inclination (n) : a feeling that makes a person to do something

inevitably (adv) : certainly to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented

twilight (adj) : used to describe a way of life which is characterized by uncertainty

mealie (n) : maize

illusion (n) : an idea or belief which is not true

earning my keep (idm) : doing useful things to live

animate (v) : make someone more active

1. Why is it difficult to fulfil the ‘twin obligations’ in a country like South Africa?

2. What sort of freedom did Mandela enjoy as a boy? Was it real? Give your opinion.

3. How did Mandela’s understanding of freedom change with age and experience?

4. What does the line ‘the oppressed and the oppressor alike are robbed of their humanity’ suggest?

5. What relevance does Nelson Mandela’s life have to the present society?

6. “It was this desire . . . that animated my life”, which desire is the narrator referring to?

1 I was born free.

a. able to act at will

b. having personal rights

c. not subjected to constraints

d. costing nothing