Does Mandela think the oppressor is free? Why/why not?
Mandela does not feel that the oppressor is free because according to him an oppressor is treated as a victim of hatred who is behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness.He feels that both the oppressor and the oppressed are robbed of their humanity.
What made Mr Keesing allow Anne to talk in class?
Chubukov says of Natalya: “... as if she won’t consent! She’s in love; egad, she’s like a lovesick cat...” Would you agree? Find reasons for your answer.
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
Why didn’t Valli want to make friends with the elderly woman?
Did Lencho try to find out who had sent the money to him? Why/Why not?
What ideals does Nelson Mandela set for the future of South Africa?
Anne says teachers are most unpredictable. Is Mr Keesing unpredictable? How?
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?
Was Lencho surprised to find a letter for him with money in it?
Do you think Mr Keesing was a strict teacher?
Are you concerned about traffic and road safety? What are your concerns? How would you make road travel safer and more enjoyable?
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.
What did the postmaster do then?
Why was Mr Keesing annoyed with Anne? What did he ask her to do?
Why did such a large number of international leaders attend the inauguration ? What did it signify the triumph of?
How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?
Who does Lencho have complete faith in? Which sentences in the story tell you this?
What was a source of unending joy for Valli? What was her strongest desire?
What did Lencho hope for?
There are some examples of diary or journal entries in the ‘Before You Read’ section. Compare these with what Anne writes in her diary. What language was the diary originally written in? In what way is Anne’s diary different?