Nelson Mandela Essay

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die” (biography). These words spoken by Nelson Mandela created an accurate depiction of who he was. The winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 fought long and hard for equality in South Africa; he refused to give up after being imprisoned for 27 years. He created lots of positive change and he helped make South Africa a better place (Nelson Mandela). His actions and persistence have inspired many, and he proved that anything is possible with hard work, and that hard work will always pay off.

Mandela grew up in a small South African village called Qunu, and because both of his parents were very important to the society, he was well known within its confinement. His mother presided over three huts: they had a hut for cooking, one for storage, and one for sleeping. When Mandela turned five years old, he was given the responsibility to be herd boy. Most children in this village worked at a young age, but he was given a job earlier because his family was for the most part in charge of the production of food. All of the food for the village came from a farm, so it was always fresh and clean. His free time was spent in an open field fighting and playing with friends and brothers close in age, however he did spend time at school as well.

Education was not common in this village and most of its citizens, adult and children the same, were illiterate. Although it was difficult to get educated while in his vil...

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...). In 2005 he retired from public life, but kept on supporting his charities.

Nelson Mandela was an amazingly dedicated person. He believed in his cause and would do anything to get equality; he even resorted to violence known as the armed resistance. He grew up in a small village and did not really realize how bad racial prejudice was until he was put out into the real world, and he did all he could to put it to an end. He was successful in this. His 27 years in prison took a large part of his life away, this was only one of the many obstacles he faced in his journey for equality, but it all paid off when he ran for president, won, and made all of the changes necessary to create equality in South Africa. He lived a long and full life, fulfilling his goal of stomping out inequality. Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013, honored and respected by the world.