Q.1.
Why May 10 is an „autumn day‟ in South Africa?
Ans:
As we all are aware of the fact that in autumn season almost all plants shed their leaves
and later give birth to new ones. In the same way, in South Africa, there was an
eradication of all discriminations of colour, creed, caste, gender, etc., on May 10, 1994
and was the birth of new democratic, non-racial government on the same day because the
country had been under Britishers for a long time. That is why May 10 is an autumn day
in South Africa.
Q.2.
At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions. “an extraordinary human
disaster”. What does he mean by at the end?
Ans:
By “an extraordinary human disaster” Mandela means that the people in South Africa of
his own colour and creed suffered a lot by the whites by legalizing a cruel policy of
apartheid. They were oppressed for a long time and were not given their freedom (right).
It created a deep and lasting wound in them which was really an extraordinary human
disaster. Now they are free and are not oppressed any more. There is no racial
discrimination at all which is called as the glorious human achievement.”
Q.3.
What ideals does Mandela set for the future of South Africa?
Ans:
Mandela set the following ideals for the future of South Africa:
a.
All our people are to be liberated from the continuing bondage (slavery) of
poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.
b.
The country never shall again experience the oppression of one by another.
c.
Glorious human achievement should remain evergreen in South Africa.
Q.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 because it was a
common victory for justice, peace and for human dignity.
It signified the triumph of humanity against overall racial discriminations like colour,
creed, caste, gender etc. It recognized the rights and freedom of all peoples, irrespective
of colour of their skin.
Q.5.
What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all the “African
Patriots” Who had gone before him?
Ans:
When Mandela says he is “simply the sum of all the African Patriots” who had gone
before him, he means that he too had to suffer a lot by the whites and was the part and
parcel of their struggle for freedom. Their suffering and courage can never be counted
and he was pained that he was not able to thank them and that they were not able to see
what their sacrifices had achieved. Besides, he means to say that „this day‟ would not
have been possible without their sacrifice. It is only because of them that he sees himself
the first Black President of South Africa.
Q.6.
Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”?
How does Mandela illustrate this?
Ans:
Yes, we do agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”. During the
cruel policy of apartheid, people of South Africa were oppressed and suffered a lot. It
created a deep and lasting wound in them (blacks). Thousands of people sacrificed their
lives for the cause of freedom because they were not given their rights by the whites It is
a fact, the more you oppress or agonize anyone, the more he becomes powerful in action.
This very fact has been illustrated by Mandela in a way that he says it is because of this
oppression and the brutality that people turn out to be brave, courageous and heroic and
that is what produced the Oliver Tambos, the Walter, Sisulus, the chief Luthulis, the
Yusuf Dadoos, the Bram Fischers, the Robert Sobukives, of that time who were the men
of extraordinary courage, wisdom, passion and generousity.
Q.7.
What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
Ans:
Twin obligations mentioned by Mandela are as:
In one obligation, every man has to work for his family−his parents, his wife and
children. In another obligation, he has to work for his people, his community and his
country.
Q.8.
How did Mandela‟s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Ans:
With the advancement of age and experience, Mandela‟s understanding of freedom
changed his outlook. When he was a boy, he learned that his boyhood freedom was an
illusion and as a young man he discovered that his freedom had already been taken away
from him. With the passage of time, he felt that it was not just his freedom that was
curtailed but the freedom of everyone who looked like him was prevented. So he joined
the African National Congress Democratic Party to get his people free from the whites‟
oppression and brutality.
Q.9.
How did Mandela‟s “hunger for freedom” change his life?
Ans:
When Mandela comes to know that it was not only his freedom that was curtailed but the
freedom of the people of his own birth and colour was also prevented, his “hunger for
freedom” changed his way of life. He saw that his people wanted to be free from
oppression and brutality and desired that his people should live with dignity and self
respect which in turn inspired his life. It resulted that the frightened young man urged to
convert into a bold one, a law-abiding attorney became a criminal, a family loving
husband turned a homeless man and a life loving man lived like a monk. He found that he
could not enjoy the poor and limited freedoms until and unless his people were free.
Writing work
Draw a character sketch of any one of the following:
a.
Nelson Mandela
b.
M.K. Gandhi
Ans:
Nelson Mandela:
Nelson Mandela was born on July 18, 1918 in Transkei, a village near Umtata, South
Africa. He is the real crusader who struggled for Africans to get them free from the
whites. He is a former president of South Africa and was an anti-apartheid activist who
spent 27 years in prison as South Africa courts convicted him on charges of sabotage and
far other crimes committed by him. In South Africa, he is popularly known as Madiba.
