Read and annotate p. 3-29 of “A Country Childhood,” which was taken from Nelson Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom. As you read, you need to pay attention to the writing techniques Mandela uses to bring us into the place of his childhood with his storytelling techniques. Then you need to write the following three paragraphs.
In the first paragraph, discuss how Mandela uses visual descriptions to make the reader see what the place of his childhood looked like. When you close your eyes and imagine his place, what do you see, based on what he wrote? Think about the geographical features of the landscape, but also the places where people live, the way people look, and what surrounds them.
In the second paragraph, discuss how Mandela describes typical daily activities to make the reader experience what life was like in the place of his childhood. When you close your eyes and imagine the people of this place going about their lives, what do you see? Think of mothers, fathers, young boys and young girls. What do you see them do in this landscape he describes?
In the third paragraph, discuss how Mandela describes the cultural tradition to make the reader understand what was expected of young boys like himself who were growing up in the place of his childhood. What were young boys supposed to do with their time? How were they supposed to relate to their parents, uncles, and aunts? How were they expected to learn?
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