How does Nelson Mandela present his thoughts and feelings about the struggle for identity? Essay Example
Read the following extract carefully. It is taken from Long Walk to Freedom (published in 1994), the autobiography of Nelson Mandela who became South Africa’s first post-apartheid President. Mandela had been imprisoned for over thirty years for his part in activities to bring about equal rights.
How does the writer present his thoughts and feelings about the struggle for identity?
How far is the extract similar to and different from your wider reading in the literature of the struggle for identity? You should consider the writers’ choices of form, structure and language.
Mandela’s determination to fight for the rights of his people is reflected in the way Elesin feels about completing his duty and representing his village. Both show a great sense of fortitude as they believe in fighting for those other than themselves and also the idea of a journey towards a personal or collective goal.
This idea is portrayed through the metaphors used by Mandela and Soyinka. “I have walked that long road to freedom… I have discovered that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are more hills to climb.” This quote written by Mandela gives the reader a clear sense of an overcome suffering yet still indicates the true hardship of life and its battles. Soyinka also uses the metaphor “when I come among the women I am a chicken with a hundred mothers. I become a monarch whose palace is built with tenderness and beauty.” This quote seems to tell us that Elesin is a superiority figure within his community due to the way he leads the townspeople. However, they differ due to the incompletion of Elesin journey and the idea that Mandela struggles on. Both texts are written with the contextual theme of racial prejudice in mind.
There is a hidden aim to educate the audience throughout Mandela’s autobiography extract; this is also seen within Armitage’s ‘Give’. Both extracts strive to teach the reader about the difference of people and the struggles that they face in
How does the writer present his thoughts and feelings about the struggle for identity?
How far is the extract similar to and different from your wider reading in the literature of the struggle for identity? You should consider the writers’ choices of form, structure and language.
Mandela’s determination to fight for the rights of his people is reflected in the way Elesin feels about completing his duty and representing his village. Both show a great sense of fortitude as they believe in fighting for those other than themselves and also the idea of a journey towards a personal or collective goal.
This idea is portrayed through the metaphors used by Mandela and Soyinka. “I have walked that long road to freedom… I have discovered that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are more hills to climb.” This quote written by Mandela gives the reader a clear sense of an overcome suffering yet still indicates the true hardship of life and its battles. Soyinka also uses the metaphor “when I come among the women I am a chicken with a hundred mothers. I become a monarch whose palace is built with tenderness and beauty.” This quote seems to tell us that Elesin is a superiority figure within his community due to the way he leads the townspeople. However, they differ due to the incompletion of Elesin journey and the idea that Mandela struggles on. Both texts are written with the contextual theme of racial prejudice in mind.
There is a hidden aim to educate the audience throughout Mandela’s autobiography extract; this is also seen within Armitage’s ‘Give’. Both extracts strive to teach the reader about the difference of people and the struggles that they face in