Nelson Mandela: Master of Forgiveness

Nelson Mandela's life was symbolized as him being very forgiving of  his country that put him in jail for acting against segregated laws in South Africa. He negotiated peacefully with his government and abolished the laws that he fought against as a young man. In the political cartoon Mandela's footsteps form the word FORGIVENESS because he could have been very angry because of his country's actions, but he chose to be accepting and forgiving of his country's decisions. Mandela negotiated with his captors instead of retaliating at them and putting them in jail. I think he chose to do this because he wanted to be forgiving and show his country that he was "The better man" and that he wouldn't give in to his anger. President Obama said, “We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again.” I agree with this statement because Nelson Mandela was a very remarkable man, he protested what he believed in and faced the consequences of his actions. Once he was released he showed forgiveness, he did not retaliate. Many people might choose to retaliate and not be forgiving and as peaceful as a man Nelson Mandela was. I would be willing to spend so many years in prison for a cause. For example, I believe that farmers in the Ivory Coast shouldn't be using slave labor to produce cheap chocolate. Source:http://upfront.scholastic.com/News/Nelson-Mandela
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