The purpose of Mandela’s speech is not to claim innocence in the face of the sabotage charges, as he admits to his prominent involvement in Umkhonto. Rather, the purpose is to use the court proceeding as a prominent venue in which to reframe the narrative. Mandela argues that his actions are justified in the context of the freedom struggle against apartheid. Therefore, throughout the speech, Mandela uses persuasive rhetorical techniques, relying on political arguments, examples of historic protests and court cases, statistics indicating the scope of inequality, and details from his own life and upbringing. Although the speech connects many key dates and events, it notably follows a non-linear narrative progression, as Mandela calls on these events when they are needed to substantiate his points.

The apartheid government had immense power in manipulating public perception. The National Party (the ruling party) had complete control over the state media and could censor any information it did not agree with. On any given day, it was common to see parts of the newspaper blacked out if it did not agree with what the National Party wanted to communicate.