Tone. Tone is a writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward the subject, the reader, or the audience. In a speech, the speaker’s tone allows the audience to sense how the speaker is affected by and reacts to the information he or she is presenting. Examples of tone might include joyful, admiring, angry, or proud. As you read this excerpt from Mandela’s speech, think about the tone he uses. How would you describe it?
Repetition. Repetition is more than one use of a sound, word, or group of words. In a political speech, repetition is a way to emphasize a particular idea. What ideas does Mandela emphasize through the use of repetition?
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- World History Connection. South Africa is a nation located at the southern tip of the African continent. In the 1600s, Dutch traders landed in South Africa and established a fort and a trading station. Dutch farmers came and developed land for crops and livestock. These colonists became known as Boers (Dutch for “farmers”) or Afrikaners. Wars between the Afrikaners and the Zulu, Swazi, and Sotho kingdoms resulted in uncountable deaths among the native Africans. In the 1800s, the British began settling in South Africa, imposing their laws and language and causing Afrikaners to migrate northward, where they clashed with nations such as the Xhosa. Through the 1800s, British and Afrikaner colonists struggled for control of South Africa. In 1910, British rulers set up the Union of South Africa and created a system that officially kept blacks and Coloreds (people of mixed African-European heritage) from voting, joining labor unions, and living in certain areas. Restrictions were also placed on people of Indian descent. Blacks staged numerous uprisings, which resulted in many deaths and more restrictions.
- In 1948 the all-white government made the long-standing policy of white political and economic supremacy into law through the system of apartheid (Afrikaans for “separateness”). Under apartheid, black South Africans, who made up 75 percent of the nation, owned only 13 percent of the land and had no rights as citizens. During the 1950s, more and more apartheid laws came into being and resistance grew among black communities. The African National Congress (ANC), under the leadership of Nelson Mandela and Albert Luthuli, organized campaigns to end apartheid.
- After leading the struggle for many years, Nelson Mandela was arrested and imprisoned in 1962. After his release almost 30 years later in 1990, Mandela led negotiations with then President F. W. de Klerk for an end to apartheid. For their efforts in negotiating change in South Africa, Mandela and de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize. Mandela was elected president in 1993 and signed into law a new constitution in 1996.
Write about a foreign people in distress or oppression that you have heard or read about in international news stories. Explain whether or not you feel empathy for them, although you are so far removed from their situation.
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