Death…One of Man’s Greatest Fears
Nelson Mandela…President of South Africa from 1994–1999. Many people recognize his last name in connection to the ‘Mandela effect’. Today he will be known for his “I am Prepared to Die” speech. In where Mandela states the charges pressed against him, for trying to fight South Africa’s racist government. He communicates his struggle, while also expressing to his auditors that he will continue to fight the oppression towards blacks in South Africa.
The peroration of “I am prepared to die” is as follows:
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die (Mandela 1964).”
Mandela believed in something so great, he was willing to die for it. Not literal, but at whatever cost it had to be reached, he was ready. He wanted the community to live in happiness, rather than oppression. The Pathos used, especially in the peroration, allows you to become motivated, in a sense if someone else is ready to die for something so great, your willing to support the cause. Mandela allows for the feeling of “you’re not alone.”
Mandela’s speech resonates as a way to fight for what you believe in. As we have seen in recent cases from police brutality, racism, rape, school shooting, etc. Causes that have always been present, have now been upbringing in social media. Allowing for a greater distribution of awareness. For example, “March for Our Lives” movement, where students had enough of facing death at the end of a bullet.
Mandela uses one of man’s greatest fears as a way to resonate with his auditors. Now I would like you to think of a situation your willing to fight for, and ask yourself the question “are you willing to die for it?”
References: Mandela’s Speech, “I am Prepared to Die” peroration
