I believe that Nelson Mandela’s plan of supporting the springboks in an effort to abolish racial tension was genius. Instead of temporarily fixing small problems in South Africa, he decided to tackle the issue of racism which was dividing the nation in half. I believe Nelson Mandela chose rugby to tackle racism because it was something most South African whites truly cared about. If rugby was taken away it would only have made whites mad, which would then make matters worse regarding racism. Nelson Mandela turned the springboks into the nation’s team. After their victory in 1995 the entire nation celebrated, not just the traditional white fans. I see Nelson Mandela’s effort with the springboks as the first success in uniting South Africa under democracy.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
When Mandela became part of the African National Congress, he made a very courageous decision to fight against apartheid. Apartheid was supported by the government, as it was a system which allowed white members of the South African government to have more superiority over African citizens. Mandela risked his reputation and life to stand up for people who did not gain anything from apartheid. Nelson Mandela passed the test because he could have easily allowed apartheid to continue in South Africa, but instead he stood up for all of the people who were suffering from the…
- 616 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the short story The Most Dangerous Game, by Richard Connell, there are three main conflicts in the storyline that Sanger Rainsford has to overcome to stay alive. Rainsford is a middle aged hunting expert from New York, who finds himself stranded on a desert island after falling overboard his boat. The three conflicts are man vs. nature, man vs. himself, and man vs. man. The point Richard Connell proves is everything including animals have emotions.…
- 402 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
“Nelson Mandela is a man of destiny” -F.W. De Klerk (140). How did a man who spent 27 years in prison change the hearts and minds of people who called him “terrorist in chief?” Is it possible for one man’s determination and careful planning change the direction of a country so set on the norm? John Carlin tells the story of Nelson Mandela through the eyes of people close to him as well as through the eyes of his enemies. Both friends and enemies portray just his presence as overwhelming. Invictus tells the story of how Mandela used his overwhelming presence to unite a country through the sport of rugby. The story begins on the morning of the 1995 Rugby World Cup championship game. The rest of the book details how he got to that point. Starting with his time on Robben Island as a prisoner for 18 years, where he was able to think and plan for a South Africa without apartheid. His last few years of prison he is allowed secret conversations with high ranking members of the National Party. In these conversations he uses his overwhelming presence to affect the hearts of powerful South African leaders and he is eventually allowed a visit from the President of South Africa which leads to his release. After his release he begins negotiations to end apartheid which leads to him becoming president. As president he has the daunting task of uniting a divided country. After many years of dealings with the Afrikaners (majority of white population), he decides rugby is how he will unite the country. The rest of the book details the events leading up to the 1995 Rugby World Cup championship game using friends and enemies of Mandela to detail the impact a sport could have on a country. Carlin tells a story of how Nelson Mandela used his overwhelming presence and political savvy to save a divided country from civil war with the game of rugby.…
- 2173 Words
- 9 Pages
Powerful Essays -
He believed that Government policy had created an atmosphere in which “violence by the African people had become inevitable” and that “unless reasonable leadership was given…to control the feelings of [the]people”, “there would be outbreaks of terrorism which would produce…hostility between the various races.” No other way was open to the African people, to fight “in their struggle against the principle of White Supremacy.” He refused to acknowledge the decree that the ANC was an “unlawful organization” and said the acceptance of such a decree would be “equivalent to accepting the silencing of the Africans for all time”. Mandela was not a violent man and did not resort to violence lightly, but it seemed to be the only way to accomplish the ANC’s goals, as “all lawful modes of expressing opposition to this principle had been closed by legislation.” Mandela did not want an “international war and tried to avoid it to the last minute”, but also stated that his ideals were “worth dying for”. It was degrading for the African people to be thought of as a “separate breed” and “the fight against poverty and lack of human dignity” “was real and not imaginary.” To say differently was demeaning. The enforcement of apartheid lead to terrible conditions for blacks and “to a breakdown in moral standards” resulting in “growing violence.” Mandela and the ANC leaders were attracted to communism for the simple fact that “for decades [the] communists were the only political group in South Africa who were prepared to treat Africans and human beings and their…
- 665 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the beginning of the film, Clint Eastwood shows how separated black and white people are and how they do not get along, due to the change of the government and the Springboks. Because of the change in government, Nelson Mandela’s staff started to pack their things up as if they were leaving their jobs, but Nelson Mandela stops them and says, ‘The past is the past, we look to the future now.’ Nelson Mandela has noticed the struggle between the two sides of the nation, and is willing to make a change. The nation is very separated at the beginning of the film, and Nelson Mandela thought rugby would be able to bring the two sides back together. To do this, Clint Eastwood made the start of the movie seem as if most South Africans did not like the Springboks and to make it seem like there would be some difficulty in bringing the nation together through the Springboks. Nelson Mandela said that, while he is in prison, he would cheer for any team who were versing the Springboks, encouraging the fact that South Africans did not like them. The Springboks were not liked at the beginning of the film because people thought that they still represented discrimination. An example of this happened during the film when the church is giving out some clothes to children. One child is handed a Springbok jersey but he turns it down and runs away, due to the chance of other children beating him up. After the child is gone, the ladies in the church say,…
