Tess Chisholm

Mr. Wilson
Social studies 9
12 december, 2019

Nelson Mandela and the Great Man Theory

There are qualities one needs to bring a country from division and separation to
fellowship and togetherness, and to bring strength back to the country. These
qualities are often found in a Great Man, but what is a Great Man? A Great Man
can be defined as someone who has distinct qualities that allow them to see a
different path, and to strongly lead others down it. Nelson Mandela possessed some
of these qualities, including some of the most important traits such as Integrity,
forgiveness, passion, intelligence, and courage.

I believe that one of Nelson Mandela’s greatest qualities was his forgiveness. His
ability to forgive those who wronged him and other people of colour truly brought
his country together. He set a role model for the people of colour who had been
affected negatively by the white people of South Africa, and helped them learn to
forgive. If he, himself, couldn’t forgive, then he couldn’t expect the people of his
country. In the film, Nelson Mandela was asked why he forgave the white people
for what they did, he said he did to unite his country. Another notable scene that
proved his forgiveness was when he was first elected; many of the white people in
the office were starting to pack up, assuming they would be fired, but Mandela
only said ‘I’m here to serve my country. If you are too, then please stay”. Before
moving on, I will mention an important quote by Nelson Mandela; “Courageous
people do not fear forgiveness, for the sake of peace.”, meaning he believed in
order to restore the peace within his country it was necessary to forgive. He
thought of forgiveness as a strong thing to do and not something to fear.

Another important quality that Nelson Mandela possessed was his integrity and
work ethic. Mandela stuck to his promises and kept his word. Nelson Mandela
always dreamed big, but for those dreams to come true and be put into action hard
work and integrity were greatly needed. He had ideas of unity for his country, and
he stuck to it and took action to unite them. In the film, Mandela promised a lot of
things for his divided country that seemed Impossible; many seemed to doubt him
and his ideas, but with his hard work and intelligence he managed to uphold his
promises with integrity and earn the trust and respect of his people. If Mandela
didn’t stay true to what he promised, his country would have suffered. Things
needed to get done, and they needed to be done now before the situation and
division between the people of colour and the white people escalated and became
more dire. The people of South Africa soon saw him as a hard worker who could
do what he claimed he could, and with that, their admiration and trust followed. To
quote Nelson Mendela on the importance of hard work, “A bright future beckons.
The Onus is on us, through hard work, honesty, and integrity.”

A quality that is arguably one of Mandela’s most noticeable features, was his
passion and love. Mandela had a great imagination, but along with that he had the
passion and motivation to follow through with his dreams and take strides towards
his goal. He truly wanted to see a positive change in his country and he strongly
believed there were ways they could make a change. He had a great love for South
Africa and the people in it, and at all times he only did what was best for his
country; much of Nelson Mandela’s motivation came from his love and passion for
South Africa. Mandela always wanted to do more. A quote from him about passion
was “There is no passion to be found in playing small- in settling for a life that is
less than you are capable of.” Nelson Mandela was also a dreamer. These dreams
were great motivation to help him know what he wanted, because he already had
the traits to achieve it. Nelson Mandela said “I dream of a better Africa, which is at
peace with itself.” Mandela knew what he wanted, and he had the passion and
creativity to dream big and go against the odds. Without these dreams and goals,
Mandela would have no inspiration and nothing to work towards. “I am not an
optimist, but a great believer of hope.” - Nelson Mandela

Without a doubt, Mandela had great intelligence and wisdom. Mandela was a
clever thinker, and quick to come up with a solution to difficult problems. He loved
the idea of learning and teaching, and he considered education to be incredibly
important for everyone to have, and a great tool. Mandela said, “Education is the
most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Without a solid
education, leading a country would have been infinitely harder. Mandela used his
intelligence to think outside the box and come up with clever solutions to difficult
problems. Nelson Mandela saw their country's Rugby team as a way to help unite
his county, which is something others could have easily not thought of. During
Mandela’s time in prison, he had lots of time to think and reflect, gaining wisdom.
When Mendela was reflecting on his time in prison he said “I had no epiphany, no
singular revelation, no moment of truth, but a steady accumulation of a thousand
slights, a thousand indignities, and a thousand unremembered moments produced
in me an anger, a rebelliousness, a desire to fight the system that wrongfully
imprisoned my people. There was no particular day in which I said, Henceforth, I
will devote myself to the liberation of my people; instead, I simply found myself
doing so, and could not do otherwise.” Nelson Mandela had an interesting and wise
way of looking at learning and making mistakes, he said, “I never lose. I either
win, or learn.” Mandela was constantly willing to learn from his mistakes or the
mistakes of others, and always looked at them as an opportunity to learn
something. Another leader may have seen losing or messing up as a terrible
mistake, and might give up on what they were attempting to do; Mandela never
gave up, and was constantly learning and retrying until what he had started was
accomplished.

An incredibly important trait that allowed Nelson Mandela to stand up for what he
believed in and lead powerfully was his courage. Mandela was a man of great
courage, and he also found this as an important trait for a leader. Nelson Mandela
used this courage to rise above and complete what others thought were impossible
goals. Mendela took necessary risks, like keeping his country's Rugby team green
and gold, when many wanted change. He saw another path, and had the courage to
take it. Mandela said “As a leader, one must sometimes take actions that are
unpopular, or whose results will not be known for years to come.” It was no secret
that some people were against Nelson Mandela as president, but he had the courage
to push past that and keep reaching for his goal to better his country, despite the
fact that not everyone was in agreement. Mandela used this courage to speak about
what he believed, and to take action, even if doing so he was taking a risk.
Mandela never let fear hold him back from anything that he thought would benefit
his country. “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear. The brave man is
not he who feels unafraid, but he who conquers that fear.” -Nelson Mandela.

To conclude my essay, I believe that Nelson Mandela was a great man. He had
distinct and strong qualities that made him a noble leader and aid to South Africa.
He saw a new path amongst the division and hatred; a path of unity, strength, and
fellowship. He saw the path, and his great qualities as a person and leader allowed
him to take action. I believe that the most important quality in a Great Man is
Integrity. To be a Great Man, one must follow through and take action. If they’re
not honest and truthful to what they say, their words lose meaning. Gaining the
trust and respect of the people you’re leading must be through honesty and nothing
else, otherwise the trust will soon be broken. Without integrity, things won’t get
done. They may be discussed and plotted, but it takes a man with integrity to do the
work and follow through with what he says.