Invictus

Questions:

1. What was the Apartheid?
2. What is an Afrikan?
3. Why was there racial strife in South Africa?
4. What was Nelson Mandela's personal history?  Where/when was he born?  What was his education?  
5. Why was Nelson Mandela put in prison?
6. What kind of prison was it? Where was it located?
7. What happened to his family while he was in prison?
8. How long was he in prison?
9. How did he become President of South Africa?
10. What were his goals as President of South Africa?  How did he accomplish these goals?

Answers:

1. The Apartheid was the racial segregation of white and blacks in South Africa. Blacks were treated unfairly in South Africa, they were looked down upon on and mocked. While the whites in the other hand, were treated normally and with respect.

2. Afrikan is a Western Germanic language spoken in South Africa.

3. There was racial strife in South Africa because the South African Dutch Political party made the apartheid in 1948. The Dutch and British did no get along at all. As South Africa grew under the apartheid, Blacks fell behind the Whites and they were denied citizenship.

4. Nelson Mandela was born in Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918. Mandela went to the University College of Fort Hare and the University of Witwatersrand and later qualified in law in 1942. He joined the African National Congress in 1944 and was engaged in resistance against the ruling National Party's apartheid policies after 1948. He went on trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961. He later went to jail  from 1964-1982.

5. Nelson Mandela went to prison because he was encouraging black South Africans to go on strike and for illegally leaving South Africa.

6. Nelson went to Robben Island Prison which is located in the west coast of Blouberstand, Cape Town, South Africa. Since the 17th century, Robben Island Prison was mostly used for political prisoners, which explains why Nelson Mandela went there.

7. While Mandela was in prison, most of his kids died. One died at 9 months old and the other died in a car crash at 25 years old.

8.Mandela was in prison for around 27 years.

9. Nelson Mandela became President of South Africa because the ANC of South Africa elected him to be President.

10. Nelson's goal as President was to abolish racism and the apartheid. He wanted racial quality, that is all. 

Thinking Different

When someone steps outside the box of comfortability and normalcy and behave in a way that is considered unconventional and unacceptable, they will be mocked and looked down upon on in today's world. Don Haskins from the movie "Glory Road" decided to think differently than everyone else. He was the first White basketball coach that actually recruited minors into his team for the NCAA, and he did not mind at all. What Don Haskins said was,"I don't see color, I see skill and I see speed." This means that Don Haskins did not care about color at all unlike the other White basketball coaches in that time. Since he actually had minors in his team, he was mocked at and looked down upon on by the rest of the basketball teams in the NCAA. It was important for Don Haskins to think different in this time because in the NCAA, it was time for a change. Don recruited minors around the same time the Civil Rights movement was happening. He did not care about segregation, all he cared about was about the player's skill. Just like Don said,"I don't see color." This clarifies that he does not care about the person's race. This reminds of a quote that said,"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." Don Haskins changed the way people think about minors in the NCAA. He proved to everyone that minors are not inferior to others in basically anything. He decided to think differently than everyone else and now, thanks to him race does not matter in sports.