Nelson Mandela Inauguration Speech Essay

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He creates equality throughout his speech when stating; “we enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall without fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity - a rainbow nation at peace with the world and itself” He creates human equality between races stating no matter the colour of their skin ‘we’ are all the same, to walk and live with no fear. When he mentions a rainbow nation it appears to be a reference to human rights and may be referred to the pride flag that was created in 1979.

This extract uses a vast amount of future and past references, from how they triumphed in implanting hope into the breasts of millions to how they will remove discrimination and the past vermin views of them. There have been many references towards future hopes more than past actions. “The moment to bridge the chasm that divide us as come” this metaphor states the past of South Africa and displays how past actions have not only divided their people but has created a gap between society and its country. In the middle of the extract he thanks all of the people who have helped create a free South Africa but also thanking the people who elected him as president by thanking them profoundly using adjectives to describe his happiness. “We are both humbled and elevated by the honour and privilege that you, the people of South Africa have bestowed upon us” This was followed by a statement of a moving sentence that ends in a metaphor; “as the first president of a united, democratic, non-racial and non sexist south africa, to lead our country out of the valley of darkness.” Valley of darkness is a metaphor for the evil that had bestowed his country with, this quote appears to be stating that the ‘valley of darkness’ was created with all the wrongdoings of people and that sexist/racial people were one of the causes for this but now that he is president there is a new found hope that there will no longer be darkness but light that will shine bright across this said valley called South Africa.

To finalize, Nelson Mandela’s Inauguration speech was a very moving extract to reflect upon because of all the stylistic devices, and tones that he uses to create and emphasize his ideas and goals of what he wants to create South Africa into. His use of caesura to create dramatic pauses to construct a building and emotive speech to prove his point and to give the crowd time to reflect upon what he’s stating. The use of words such as freedom, dream, liberate,new world and unity makes people want and hope for a better future this is why this speech was unique and powerful because although it stated the terrors of the past mandela creates a want for the future, a want for change from the South African people.