Answer in about 100-120 words :
'No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion'. Do you agree? Elaborate on the basis of the chapter "Nelson Mandela - Long walk to freedom".
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-15 07:15 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Yes, I completely agree with this statement. Nelson Mandela, in Long Walk to Freedom, powerfully illustrates that hatred based on colour or background is a learned behaviour, not an inborn one.
Mandela himself was born free — free to run in fields, swim in streams, and live without fear. It was only when he grew up that he discovered his freedom had been taken away by the apartheid system. He was not born hating white people; he learned about racial oppression through experience.
Mandela further says, "The oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed." A man who takes away another's freedom becomes "a prisoner of hatred, locked behind bars of prejudice." This shows hatred is a cage people build around themselves.
His conclusion is hopeful: "If people can learn to hate, they can be taught to love." Love and humanity are natural; hatred is taught.
Source: Nelson Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom, Chapter 2
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Explanation
- The quote "If people can learn to hate, they can be taught to love" is the key line from the chapter and should anchor your answer.
- Examiners look for: (1) a clear statement of agreement, (2) evidence from the text (Mandela born free, apartheid as a learned system of oppression), (3) Mandela's philosophical point about oppressor and oppressed both losing humanity, and (4) the hopeful conclusion.
- Keep the answer personal to Mandela's experience in the chapter — don't go into general historical examples unless you run short.
- The phrase "prisoner of hatred" is a direct quote from the passage — using it scores well.