ABSTRACT:
Nelson Mandela the first black South African President elected democratically, is the moral and ethical face of the humanism in the world. His autobiography Long Walk to Freedom (1994) is written after becoming the first President of South Africa. His life involved intense struggle and sacrifice for his nation and humanity. His autobiography is very unique and inspiring to many who are fighting against any injustice anywhere in the world. The form, narration and the style is also characteristic. His life struggle is revealed and the contributions of ANC and his coworkers have received great importance in the book. His legacy is unfolded through this epic autobiography. As a reader one get lost in the past and present times of South Africa. Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom is divided into 11 distinctive sections which symbolizes distinct important phases in his life. His labeling to those life experiences signifies the importance and approach towards those events. The word Long in the title shows the struggle, hardship and sacrifices made by these freedom fighters against the apartheid regime. The adjective in the title “long” signifies many connotations attached with the word as it hits clearly towards the efforts and suffering he endured in his slow ‘walk’ towards freedom. It stretches the journey of life into long span of time. Humanism is the philosophy that put human welfare at the center and subsides all other religious, political, institutional and other issues. Nelson Mandela by taking the fight of common black citizen of South Africa for the justice against Apartheid regime make him a true humanist. His autobiography which depicts his philosophy and sacrifice thus becomes a document of humanism.
Cite this article:
Nandkumar Suresh Shinde. Long Walk to Freedom: A Document of Humanism. Int. J. Rev. and Res. Social Sci. 2018; 6(4): 492-494 . doi: 10.5958/2454-2687.2018.00048.5
Cite(Electronic):
Nandkumar Suresh Shinde. Long Walk to Freedom: A Document of Humanism. Int. J. Rev. and Res. Social Sci. 2018; 6(4): 492-494 . doi: 10.5958/2454-2687.2018.00048.5 Available on: https://ijrrssonline.in/AbstractView.aspx?PID=2018-6-4-18