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The interesting narrative of the life of olaudah equiano
Slavery in america in colonial period
Development of slavery in colonies
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Olaudah Equiano In 1745, Olaudah Equiano was born in a small village in Isseke,Nigeria. His father was one of the chiefs in the village. At age eleven Equiano and his sister were kidnapped by two men and a woman never to see his home or parents again. After being kidnapped he was hiked across part of Africa untill he arrived at the coast where he was loaded onto a slave ship. While crossing the Atlantic to Barbados onboard the slave ship he and his countrymen were subject to horrors you could hardly imagine. Equiano tells about the horrors and torture slaves face not only on the slave ship but also on plantations and many other aspects of a slave's life. Equiano experienced almost all parts of a slave's existence. He was a slave throughout Africa, England, and the New World. Equiano is bought and sold several times. Religion also played a huge role in Equiano's life and I think that it helped him get through some really hard times. He is bought by a British Naval officer and serves in the British Navy during the Seven Years' War. He is then sold to Robert King where he begins trading goods between islands and eventually makes enough money to buy his freedom. Equiano tells of the joy he feels when he becomes a free man. The rest of his life is devoted to helping slaves and to the cause of abolishing slavery. In 1756 Olaudah Equino was kidnapped and taken to a slave ship which is when his nightmare and battle with slavery began. Equiano and his countrymen were chained together and treated extremely badly. I've never heard of animals being kept in a worse place than the slaves aboard the ship. Below decks on the ship is where the real horrors took place. There were hundreds of slaves packed into a very sma... ... middle of paper ... ...olitionist about the Zong massacre where 132 slaves were chained together and drowned in the ocean so the Zong's owners could collect the insurance money. Equiano tries to help poor blacks by making sure everything is ligit in the Sierra Leone expedition. Equiano also lobbies high officials to end slavery. For example, he writes to the queen telling her of tyranny in the West Indies and the oppression and cruelty exercised to the negroes there. He signs this letter Gustavus Vassa, the oppressed Ethiopian. After Equiano wrote his book he traveled throughout the British Isles giving speeches and denouncing slavery as an evil institution. I was surprised that Equiano didn't have a deep resentment and hatred toward all white people because of slavery and the way he was treated. Because of this and his relentless fight against slavery, Olaudah Equiano is a hero.
There are few things as brutal as the history of the institution of slavery. In his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, the aforementioned Olaudah Equiano describes the experience of his entrance into slavery.
The Olaundah Equiano narrative is a view of servitude from a former captive himself. He begins his story in Africa from the land of Esska, his native homeland. He describes his tribe and all the many traditions they practiced as a way of living. Equiano was not originally born into servitude but a free male, son of a chief. Equiano’s life in Africa was common among the many members of his tribe. He was strongly attached to his mother and clenched to her as much as possible. His father obtained many slaves himself, but treated them like an equal part of the family. Equiano lived a common life in African society, until one day his destiny took an unexpected turn for the worst and life would never be the same.
Both, “The Interesting Narrative Life of Olaudah Equiano” and “Amistad” are important stories about slavery in pre-civil war america because they both address the issues of slavery. These gentlemen in the story made a difference in the slave trade. In “The life of Olaudah Equiano”, Olaudah was sold on a slave ship that came to the Barbados. Olaudah worked for his freedom, and in the end became efficient in American language. He worked his way to the free life and in the end it worked out for him, although it leaves scars on his soul. In “Amistad”, Cinque is a slave that leads a revolt on a slave ship after escaping. When they get to america, Baldwin, a lawyer that is representing the slave and the former president Adams helps free the slaves.
Document One The Journey to Slavery is about the life of Olaudah Equiano. Equiano was born in what is now Nigeria in 1745. At the age of 11 Equiano and his younger sister were taken from their home, drug though the woods, sold, and was then separated from one another. Equiano’s experience was considered very rare. Throughout his life as a slave he had three different owners. Equiano went from one master to the other till he ended up in a pleasant country in the hands of a leader with children and two wives. He describes how his owners treated him like he was part of the family. They spoke he same
Keith Sandiford, author of Measuring the Moment, eloquently made the claim for Equiano's Interesting Narrative as a reliable documentary source. Sandiford writes, "Throughout the narrative, [Equiano] makes a conscious effort to delineate the principal incidents and experiences of his life as faithful memory would allow and to appraise his conduct with honest judgement and sober reflection" (119). To me this is how Equiano embarks on making his narrative credible:
Olaudah Equiano a native African born in 1745 kidnapped as a young boy, and sent into slavery. He spent 2nd half of his childhood in slavery, and he eventually bought his way to freedom. After he bought his freedom he became a sailor and traveled the world. Equiano then wrote a narrative of his years in slavery. His narrative helps millions see the horrors of slavery( Norton 687). Robert Rigg’s painting, the slave ship, is a piece of art that tells of the struggles of slaves, as they underwent their journey to America's.
