From chapter 18, Mandela undergoes various challenges and changes in both political and social aspects. Chapter 18 starts with him preparing to attend a meeting and drove to Orange Free State at 3:00 am. He travels in a peaceful and inspired state and is content and happy with his efforts in running the ANC. However, then his tone becomes nostalgic as he wonders if the hiding places of General De Wet’s army would one day be shelters for the Africans. Upon reaching the courthouse in Orange Free State, he is ordered to resign the ANC and remains in Johannesburg, not attending any meetings for two years. As he drives back, he becomes quite despondent, a feeling that shows in the tone of the writing. Throughout the rest of the chapters, the tone keeps changing, showing strength and resilience in the efforts of the ANC to fighting colonization. It also features despondent when he narrates the stories of people who were suffering under the colonial rule.
I found chapter 23 most interesting; especially at the beginning. Mandela is woken up by guards and accused of treason. The police turn drawers all over the house searching for incriminating documents. The police arrested him in front of his children. He expresses understanding for his children’s reaction as they wonder why the police are taking their father without an explanation. He travels in a police car un-cuffed, at which point he engages the officer driving, commenting on the officer’s courage to drive him without cuffs (Mandela, 2014). This observation prompts a conversation that allows the reader to show the confidence Mandela had even in the face of adversity. They then searched his office and remanded him together with other leaders from all over the nation.
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At the beginning of chapter 18, Mandela reflects on how he had become a city boy, even as he remained a country lad at heart (Mandela, 2014). This passage provides that there was a time he could not navigate Johannesburg with as much ease as he now did. Another change in characterization shows within the chapter as he describes his journey back to Johannesburg. “While I was driving back to Johannesburg, the Free State scenery did not have quite the same elevating effect on me as before” (Mandela, 2014). Mandela also mentions specific dates along the story, indicating the importance of their specificity in South African history such as when the Education of Africans was approved in 1953.
My view on the reading is influenced by the fact that, Mandela triumphed over all his challenges to become the first African president of South Africa upon independence. As I read, I already know the ending, and it is the journey that I seek to understand. This fact also allows me to remain calm and impartial of the adversity facing South Africa and Mandela too. It allows me to remain hopeful and maintain that throughout the reading. It reduces the suspense as would have been the case if I didn’t know the ending.
What I love about the story in these chapters, and the rest of the book too, is the narration. Nelson Mandela goes through events and emotions step by step, allowing the reader to see things from his perspective and in his eyes. The narration is rich and takes the reader on a journey, experiencing the story in sequence without missing anything. Mandela manages to do that effortlessly, creating a flow through the chapters and avoiding jumping from this point to another in the story. It is something I would want to do in my writing as well.
Reference
Mandela, N. (2014). Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela . Paw Prints.
