English (First Flight) · CBSE Class 10 · Prose: Nelson Mandela · Poem: A Tiger in the Zoo (Leslie Norris) · 25 Quiz
Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom — Summary, Author, Theme & Word-Meanings
About the Author
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (1918–2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and statesman who served as the first Black President of South Africa (1994–99). He spent 27 years in prison for his struggle against apartheid. This lesson is an extract from his autobiography, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’, describing his inauguration day.
Theme
The chapter is about the triumph of democracy over apartheid, the long and painful struggle for freedom, and Mandela’s ideas on courage, love, and true freedom. It stresses that freedom is indivisible — both the oppressed and the oppressor are robbed of their humanity.
Summary
On 10 May 1994, Nelson Mandela was sworn in as South Africa’s first Black President. The ceremony was held in the sandstone amphitheatre of the Union Buildings in Pretoria — for decades the seat of white supremacy, now the site of a ‘rainbow gathering’ of many nations. In his speech Mandela spoke of an ‘extraordinary human disaster’ (apartheid) and a ‘glorious human achievement’ (freedom). He pledged to liberate his people from poverty, deprivation and all discrimination, and declared that never again would one group oppress another.
A spectacular display of jets and helicopters showed the military’s new loyalty to democracy — the same generals who would once have arrested him now saluted him. Two national anthems were sung by whites and blacks together, symbolising unity. Mandela was overwhelmed by a sense of history: he recalled how in the early 20th century the whites built a cruel system of racial domination, and how, by its end, that system had been overturned.
Mandela paid tribute to the countless patriots — Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli and others — whose sacrifices made the day possible, calling himself ‘the sum of all those African patriots’. He observed that ‘depths of oppression create heights of character’. He defined courage not as the absence of fear but as the triumph over it, and said that love comes more naturally to the human heart than hate. Reflecting on his life, he spoke of a man’s twin obligations — to his family and to his people — which apartheid made impossible to fulfil together. He realised his boyhood freedom was an illusion; his hunger for his own freedom grew into a hunger for the freedom of all his people, leading him to join the African National Congress (ANC). He concluded that freedom is indivisible, and that the oppressor, locked in prejudice and hatred, is as unfree as the oppressed.
The Poem — A Tiger in the Zoo (Leslie Norris)
The poem contrasts a tiger caged in a zoo with a tiger free in its natural habitat. In the cage, the tiger stalks quietly ‘in his quiet rage’, locked in a concrete cell, ignoring visitors, staring at the brilliant stars — helpless and angry. In the wild, he would be lurking near the water hole, sliding through long grass, snarling at the village and baring his fangs and claws. The poem is a plea against caging wild, majestic animals and robbing them of their freedom and dignity.
Word-Meanings
besieged = surrounded closely; amphitheatre = roofless building with rising rows of seats; supremacy = highest authority/dominance; confer = give (formal); emancipation = freedom from restriction; deprivation = state of not having one’s rightful benefits; discrimination = being treated unfavourably; bedecked = decorated; chevron = a V-shaped pattern; despised = looked down upon; wrought = done, achieved; profound = deep and strong; resilience = ability to recover from hardship; inclinations = natural tendencies; transitory = not permanent; curtailed = reduced; inevitably = unavoidably; prejudice = strong dislike without good reason; indivisible = cannot be divided. (Poem) stalks = walks stealthily; vivid = bright; lurking = waiting in hiding; snarling = making an angry sound; baring = showing; fangs = sharp teeth.
NCERT Textbook Solutions (Nelson Mandela + A Tiger in the Zoo)
OC-1.1Where did the ceremonies take place? Can you name any public buildings in India made of sandstone?
The ceremonies took place in the sandstone amphitheatre formed by the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa. Indian sandstone buildings: Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Red Fort, Parliament House (Sansad Bhavan), Agra Fort and Humayun’s Tomb.
OC-1.2Can you say how 10 May is an ‘autumn day’ in South Africa?
South Africa lies in the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasons are the opposite of ours. So while May is spring/summer in India, in South Africa it falls in autumn.