He has received more than 100 awards over forty years and is also the recipient of Nobel
Peace Prize in 1993. The main goal of his life was liberation of South Africa from the
clutches of apartheid. He thinks that freedom is seminal to human dignity. He calls
apartheid “an extraordinary human disaster” and freedom as “a glorious human
achievement”. He thinks that people must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate, they
can be taught to love because love comes more naturally to the human heart than its
opposite. He sacrifices his own desires and ambitions to eliminate his people‟s sorrows
and sufferings. Although he and his people suffered a lot by the whites, he does not bear
ill-will against them which clearly indicates that he is equally sincere, generous and
loving for all. He says man‟s goodness is a flame that can be hidden but never
extinguished. Throughout his life he has been a profile of courage which is also reflected
from his saying that „the brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but, he who
conquers that fear‟.
In South Africa whenever he tried to fulfill his obligations (duties) as a son, a brother, a
father and a husband and wanted to do something for his people, he was prevented to do
so. When he found that his people wanted to be free from brutality and oppression and
when the hunger of his own freedom became the greater hunger for the freedom of his
people, he joined the African National Congress to get his people free from the whites.
M. K. Gandhi:
Gandhiji, the father of Indian Nation, the apostle of truth and non-violence was born on
2
nd Oct. 1869 at Porbander, Kathiawar in Gujrat. His father and his grandfather were the
P.M‟s of Porbander. Gandhiji‟s mother was a religious woman who had a strong
influence on Gandhiji‟s life. Gandhiji sailed for England in 1887 to study law. He passed
his law examinations in 1891 and came to India in the same year. In 1914, he joined INC.
H started his Civil Disobedience Movement after massacre of Jallianwala Bagh in
Amritsar and called on the people to withdraw from govt jobs. He was imprisoned a
number of times during the British rule. Truth and non-violence were the main principles
of his philosophy which according to him can cut all the evils. He was fearless and urged
people to shed fearlessness and come on the plank of truth without caring for
consequences. To put his educational ideas into the actual practice, Gandhiji placed
before the country his Wardha scheme of education in 1937 which is also known as
BASIC scheme of education. He worked for Hindu-Muslim unity. He worked for peace
and died for it. On Jan. 30, 1948, Nathuram Godse shot him dead.
LANGUAGE WORK:
1.
Match each expression with an appropriate meaningc.
Be overwhelmed with a sense of history.
Feel deeply emotional, remembering and understanding all the past have led up to
the moment.
d.
Resilience that defies the imagination.
A great ability (almost unimaginable) to remain unchanged by suffering (not
losing hope, goodness or courage)
e.
A glimmer of humanity.
A sign of human feeling (goodness, kindness, pity, justice, etc.)
f.
A twilight existence.
A half secret life like a life lived in the jading light between sunset and darkness.
2.
Idiomatic expressions
Match the italicized phrases with their nearest meanings.
1.
I was not unmindful of the fact: had not forgotten: was aware of the fact.
2.
When my comrades and I were pushed to our limits. Felt that we could not
endure the suffering any longer.
3.
To reassure me and keep me going: help me continue to live in hope in this very
difficult situation.
3.
Homonyms:
Homonym is used with a variety of meanings. It‟s commonly used to mean words which
are pronounced alike but differ in meaning and spelling. e,g. fair and fare. In more
precise contexts such words are called homophones from the Greek homos (same) +
phone(sound). Homonym is also used sometimes to mean words that are spelled alike but
differ in their meaning and origin and sometimes in pronunciation. E.g, wind (a breeze)
and wind (to coil). Again in more precise contexts such words are called homographs
from Greek homos (same) + graphein (to write). In short homonym is used as a
synonymic term for both homophone and homograph.
Examples:
1.
a. acclamation: applause. He was nominated by acclamation for chairmanship.
b. acclimation: used to climate. Acclimation to higher altitudes may take several
months.
2.
a. ail:pain (trouble). “What ails you?” he asked.
b. ale: liquor. He purchased ale and meat from this shop.
3.
a. aisle: passage. She was in no hurry to walk down the aisle.
b. isle: island. We saw an isle on our voyage through the sea.
4.
Read the paragraph below. Fill in the blanks with the noun forms of the verbs in
brackets.
