Paving the Road to a BETTER World | Teen Ink

Paving the Road to a BETTER World

December 8, 2016
By QueenIsland123 BRONZE, Dubai, Other
QueenIsland123 BRONZE, Dubai, Other
4 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
It always seem impossible until it is done -Nelson Mandela


27 years isolated from his family, Nelson Mandela battled against apartheid. Overcoming obstacles and making the impossible possible, Nelson Mandela has become an inspirational icon for many.


While in his 20’s he was actively involved in the anti-apartheid movement and he joined the African National Congress in 1942. He directed a peaceful campaign against the South African Government for 20 years in hope that they would change their racist policies.


In 1963 Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment due to sabotage and political offenses. Nelson Mandela was kept on Robben Island and was treated worse than other prisoners due to him being black.  In 1981 black people created a campaign to free Nelson Mandela, it did however not work. In 1982 Nelson Mandela was moved to Polls Moor Prison and 3 years later president P.W. Botha offered to free Nelson Mandela in exchange for renouncing armed struggle. Nelson Mandela rejected the offer although he talked with the president a few times over the years. In 1990 he was released by President F.W. de Klerk. In 1994, South Africa has its very first democratic elections where Nelson Mandela was voted the first black president. In 1993, Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk were awarded a joint Nobel Peace Prize.


Nelson Mandela was very resilient when it came to battling apartheid. His main obstacle was his imprisonment for 27 years. Nelson Mandela overcame this obstacle because he was hopeful, passionate and patient. He knew that standing up for black people rights was dangerous and yet he decided to fight for what he believed in. Even in Prison he didn’t lose hope and as soon as he was released he continued what he had started. If this isn’t inspirational then I don’t know what is! Another challenge was that he was, simply, black. This was a problem at the time and it was also the problem that he was trying to solve.


Nelson Mandela is inspirational because he fought for what he thought was right even though he knew what the consequences would be. When he went to prison he gave up his freedom, his life and his time with his family. He was willing to sacrifice everything for his cause.


Nelson Mandela is inspirational to me because he reminds me that if you believe in something enough, the results can be great. He also taught me that I should never give up no matter how difficult my situation may seem.
I want that everyone here is as inspired by him as much as I am. What makes Nelson Mandela a more inspirational than other people? He was willing to die for his cause, he never lost hope and he fought for what he believed was right. The thing that makes Nelson Mandela more inspirational then Martin Luther King Jr. was the time that Nelson Mandela spent in prison and still managed to help end apartheid. I hope that you guys will forever remember that if you are passionate enough, hopeful enough and willing to put in the effort, anything is possible!
 


The author's comments:

This was a speech that i had to write for school. I needed to choose someone who is resiliant and inspirational to me. Nelson Mandela has proven that nothing is impossible!


Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.