OC-1.3At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he mean? What is the “glorious human achievement” he speaks of?
The ‘extraordinary human disaster’ is the inhuman system of apartheid — the racial domination and oppression of black people by whites. The ‘glorious human achievement’ is the end of apartheid and the establishment of the first democratic, non-racial government in South Africa.
OC-1.4What does Mandela thank the international leaders for?
Mandela thanks the international leaders for coming to witness the inauguration and to take possession, with the people of South Africa, of a common victory for justice, peace and human dignity.
OC-1.5What ideals does he set out for the future of South Africa?
He sets out the ideals of liberating all people from the bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, and gender and other discrimination, and ensuring that never again will one group oppress another in that land.
OC-2.1What do the military generals do? How has their attitude changed, and why?
The generals and police officers saluted Mandela and pledged their loyalty, and jets flew in his honour. Earlier, under apartheid, they would have arrested him instead of saluting. Their attitude changed because South Africa now had a freely and fairly elected democratic government to which the military was loyal.
OC-2.2Why were two national anthems sung?
Two anthems were sung as a sign of equality and reconciliation: the whites sang ‘Nkosi Sikelel’iAfrika’ (the old anthem of the black people) and the blacks sang ‘Die Stem’ (the old anthem of the white Republic) — each honouring the other.
OC-2.3How does Mandela describe the systems of government (i) in the first decade, and (ii) in the final decade of the 20th century?
(i) In the first decade, the whites created a harsh, inhumane system of racial domination (apartheid) against the dark-skinned people — one of the harshest societies the world has known. (ii) In the final decade, that system was overturned forever and replaced by one that recognised the rights and freedoms of all peoples regardless of colour.
OC-2.4What does courage mean to Mandela?
To Mandela, courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it. The brave man, he says, is not one who does not feel afraid, but one who conquers that fear.
OC-2.5Which does he think is natural, to love or to hate?
Mandela believes loving is more natural. No one is born hating another for his skin, background or religion; people learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart.
OC-3.1What “twin obligations” does Mandela mention?
Mandela mentions two obligations: (1) an obligation to his family — his parents, wife and children; and (2) an obligation to his people, his community and his country.
OC-3.2What 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’?
As a boy, freedom meant to run in the fields, swim in the stream, roast mealies and ride the bulls. As a student, it meant the ‘transitory freedoms’ of staying out at night, reading what he pleased and going where he chose. These are personal, temporary freedoms. The ‘basic and honourable freedoms’ are deeper and lasting — achieving one’s potential, earning a living, marrying and having a family, and not being obstructed in a lawful life.
OC-3.3Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why / Why not?
No. Mandela thinks the oppressor is not free. A man who takes away another’s freedom is a prisoner of hatred, locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Both the oppressed and the oppressor are robbed of their humanity.
TT-1Thinking about the Text: Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration? What did it signify the triumph of?
A large number of international leaders attended because it was a historic occasion — the birth of a free, democratic, non-racial South Africa after centuries of white rule. It signified the triumph of democracy, justice, equality and human dignity over apartheid, racial oppression and discrimination.
TT-2What does Mandela mean when he says he is “simply the sum of all those African patriots” who had gone before him?
He means that his achievement was not his alone but the result of the sacrifices and struggles of countless patriots who fought against apartheid before him. He is the product and representative of their long, noble struggle — he carries forward and completes what they began.
TT-3Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? How does Mandela illustrate this?
Yes. Extreme suffering often brings out extraordinary courage and nobility. Mandela illustrates this by naming the great leaders apartheid produced — Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Chief Luthuli, Yusuf Dadoo, Bram Fischer, Robert Sobukwe — men of exceptional courage, wisdom and generosity. (Other examples: Gandhi and freedom fighters under British rule; Martin Luther King.)
TT-4How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
As a boy he thought he was born free and never questioned it. As a student he wanted only the transitory freedoms for himself. As a young man he longed for the basic, honourable freedoms of a normal life. Finally he realised that not just he, but all his people were not free — so his hunger for personal freedom grew into the greater hunger for the freedom of his whole people, and he joined the ANC.
