Excerpt from "Long Walk to Freedom"

In this excerpt from the abridged edition of the autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom: With Connections," Nelson Mandela retraces some of the physical, mental, and emotional steps he took in his fight for freedom from hatred.

Here are all the word lists to support the reading of Grade 7 Unit 3's texts from SpringBoard's Common Core ELA series: Tangerine, A stunning tale of escape, To an Athlete Dying Young, Biography of Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom, Landmarks of Nelson Mandela's Life, Invictus, Playing the Enemy, Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
15 words 520 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. illusion
    something many people believe that is false
    It was only when I began to learn that my boyhood freedom was an illusion, when I discovered as a young man that my freedom had already been taken from me, that I began to hunger for it.
  2. transitory
    lasting a very short time
    At first, as a student, I wanted freedom only for myself, the transitory freedoms of being able to stay out at night, read what I pleased, and go where I chose.
  3. obstruct
    hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of
    Later, as a young man in Johannesburg, I yearned for the basic and honorable freedoms of achieving my potential, of earning my keep, of marrying and having a family--the freedom not to be obstructed in a lawful life.
  4. curtail
    place restrictions on
    I saw that it was not just my freedom that was curtailed, but the freedom of everyone who looked like I did.
  5. animate
    give new life or energy to
    It was this desire for the freedom of my people to live their lives with dignity and self-respect that animated my life
  6. abide
    put up with something or somebody unpleasant
    that transformed a frightened young man into a bold one, that drove a law-abiding attorney to become a criminal, that turned a family-loving husband into a man without a home, that forced a life-loving man to live like a monk.
  7. virtuous
    morally excellent
    I am no more virtuous or self-sacrificing than the next man, but I found that I could not even enjoy the poor and limited freedoms I was allowed when I knew my people were not free.
  8. liberate
    grant freedom to; free from confinement
    I knew as well as I knew anything that the oppressor must be liberated just as surely as the oppressed.
  9. prejudice
    a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
    A man who takes away another man's freedom is a prisoner of hatred, he is locked behind the bars of prejudice and narrow-mindedness.
  10. oppress
    come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
    The truth is that we are not yet free; we have merely achieved the freedom to be free, the right not to be oppressed.
  11. enhance
    increase
    For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedoms of others.
  12. devotion
    commitment to some purpose
    The true test of our devotion to freedom is just beginning.
  13. falter
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    I have walked that long walk to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way.
  14. vista
    the visual percept of a region
    I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come.
  15. linger
    take one's time; proceed slowly
    But I can rest only for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.
Created on Thu Sep 11 13:53:26 EDT 2014 (updated Thu Sep 11 18:08:52 EDT 2014)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.