- 1119 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
“On Guard, Rainsford,” said Zaroff. The men circled each other, glaring with a stare that could kill a man. “I see you have come unprepared. You'll go down without a doubt,” said Zaroff.…
- 455 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
There are many movies based on historical events but how many of them are actually accurate? In the movie Invictus it is a movie based on a historical event and person, Nelson Mandela. In this paper I will be researching Nelson Mandela and the events that happened and I will tell if this is Hollywood or History. From the little research that I’ve doing I think this movie is more history than Hollywood.…
- 990 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
To begin with, the movie “Invictus” accurately captured several historical events, such as the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela before his presidency, the victory of the South African rugby team against the English during the World Cup, and the correct assignment of names to the corresponding roles. Clint Eastwood, the director of the movie, includes a brief shot of the jail conditions in which Mandela lived. To explain, as Francois Pienaar, the captain of Springboks, was curious about Mandela’s living conditions that transformed him to an influential figure, he takes a tour with his team members to the jail cell in which Mandela was prisoned. To document further details, Eastwood ensures to show the audience a glimpse of the hard labour…
- 580 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Response Assignment #1 South Africa in the late 19th and early 20th century was comparable to a fresh piece of metal: a malleable entity. As a country exposed to various global influences, South Africa has been vulnerable to various political, ideological and cultural movements and thus molded to fit such philosophies. Some of the main influencers included leaders such as Marcus Garvey and various visitors from the US. Although African Americans and Garvey had mostly positive impacts with their influence, Garvey most noticeably had an impact through his controversial idea of racial nationalism. Most notably in the late 1800’s, African Americans started to become role models to Africans with their journeys to South Africa, presenting…
- 861 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The movie invictus portrays a very controversial issue that has been presented throughout history in many ethnic groups and is seen in societies up to these days. The apartheid is clearly pictured in the movie through many of the attitudes and actions that people take towards the other race they live in their day by day. What is more, Mandela constitutes one of the most important figures in South Africa, especially for the black race as he liberated them from the apartheid. From those days Mandela has been recognized worldwide as a major symbol of the rainbow nation; a reality of distinction between the black and the white people and its establishing differe nces.…
- 860 Words
- 4 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Four years later, Mandela is elected the first black President of South Africa. His presidency faces enormous challenges in the post-Apartheid era, including rampant poverty and crime. Mandela is particularly concerned about racial divisions between black and white South Africans, which could lead to violence. The ill will which both groups hold towards each other is seen even in his own security detail where relations between the established white officers, who had guarded Mandela's predecessors, and the black ANC additions to the security detail, are frosty and marked by mutual distrust.Mandela was elected President of South Africa marks a radical change in the country. This change away from apartheid will not be easy for anyone in the country, but Mandela has to figure out how to galvanize the residents of the country together. Because of his love of the game, Mandela places his support behind the Springboks, the national rugby…
- 741 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Nelson Mandela was the man who abolished Apartheid, freeing South Africa from the binds of racial segregation forever. However, it was not an easy road and Mandela needed patience, strength of character, focus, passion, understanding, perseverance, and most importantly, forgiveness, to achieve this. For more than forty years, black South Africans were subject to the harsh racial segregation of the Apartheid system; despite making up over 70% of South Africa’s population, they had little to no rights.…
- 849 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Many of the whites in this movie and as well as those black supporters of Mandela, expected that Mandela as President would be an excellent outlet for revenge for those who were brutalized,…
- 325 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The South African extremist and previous president Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) conveyed a conclusion to politically-sanctioned racial segregation and has been a worldwide promoter for human rights. An individual from the African National Congress party starting in the 1940s, he was a pioneer of both serene dissents and furnished resistance against the white minority's severe administration in a racially isolated South Africa. His activities landed him in jail for about three decades and made him the substance of the antiapartheid development both inside his nation and universally. Discharged in 1990, he took an interest in the destruction of politically-sanctioned racial segregation and in 1994 turned into the principal dark president of South…
- 158 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
To begin with, Nelson Mandela stood up for what he believed in. For example, when he was giving his “An Ideal I am Prepared to Die for” speech. He stated,” During my lifetime i have dedicated my life to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and i have fought against black domination” ( Mandela 12 ). Nelson Mandela kept on fighting against both races to get balance. Nelson Mandela was courageous when standing up for what he believed in, but he shows more of his courageous actions when he faced Apartheid.…
- 583 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays