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Unit 10 Mandela’s Garden

Teaching Procedures

ⅠWarming-up questions Ⅱ Background Ⅲ Check on preclass work Ⅳ General Understanding of the text Ⅴ Detailed study of the text Ⅵ Language Focus Ⅶ Exercises

ⅠWarming-up questions

1.How much do you know about Nelson Mandela? 2.What do you think is his greatest contribution to his

country and whole human being? 3.What personality do you find about Mandela from the

text? 4.Do you find any charisma of him as a leader and

husband?

Ⅱ Background1. Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela has long been a legendary figure. His struggle

against apartheid(racial segregation ) in South Africa, and his twenty-seven-year-long imprisonment mand him a symbol of political courage.

Important events in Mandela’s life 1) Born on July 18,1918; 2) Jointly established the African National Congress Youth League(ANCYL) in 1944; 3) Imprisoned (1962-1990); 4) Awarded, with F.W.de Klerk, Nobel Peace Prize in 1993; 5) Elected the first black president of South Africa in 1994; 6) Divorced in 1996; 7) Resigned from his office without seeking a second term in 1999.

Ⅱ Background2. Apartheid Apartheid is the policy the white government of South Africa

followed from 1950 to the early 1990s, to keep the different races in the country separate from each other. It is a policy of discrimination—racial, political, and economic—against the country’s non-white majority. The apartheid laws classified people according to three major racial groups—White, Bantu(black Africans), and Colored(people of mixed descent). Later Asians, or indians and Pakistanis, were added as a fourth category. The laws deternined where members of each group could live, what jobs they could hold, and what type of education they could receive. These laws also forbade most social contact between races, and denied any presentation of nonwhites in the national government.

Ⅲ Check on preclass workP217 Find useful phrases and idioms from the text and list

them below. as much as possible give in ask for permission give up at first in order to at great length neither…nor at heart provide with at the time read into be empty of remove from behind bars spend time on drive back supply with either…or… take pride in from the beginning of throught trial and error

Ⅲ Check on preclass workP217 Find useful verb + noun collocations and expressions from

the text and list them below.

announce the decision discuss issues arrange work

eliminate the weed grow peanuts bury the dead

cultivate the land lack care require care

develop ways to order books harvest the results

noursih the relationship offer satisfaction start a garden

save space and time plant tomates sweep a hallway

prepare legal document take responsibility

pursue hobbies take satisfaction in

remove rocks tend the garden

remove roots

Ⅳ General understanding of the text

Structure This text can be divided into three parts. Part one: Background information: The end of manual

labor made it possible for Mandela to start a garden in prison.(para.1)

Part two: Mandela’s gardening experience in prison (paras. 2-7)

Part three: The insights Mandela gained from this gardening experience. (paras. 8-11)

Ⅴ Detailed study of the text

Detailed discussion of part one

Questions:

1) What changes took place in early 1977?

2) How did Mandela feel about the changes?

3) What did he do to spend his his free time?

Ⅴ Detailed study of the text (part one)

1. In early 1977, the authorities announced the end of manual labor and arranged some type of work for us to do in the courtyard, so we could spend our days in our section. (para. 1)

the authorities: the people or organizations in charge. Here it refers to the prison authorities.Other frequently used expressions: school authorities,local authorities, etc.

announced the end of manual labour (cultural note) In the past, Mandela and other political prisoners locked up on Robben Island were made to work in a quarry to cutting stones which was very hard manual labor.

2. The end of manual labor was liberating. (para. 1) This arrangement not only freed the prisoners from hard manual labor,

but also saved them long trips to and from the quarry so that they now had time and energy for things they were unable to do in the past.

liberating: a present participle used as an adjective Compare the present participle and past participle used as adjectives: Present participle Past participle He found the end of manual labor liberating. He felt liberated. I found Dickens’ novel very interesting. I was very

interested. The news was very disapointing. I felt very

disappointed. The result was a bit surprising. Everybody was

surprised. The whole experience was exciting. We all got excited.

Ⅴ Detailed study of the text (part two)Questions: 1. What did Mandela do to survive in prison? 2. What does the important tasks outside of prison refer to? How can he feel the same pride in doing small things inside prison? 3. How did Mandela get permission of prison autnorities to start a garden immediately? 4. Why do people say that Mandela “was a miner at heart”? 5. Did the prison authorities regret giving permission? 6. How was Mandela’s gardening experience?

Ⅴ Detailed study of the text (part two) 1. To survive in prison one must develop ways to take

satisfaction in one’s daily life. (para. 2) In order to keep alive in prison, you must do things that you

can do there and that can also make you feel happy in a way. survive: to continue to live after an accident or war, or from an

illness, or under extremely harsh conditions one: ( formal) people in general, including yourself, any person More examples: Great works of literature make one think. One never knows what the weather would be. get satisfaction from/find satisfaction in/ take satisfaction in or

from sth: to feel happy or find pleasure in sth e.g. She finds great satifaction in helping her neighbours to

learn English.

2. One can feel fulfilled by washing one’s clothes so that they are particularly clean, by sweeping a hallway so that it is empty of dust, by organizing one’s cell to save as much space as possible. ( para. 2)

feel fulfilled: to feel happy and satisfied because you are doing useful or important things

empty of sth: completely without sth

More examples:

The restaurant was almost empty of customers.

