the broad backs of slow-moving bulls’ symbolised freedom.
What idea do you get of the author's idea of freedom in his initial years/ in his boyhood?
Ans: same as above
Line: It was only when I began to……obstructed in a lawful life.
How was the observation of the author about his boyhood freedom?
Ans: The author observed that his boyhood freedom was an illusion. He realised that his freedom had already been taken from him. As the author grew in age, his idea of freedom gradually changed and began to take a mature shape. He discovered that his right to live as a human being and honing his skills to showcase his full potential to the world was seriously curtailed. He discovered that he was denied basic human rights.
When did the author begin to hunger for freedom? /What realisation prompted the author to hunger for freedom?
Ans: The author began to hunger for freedom when he realised that his boyhood freedom was an illusion; when he realised what he thought to be freedom was not the true freedom.
What freedom did the author want as a student ?
Ans: see the answer in Q No. 55
What freedom did the author want as a young man?
Ans: As a young man, the author longed for ‘the basic and honourable
freedoms’ of achieving his potential. He wanted the freedom to live a life full
of self-respect and full of new possibilities. He wanted the freedom to earn,
to get married and to have a family. In other words, he wanted the freedom
that could offer him an atmosphere in which he could flourish as a
professional and as a family man.
What freedom, according to the author, are basic and honourable?
Ans: The freedom of achieving one’s full potential, of earning , and of marrying and having a family are basic and honourable. Hence, these are not to be obstructed in a lawful life.
Line: But then I slowly saw……were the chains on me.
When and why did the author join the American National Congress?
Ans: The author’s decision to join the African National Congress w followed by a realisation on his part. With time he saw that he was not free. He also realised that people of his colour had their freedom curtailed by the ruling class. When the author realised this, he joined the African National Congress.
When and why did the hunger for the author's own Freedom became the hunger for the freedom of all his people?
Ans: When the author realised that he along with the people who belonged to his communities - all had their freedom curtailed, he decided to join the African National Congress. That was the time when the author’s own hunger for freedom got transformed into the hunger for the freedom of all his people.
The author realised that his freedom being curtailed is not an isolated incident. Rather it should be looked upon in its entirety. When an entire community is denied freedom, the author as a part of that community cannot expect anything different from the ruling class. The author as an individual was like other individuals who came from the same community from which the author came. All of them suffered equally under the discriminatory rule administered by the political system based on racial prejudices.
How was the author's life animated?
Ans: The author’s life was animated to see the desire of the people from his community for freedom to live a life of dignity and self-respect.
How was the author’s life transformed?
Ans: The desire of the people of his community for freedom, for a dignified life and their love for self-respect inspired the author and gave him the courage and strength to stand up against the injustice and inequality the people of his community were subjected to. The spirit of the people of his community did wonder to him and helped him shade his identity as a regular law-abiding citizen and a family man and emerge as a bold, dare devil, and self-sacrificing fighter ever ready to fight for bonafide rights of people.
When, according to the author, one cannot enjoy his or her freedom?
Ans: A person as an individual cannot enjoy his or her freedom when the other people of the society he or she belongs to or the other members of the community he or she belongs to are not free. Freedom cannot be enjoyed in isolation. It is a shared experience. So one cannot enjoy it all alone especially when others around him or her are found to be reeling under bondage and oppression.
Why does the author say that freedom is ‘indivisible’?
Ans: Freedom, especially the political one, is indivisible because it may not be experienced by any individual in isolation away from society. It is a collective feeling enjoyed by each and every member of an oppressed community.
Why does the author say that the chains on all of his people were the chains on him?
Ans: He says so because he feels deep mental attachment with all the people of his community.
Line: I know that the oppressor…… robbed of their humanity
Why did the author say that the oppressor must be liberated?
Ans: The oppressor must be liberated because he or she acts under the bondage of hatred. The oppressor’s mind is held hostage by a fierce sense of hatred. He or she, like a helpless person, does what his or her hateful mind dictates him or her to do. The oppressor’s mind drudges under the slavery of malicious feelings such as hatred and prejudice.
What are the shackles from whose bondage the oppressor must be liberated?
Ans: The oppressor must be liberated from the shackles of hatred, prejudice, and narrowmindedness.
What is the impact of hatred, prejudice and narrow-mindedness on the human mind?
Ans: They rob people of their humanity. They destroy one’s power to think and look at things liberally. They make people their slaves.
Why is one not truly free if he or she takes away someone else's freedom?
Ans: Taking away one’s freedom is in itself an abnormal thing to do. Hence, one should avoid indulging in such an activity. The emotion that instigates one to indulge in doing so is also an abnormal emotion. The man who does so acts under the diktat of that abnormal emotion or idea - be it hatred, prejudice, or narrowmindedness. So such a person whose mind is so captured by negative emotions and ideas can never be truly free.
Conclusion
Once you have finished reading this one, you may also read a detailed analysis and discussion on A Letter to God that would be helpful to clear your doubts and do well in the board examination.
Categories
CBSE Class X, Class X Prose, Long way to Freedom
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