Nelson Mandela was the first black president of South Africa who strongly believed in democracy, equality and tolerance.  Mandela was one of the most influential figures in South African and international politics.  Mandela spent a large portion of his life in prison, because of his political beliefs.  Despite the hardships Mandela faced while incarcerated he still believed he was in control of his life, and the master of his own fate.  The photographer Jurgen Schadeberg captured the idea that Mandela was still in control of his life in one of his photos of Mandela staring out the window of his prison cell at Robben Island.  By making the photo black and white it conveyed the dark and hard times Mandela was going through.  Mandela’s composure through his appearance and posture illustrated one of Mandela’s fundamental beliefs which is despite during a person’s darkest times if one has faith in themselves and what they believe in they can prevail over anything.

Mandela was a member of the African National Congress, which is Republic South Africa’s governing social democratic political party and during the year 1962 he was arrested, tried and convicted for sabotage.  Mandela spent a total of twenty-seven years in prison, and spending seventeen years of that sentence on Robben Island of Cape Town (Histrory.com).  Robbin island prison was a prison designed for political prisoners and was known for its harsh treatment.  While at Robbin island prison Nelson Mandela was considered as a class D prisoner.  A class D prisoner was considered the lowest grade of prisoner, and was treated with worst conditions.  Mandela would constantly be verbally harassed by white guards, and have to spend a large amount of time in solitary confinement.  Mandela was forced to do hard labor in a limestone quarry, and stay in a very small cell where he did not have a bed and had to go to the bathroom in a bucket.  He had very little communication with the outside world.  He was only allowed one letter every six months, and only could have one visitor every year.  Mandela had to live in these conditions for eighteen years (History.com).  Those eighteen years Mandela spent on Robben island prison were some the hardest, and grueling years of his life.  Jurgen Schadeberg made the photograph black and white to convey these hard times that Mandela was going through.  The absents of color shows how life while at Robben Island was a depressing, and despairing time.  While most would loss there hope and believe that their life was over, Mandela did the complete opposite. Mandela kept a positive attitude and prospered while in prison.  This is illustrated in Mandela’s posture and appearance in the photograph.  

Nelson Mandela’s physical appearance is a very large aspect of this photograph.   Nelson Mandela entered prison when he was twenty-seven years old as a young healthy male.  Mandela’s hair in this photo is mostly gray with little specs of black.  The graying of Mandela hair illustrates the passing of time, and the physical toll prison had on him.  Instead of wasting his time in prison Mandela was actually very productive even despite of all the limitations he had while being in prison.  Mandela has a book tucked in the pocket of his prison suit.  This book represents Mandela’s thirst for self-improvement, and knowledge while in prison.  While jail Mandela earned his law degree, and wrote parts of his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.  Mandela also formed “University of Ribbon Island”, so that prisoners could give lectures on their own areas of expertise (History.com).  Mandela has a very clean uniform in this photo.  The shirt he is wearing is all the way buttoned up, and looks to be pressed.   Mandela’s neat and clean prison uniform illustrates his composure.  Despite of all of the hardships Mandela faced he still kept his dignity, and his pride.  No matter what the prison guards would say or do to him, he would always take the higher road. Even though Mandela was treated like a criminal he did not act like one.  He kept his composure and always strived to pursue a better life for himself.

After Mandela was released from prison he was elected as the first black President of South of Africa, and also won the Noble Peace Prize(History.com).  While Mandela did not know those two great achievements were attended for him in his future he did know that there was going to be better times then the ones he was facing while in Robben Island.  Mandela has his arm in a relax position on the window ceil.  His relaxed position of his arm illustrates how he is not angry with his situation he is in, and how he is actually content where he is. While in prison Nelson Mandela lived his life by the words of William Henley’s poem “Invictus”.  There were a few lines of “Invictus” that Mandela would emphasize the most, which were, “I am the master of my fate, / I am the captain of my soul” (Lines 15-16).  Mandela has a very tranquil face glaring into the distance in the photograph.   The tranquility in his face brings the words of Invictus to life, and shows how he has faith in himself, and how he is still in control of his life.  Him staring in the distance is him thinking about the future and better times.  

    By making the photo black and white it conveyed the dark and hard times Mandela was going through.  Mandela’s composure through his appearance and posture illustrated one of Mandela’s fundamental beliefs which is despite during a person’s darkest times if one has faith in themselves and what they believe in they can prevail over anything.  Mandela lived in one of the worst prisons in the world for eighteen years of his life, and despite of that he prospered.  His thirst of knowledge and self-improvement is what lead him to a better life. This one photograph can convey the eighteen years that Nelson Mandela spent in Robbin Island prison.  