TT-5How did Mandela’s ‘hunger for freedom’ change his life?
It transformed him completely: it turned a frightened young man into a bold one, a law-abiding attorney into a criminal, a family-loving husband into a man without a home, and a life-loving man into one who lived like a monk. He could no longer enjoy even his limited freedoms while his people were not free.
TL-1Thinking about Language — Noun–verb pairs from the text.
rebel–rebellion; constitute–constitution; form–formation; govern–government; oppress–oppression; dominate–domination; install–installation; inaugurate–inauguration; discriminate–discrimination; deprive–deprivation; emancipate–emancipation; incline–inclination.
TL-2Fill in the blanks with the noun forms of the verbs in brackets (Martin Luther King paragraph).
contribution, assistance, subjugation, humiliation, imprisonment, resistance.
(…King’s contribution… came to the assistance of Rosa Parks… would mean subjugation and humiliation… Beatings, imprisonment and death… non-violent resistance to racial injustice.)
TL-3Using the Definite Article with Names — what do ‘the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus…’ mean?
Option (b) — ‘many other men like Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu… many men of their type or kind, whose names may not be as well known.’ Using ‘the’ + a plural proper noun gives it this general, representative meaning.
TL-4Idiomatic Expressions — match Column A with Column B.
1. ‘I was not unmindful of the fact’ → (i) had not forgotten; was aware of the fact.
2. ‘when my comrades and I were pushed to our limits’ → (iii) felt that we could not endure the suffering any longer.
3. ‘to reassure me and keep me going’ → (ii) help me continue to live in hope in this very difficult situation.
4. ‘earning my keep’ → (i) earning enough money to live on.
TL-5Complete the sentences with the given phrases.
1. It requires such depths of oppression → to create such heights of character.
2. Courage was not the absence of fear → but the triumph over it.
3. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid → but he who conquers that fear.
4. If people can learn to hate → they can be taught to love.
5. I was not born with a hunger to be free → I was born free.
TL-6Looking at Contrasts — complete the second part of each contrast from the text.
1. For decades the Union Buildings had been the seat of white supremacy, and now → it was the site of a rainbow gathering of different colours and nations.
2. …saluted me and pledged their loyalty → …not so many years before they would not have saluted but arrested me.
3. …neither group knew the lyrics of the anthem → …they would soon know the words by heart.
4. My country is rich in minerals and gems… → …but its greatest wealth is its people, finer than the purest diamonds.
5. The Air Show was not only a display of pinpoint precision and military force → …but a demonstration of the military’s loyalty to democracy.
6. …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.
P-1A Tiger in the Zoo: Find words describing the tiger’s movements/actions and the two places; arrange in columns.
Movements — in the cage: stalks, (walks) the few steps of his cage, locked, stalking the length of his cage, ignoring visitors, stares.
Movements — in the wild: lurking in shadow, sliding through long grass, snarling around houses, baring his fangs and claws, terrorising the village.
Places — the zoo: vivid stripes, few steps, concrete cell, behind bars, length of his cage.
Places — the wild: shadow, long grass, water hole, jungle’s edge, houses/village.
The poet uses these contrasting words and images to show how the caged tiger is helpless and suppressed, while in the wild he would be powerful, free and the lord of his territory.
P-2What is the effect of the repetition in ‘pads of velvet quiet / in his quiet rage’ and ‘brilliant eyes / brilliant stars’?
The repetition emphasises the contrast and intensifies the feeling. ‘Quiet… quiet’ stresses how the tiger’s soft, silent movement hides a deep, suppressed rage. ‘Brilliant… brilliant’ links the tiger’s shining eyes with the far-off stars, underlining his longing for the freedom of the open wild that is now beyond his reach.
P-3Are zoos necessary for the protection/conservation of some species? Are they useful for education? Are there alternatives?
(Sample) Zoos can help protect endangered species, run breeding programmes and educate the public about wildlife. However, they confine animals in unnatural spaces and deny them freedom, as the poem shows. Better alternatives are large national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and bio-reserves where animals live naturally while still being protected and studied.