A Step By Step Guide For Composing An Essay On Nelson Mandela

One of the greatest personalities to have lived on earth is none other than Nelson Mandela. This is why an essay on the icon is one of the things that you may be required to do. Here are a few guidelines on writing an essay on the iconic figure.

Life of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela

When asked to write an essay on the former South African president, you should begin by giving a back ground of his life. Born in 1918, the freedom hero was a son on a tribal chief who was known as Henry Mandela. He married his first wife, Evelyn Ntoko in 1944 for a period of 12 years before divorcing her. Two years later, he married Winnie Madikileza, a social worker and political activist. He also divorced her before marrying Graca Machel in 1998. He had three children with his first wife and two daughters from his second marriage

Education

Nelson Mandela earned his degree in 1941 from the University of South Africa after studying through correspondence. He also enrolled in an LLB program but failed before deciding to start practicing as a lawyer.

Prison life

Nelson Mandela rose fast through the hierarchy of the ANC between the 1940s and 1950s. He went through a lot of banning, police harassment and even detention. In 1960, the ANC was made illegal and this forced Nelson Mandela to go underground. Mandela was sentenced for a period of 5 years in jail in 1962. In 1964, he was charged with treason and was sentenced to life imprisonment. This was for giving a speech lasting for over 4 hours that criticized the apartheid rule. He spent his prison life in Robben island where he was put under harsh conditions. He spent 23 hours in his prison cell that was lit by a small lamp and this made it difficult for him to sleep and even understand what time of the day it was.

Only a single visitor would visit him after a period of 6 months. At one time, he wasn’t allowed to meet his wife for a period of 2 years. He was only allowed to receive and write one letter after a period of 6 months with every letter having to be screened. Any part that was deemed to be unsafe was removed. For 27 consecutive years, Mandela spent his years in jail. He refused to be released several times from 1985 on conditions that he would not engage in political activities.