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Last month, I shared a PBS News Hour segment titled “A ruthless defender of apartheid now seeks forgiveness.” It’s a very impressive piece that I added to The Best Sites For Learning About Nelson Mandela.

I’m sharing it again at the bottom of this post.

Today, my colleague Katie Hull showed it to her students along with the following writing prompt, which she gave me permission to share (you can download the student hand-out here):

A ruthless defender of Apartheid now seeks forgiveness
02/17/16 PBS News Hour

“In South Africa, thousands were killed and tens of thousands were detained under the watch of former Apartheid-era government official Adrian Vlok. Once seen by some as the regime’s “face of evil,” Vlok is now seeking redemption by reaching out to the people he helped to oppress.”

Watch the video and be prepared to respond to this prompt:

Do you think Adrian Vlok deserves forgiveness? Explain why or why not. To support your opinion, be sure to include specific examples from the video, any of the reading you have done, or your own experience.

I’m adding this post to The Best Posts On Writing Instruction, where you can find links to countless writing prompts I use in my classroom.