Have a look at the following extract from Long Walk to

Freedom by Nelson Mandela:

http://archives.obs-us.com/obs/english/books/Mandela/furry.html

Who is Nelson Mandela?

Why is he famous?
Why was he imprisoned?
Why was his release such a historic moment?
What effect do you think his writing would have on different
members of society and why?

Apartheid

apartness, the official name for the South African system of racial
segregation.
A result of Britain withdrawing its rule and only assigning power to white
people.
People of different colour forced to live in separate districts and with
differing governing laws.
Black or mixed-race (coloured) people were not allowed to vote, travel or
receive suitable education.
Violent and often unprovoked arrests, attacks and torture were
commonplace.
Apartheid was the political regime in place between 1948 and 1993

against air all behind between

came chill clothes cloud cold
completely coolness cotton damp
dark dirty down earth exact
foot hidden high hung left like
long man men moon night
parallels passed prints regular
ridged rows sank shoes sky soil

thick
trees winter wool wore
streamers suspended

Make some predictions about what you think the story will be
about, based on these words taken from the opening. Do you notice
any patterns in the words?

Alex La Guma 1925-1985

(Born Justin Alexander La Guma) South African novelist, short story writer, and
journalist.
La Guma is best known for his fiction concerning racial oppression under the
apartheid system in South Africa. In his novels and short stories, he conveys, as
Nadine Gordimer says in her The Black Interpreters: Notes on African Writing
(1973), the sight, sound and smell of poverty and misery, so that the flesh-andblood meaning of the colour bar becomes a shocking, sensuous impact. Driven
into exile in the mid-1960s, with his books banned in his own country, La Guma
gained international recognition for his efforts to bring down white-minority rule in
South Africa.

Big questions to consider in small

groups:
Why is the story set in a lemon
orchard?
Why are the details of the attack
not described?
How many references to light and
dark are there in the story? What is
the significance of this?

LANGUAGE ANALYSIS
Compare the opening 2 paragraphs and closing paragraph. How does the
writer use natural surroundings to convey his feelings about what is
described in the story?

Highlight key words and phrases that you think are key to answering this
question. Then formulate an answer in groups.
Useful phrases to use when formulating a response:
This creates a sense of.
This suggests
The word . Is particularly poignant because..
Gumas use of.. is very effective here because.
This would make the reader feel.
This alludes to the theme of..because
When the Guma writes, , a sense of..is created
THEMES
RACISM
INJUSTICE
OPPRESION
VIOLENCE
HATRED
FEAR

Split into 4/5 groups, each with a different theme. On a large piece of paper
brainstorm quotations relevant your theme and comment on how Guma uses
language to convey the theme. Present back to the class.

GLOSSARY

Kaffir
Dutch- 'Kaffer' lout
Oom Uncle
Verdomte Damned
Wag'n oomblikkie Wagen=dare/venture
Ogenblikkie=in the wink of an eye
'Dare to wait a moment'/'slowdown'
Slim Clever
Baas Boss
Riem Strap
Jong Young boy
Volk People (in this case white people)
Meneer
Mister

Hottentot Stammering or stuttering with reference to abrupt

pronunciation and 'clicks' of the tongue; or a member of a South African
race of low statue; or a person of inferior status or culture
Bliksem
Black
Sjambok
A weapon similar to a bull whip; has a thick leather strap

Alex La Guma The Lemon Orchard links:

http://www.l-zone.co.uk/learners/english/year11/lemonorchard.htm