The street was empty of traffic.

3. …one can find the same pride in doing small things … ( para. 2)

take/find pride in (doing) sth: to feel very pleased about sth or sb

More examples: The little town takes great pride in their recent achievement. The children take pride in wearing school uniform. 4. … they gave in ( para. 3) … they unwillingly agreed give in to: to finally agree to what sb wants, after refusing for

a period of time More examples: The factory finally gave in to workers’ demand for a pay

rise. When you badly want a cigarette, don’t give in to it.

5. I had to remove a great many rocks to allow the plants room to grow. (para. 4)

remove: to take away from a place; to get rid of; to force sb from an important position or dismiss sb from a job

e.g. She removed the cups and glasses from the table.

The Minster of Defense was removed from

office. a great many/ a good many/ very many: a great number of allow: to make it possible for sth to happen or sb to do/ have sth e.g. His job allows her much time to look after her baby.

His experience in the army allows him to handle

dangerous situations firmly.

6. While I have always enjoyed gardening, it is not until I was behind bars that I was able to tend my own garden.

Although I have always loved gardening, I didn’t have a garden of my own until I was in prison.

while: although behind bars: in prison tend: ( formal, od-fashioned) to look after sth/ sb

7. … I had neither the time nor the spce to…. (para. 7) neither …nor: used when mentioning two things and both are not

true or possible More examples:

The film was neither interesting nor beautifully shot.

she had neither the desire nor the courage to try it.

He did it neither for noney nor for fame.

Neither my brother nor I am interested.

8. through trial and error. (para. 7) a way of achieving an aim or solving a problem by trying a

number of different methods and learning from mistakes that you made.

More examples:

We have found a solution through trial and error.

They changed their policies after trial and error.

The best way of learning to ride is by trial and error.

Ⅴ Detailed study of the text (part three)

Questions:

1. Why did Mandela write to Winnie about the beautiful tomato plant?

2. What do you think of Mandela from the way he treated the relationship between winnie and him?

1. The sense of being the owner of the small patch of earth offered a small taste of freedom. (para. 8)

Being aware that you could grow whatever you wanted on a small piece of land enabled you to enjoy a small amount of freedom.

sense: a particular feeling about sth More phrases: the sense of being different from your peers, a deep sense of despair, the sense of being appreciated, a great sense of relief More examples: In the darkness, they felt a growing sense of danger. Too many electronic products give you an unpleasant sense of being their slave.

2. Leaders must also look after their gardens; they, too, plant seeds, and then watch, cultivate, and harvest the results. (para. 9)

Mandela is here comparing his gardening with his responsibility as a national leader. As in gardening, in his struggle as an ANC leader, he also has to plant seeds, and take care of what he has planted until in the end he harvests the results.

3. Like gardeners, leaders must take responsibility for what they cultivate; they must mind their work, try to drive back enemies, save what can be saved, and eliminate what can not succeed. (para. 9)

save what can be saved, and eliminate what can not succeed: Mandela seens to be talking about his relations with his comrades in general , his relations with his wife in particular. When differences occur, a leader should always try to patch up / resolve / settle these differences. However, if these differences concern matters of principle and cannot be reconciled, a leader must resolutely part from those people, just as one has to eliminate the weeds inone’s garden.

4. …either through some mistake or lack of care, the plant began to wither and decline, and nothing I did would bring it back to health. (para. 10)

Mandela seemed to feel that he was partly responsible for the way his relationship with his wife had declined, and that was why he did what he could to save their marriage. But he felt that their marriage probably wouldn’t survive.

5. I told her this small story a great length. ( para. 11)

I told her the story aboput the potato plant in great detail.

at length: 1) for a long time

eg. We discussed this problem at length.

2) in a full and complete way, in detail

eg The book discusses the topic at length.

3) (literary) after a long time, finally, in the end

eg At length, the boy got permission from

his parents to make a trip to Tibet on his own.

Ⅵ Lauguage Focus 1. Key word to give 2. word formation suffixes:-ing, -ed 3. Idioms and expressions as much as possible give in give up in order to ask for permission at first at heart neither…nor

read into drive back provide with at the time be empty of remove from behind bars spend time on at great length supply with either…or… take pride in from the beginning of throught trial and error

Ⅵ Lauguage Focus 4. verb + noun collocations announce the decision discuss issues arrange work eliminate the weed grow peanuts bury the dead cultivate the land lack care require care develop ways to order books harvest the results noursih the relationship offer satisfaction start a garden save space and time plant tomates sweep a hallway prepare legal document take responsibility pursue hobbies take satisfaction in remove rocks tend the garden remove roots

Ⅵ Lauguage Focus 5. Antonyms end –beginning possible—impossible manual-mental important—unimportant legal—illegal outside—inside satisfy—dissatisfy refuse—permit/allow clean—dirty narrow—wide/broad clear—unclear rarely– often 6. Grammar 1) infinitive as subject, adverbial of purpose, attributive modifier, logical subject of modifier 2) neither…nor, either…or 3) as introducing an adverbial clause of manner

Ⅶ Exericses

Omitted.

Unit 10 Mandela’s Garden

The end