Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom

• Genre: Nonfiction; autobiography
• Originally Published: 1994
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 10 and up
• Structure/Length: Multiple parts; approximately 656 pages (unabridged); approximately 27 hours, 44 minutes on audiobook
• Central Concern: This autobiography traces the life of Nelson Mandela from his childhood in a rural village to his role as a key figure in the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. The narrative chronicles his experiences, including his activism, imprisonment, and eventual presidency. The central conflict revolves around Mandela’s fight against racial segregation, injustice, and oppression, as well as his journey to unite a divided nation and bring about social change.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Racial discrimination; apartheid; imprisonment; political turmoil

Nelson Mandela, Author

• Bio: Born 1918; South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist; imprisoned for 27 years due to his activism; played a crucial role in dismantling apartheid and establishing democracy in South Africa; became the country’s first Black president in 1994; advocate for reconciliation, human rights, and social justice; awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993; regarded as a global symbol of resistance and leadership against oppression
• Other Works: No Easy Walk to Freedom (1965); Conversations with Myself (2010), Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years (2017)
• Awards: The Sunday Times CAN Literary Award for Non-fiction (formerly the Alan Paton Award; 1995)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Struggle
• The Cold War
• Humanism

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Gain an understanding of the historical and sociopolitical contexts around South African apartheid and colonialism, both of which are key factors regarding the oppressive regimes into which Mandela is born.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Struggle, The Cold War, and Humanism.
• Research and conduct an in-depth analysis on William Ernest Henley’s poem?
• “Invictus,” which serves as a powerful piece of writing for Mandela during his imprisonment.
• Examine and appraise the author’s purpose and techniques in structured essay responses regarding Mandela’s relationship to communism, the Bantustan system, and other topics.