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Practice each question, then open the answer or worked solution.
What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
Mandela mentions two obligations that every man has in life – (i) obligations to his family, to his parents, to his wife and children; and (ii) he has an obligation to his people, his community and his country.
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”?
Like any other kid, Mandela felt freedom meant being happy, making merry and enjoying the blissful life in his childhood years. However, when a young fellow becomes an adult, the antics of childhood look transitory because all the childish activities are worthless from an adult’s perspective. When a person becomes an adult, he learns to earn a livelihood and earn his own bread and butter. In such a scenario, he understands the basic and honourable freedom in his family and the society that he lives in.
Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/Why not?
Mandela does not feel that the oppressor is free because, in his opinion, an oppressor is like a victim 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 and peace of mind.