What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?
Mandela's hopes for the future of South Africa are very high. He had taken the oath to liberate all South Africans and set the ideals of liberating people from bondage of poverty, deprivation and suffering. He also want the ideal society without any discrimination based on gender, caste, religion, race, color or origins.
How does Mandela describe the systems of government in his country
(i) in the first decade, and
(ii) in the final decade of the twentieth century?
What does courage mean to Mandela?
What does Mandela thank the international leaders for ?
Why were two national anthems sung?
Would you agree that the “depths of oppression” create “heights of character”? How does Mandela illustrate this? Can you add your own examples to this argument ?
Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/why not?
Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration ? What did it signify the triumph of?
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”?
Which does Mandela think is natural, to love or to hate?
At the beginning of his speech, Mandela mentions “an extraordinary human disaster”. What does he mean by this? What is the “glorious human achievement” he speaks of at the end?
Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
What was Valli’s favourite pastime?
What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
What did Lencho hope for?
When her son dies, Kisa Gotami goes from house to house. What does she ask for? Does she get it? Why not?
What does Chubukov at first suspect that Lomov has come for? Is he sincere when he later says “And I’ve always loved you, my angel, as if you were my own son”? Find reasons for your answer from the play.
Why was the young seagull afraid to fly? Do you think all young birds are afraid to make their first flight, or are some birds more timid than others? Do you think a human baby also finds it a challenge to take its first steps?
Do you keep a diary? Given below under ‘A’ are some terms we use to describe a written record of personal experience. Can you match them with their descriptions under ‘B’? (You may
look up the terms in a dictionary if you wish.)
A B
(i) Journal – A book with a separate space or page for each day, in which you write down your and feelings or what has happened on that day
(ii) Diary – A full record of a journey, a period of time, or an event, written every day
(iii) Log – A record of a person’s own life and experiences (usually, a famous person)
(iv) Memoir(s) – A written record of events with times and dates, usually official
Where does Wanda live? What kind of a place do you think it is?
What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
What did Lencho hope for?
What does Valli tell the elderly man when he calls her a child?
Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Why did Lencho say the raindrops were like ‘new coins’?
Are there people like Lencho in the real world? What kind of a person would you say he is? You may select appropriate words from the box to answer the question.
greedy naive stupid ungrateful
selfish comical unquestioning
Who read the letter?
Match the sentences in Column A with the meanings of ‘hope’ in Column B.
A | B |
---|---|
1. Will you get the subjects you want to study in college? I hope so | – a feeling that something good will probably happen |
2. I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I don’t like the way you are arguing. | – thinking that this would happen (It may or may not have happened.) |
3. This discovery will give new hope to HIV/AIDS sufferers | – stopped believing that this good thing would happen |
4. We were hoping against hope that the judges would not notice our mistakes. | – wanting something to happen (and thinking it quite possible) |
5. I called early in the hope of speaking to her before she went to school. | – showing concern that what you say should not offend or disturb the other person: a way of being polite |
6. Just when everybody had given up hope, the fishermen came back, seven days after the cyclone. | – wishing for something to happen, although this is very unlikely |
“I’ll take the risk”. What is the risk? Why does the narrator take it?
Where in the classroom does Wanda sit and why?
What made him angry?