Martin Luther King‟s contribution (contribute) to our history as an outstanding leader
began when he came to the assistance (assist) of Rosa Parks, a seamstress who refused to
give up her seat on a citizenship by restrictive laws and customs. To break these laws
would mean subjugation (subjugate) and humiliation (humiliate) by the police and the
legal system, Beatings, imprisonment (imprison) and sometimes death awaited those who
defied the system. Martin Luther King‟s tactics of protest involved non-violent resistance
(resist) to racial injustice.
6.
Complete the sentences given below:
i.
It requires such depths of oppression to create such heights of character.
ii.
Courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.
iii.
If people can learn to hate they can be taught to love.
iv.
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but he who conquers the fear a.
A rainbow gathering of different colours and nations.
A beautiful coming together of various people like the colours in a rainbow.
b.
The seat of white supremacy.
The centre of racial superiority.
c.
Be overwhelmed with a sense of history.
Feel deeply emotional, remembering and understanding all the past have led up to
the moment.
d.
Resilience that defies the imagination.
A great ability (almost unimaginable) to remain unchanged by suffering (not
losing hope, goodness or courage)
e.
A glimmer of humanity.
A sign of human feeling (goodness, kindness, pity, justice, etc.)
f.
A twilight existence.
A half secret life like a life lived in the jading light between sunset and darkness.
2.
Idiomatic expressions
Match the italicized phrases with their nearest meanings.
1.
I was not unmindful of the fact: had not forgotten: was aware of the fact.
2.
When my comrades and I were pushed to our limits. Felt that we could not
endure the suffering any longer.
3.
To reassure me and keep me going: help me continue to live in hope in this very
difficult situation.
3.
Homonyms:
Homonym is used with a variety of meanings. It‟s commonly used to mean words which
are pronounced alike but differ in meaning and spelling. e,g. fair and fare. In more
precise contexts such words are called homophones from the Greek homos (same) +
phone(sound). Homonym is also used sometimes to mean words that are spelled alike but
differ in their meaning and origin and sometimes in pronunciation. E.g, wind (a breeze)
and wind (to coil). Again in more precise contexts such words are called homographs
from Greek homos (same) + graphein (to write). In short homonym is used as a
synonymic term for both homophone and homograph.
Examples:
1.
a. acclamation: applause. He was nominated by acclamation for chairmanship.
b. acclimation: used to climate. Acclimation to higher altitudes may take several
months.
2.
a. ail:pain (trouble). “What ails you?” he asked.
b. ale: liquor. He purchased ale and meat from this shop.
3.
a. aisle: passage. She was in no hurry to walk down the aisle.
b. isle: island. We saw an isle on our voyage through the sea.
4.
Read the paragraph below. Fill in the blanks with the noun forms of the verbs in
brackets.
Martin Luther King‟s contribution (contribute) to our history as an outstanding leader
began when he came to the assistance (assist) of Rosa Parks, a seamstress who refused to
give up her seat on a citizenship by restrictive laws and customs. To break these laws
would mean subjugation (subjugate) and humiliation (humiliate) by the police and the
legal system, Beatings, imprisonment (imprison) and sometimes death awaited those who
defied the system. Martin Luther King‟s tactics of protest involved non-violent resistance
(resist) to racial injustice.
6.
Complete the sentences given below:
i.
It requires such depths of oppression to create such heights of character.
ii.
Courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it.
iii.
If people can learn to hate they can be taught to love.
iv.
The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid but he who conquers the fear
v.
I was not born with a hunger to be free, I was born free.
7.
Given below are the sentences carrying one part of the contrast. Find in the text
second part of the contrast. Identify the words which signal the contrast.
ii.
Only moments before, the highest generals of the South African defense force and
police ….. saluted me and pledged their loyalty…. Not so many years before they
would not have saluted but arrested me.
iii.
Although that day neither group knew the lyrics of the anthem….. they would
soon know he words by heart.
iv.
My country is rich is minerals and gems that lie beneath the soil but I have always
known that its greatest wealth is its people, finer and truer than the purest
diamonds.
v.
The air show was not only display of pinpoint precision and military force, but a
demonstration of the military‟s loyalty to democracy, to a new Govt that had been
freely and fairly elected.
vi.
It was this desire for the freedom of my people…… that transformed a frightened
young man into a bold one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a
criminal that turned a family-loving husband into a man without a home.