In comparison to other slaves that are discussed over time, Olaudah Equiano truly does lead an ‘interesting’ life. While his time as a slave was very poor, there are certainly other slaves that he mentions that received far more damaging treatment than he did. In turn, this inspires him to fight for the abolishment of slavery. By pointing out both negative and positive events that occurred, the treatment he received from all of his masters, the impact that religion had on his life and how abolishing slavery could benefit the future of everyone as a whole, Equiano develops a compelling argument that does help aid the battle against slavery. For Olaudah Equiano’s life journey, he expressed an array of cruelties that came with living the life of an African slave; which demonstrates all of the suffering that he endured, then proving how much it can change one’s point of view in life.
Slavery was a practice throughout the American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, and through slavery, African-American slaves helped build the economic foundation of which America stands upon today, but this development only occurred with the sacrifice of the blood, sweat, and tears from the slaves that had been pushed into exhaustion by the slave masters. A narrative noting a lifetime of this history was the book The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African written by Olaudah Equiano. Equiano was a prominent African involved in the British movement for the abolition of the slave trade. He was captured and enslaved as a child in his home town of Essaka in what is now known as south eastern Nigeria, later he was shipped to the West Indies, he then moved to England, and eventually purchased his freedom (Equiano). Olaudah Equiano, with many other millions of slaves, faced many hardships and was treated with inconceivable injustices by white slave masters and because of the severity of these cruel and barbarous occurrences, history will never forget these events.
"The Life of Olaudah Equiano” is a captivating story in which Equiano, the author, reflects on his life from becoming a slave to a freeman during the 19th century. Through his experiences and writing, Equiano paints a vivid picture of the atrocities and cruelties of European slavery. Ultimately through his narrative, Equiano intends to persuade his audience, the British government, to abolish the Atlantic slave trade as well as alert them of the harsh treatment of slaves. He successfully accomplishes his goal by subtly making arguments through the use of character, action, and setting.
Slave narratives were made to document the experiences of African and African decent slaves to compelled the reader to change their views on slavery. The two slave narratives of Olaudah Equiano and Ottabah Cugoano share a lot of similarities. An idyllic beginning in Africa, a traumatic kidnapping into slave trade, and their firsthand experience of the cruelty that European master imposed on them and others. The message that they tried to convey to the reader through their slave narrative was that they were human and regardless of their skin color they didn’t deserved to be treated the way that they were.
In the excerpt from “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" by Olaudah Equiano, Equiano discusses his life as a African slave and his journey to another land. He is very successful is making readers aware of how unjust slavery is, by giving many examples of how cruel and inhumane the slaves were treated. One example is ,”One white man in particular I saw, when we were permitted on deck, flogged so unmercifully with a large rope near the foremast, that he died in consequence of it; and they tossed him over the side as they would done a brute”(Equiano 27). This quote shows how the passengers on the boat to the new land were treated so poorly and punishments were very severe for those who disobeyed. This quote also shows how
In "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" Equiano was kidnapped as a young child and then was shipped all over until he landed in America. He did not even give up through the deadly ship voyages. He described how bad the voyages were, “The air soon became unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the slaves, of which many died.” Once he was brought to the slave trade in America he began to work hard. People began noticed how hard and strenuous he worked and how
Slave narratives documented experiences of African and African decent slaves to convey the horrors of slavery. The slave narrative of Olaudah Equiano and Ottabah Cugoano narrate an idyllic beginning in Africa, a traumatic kidnapping into slavery, experience of the cruelty of slavery, and the joy of regaining their freedom. The most important message that both Equiano and Cugoano wanted to exposed is that slaves had the ability to learn to read and write and be part of the society of the people who enslave them.
Equiano and his sister were both separated and sent off to the ship where they would be heading to Barbados. Equiano talks about his first reaction when he first saw a slave ship and what he thought was going to happen. Olaudah believed that he was going to be killed and eaten by the white men who were on the ship. Throughout the journey, Equiano talks about what he saw and went through. He explained the conditions of inside the ship, how the white men were treating the Africans, and what he was personally going through. Equiano reaches the Barbados, however no one bought him so he was sent to Virginia and bought by his first master. After a little less than a month later, Equiano had a new master, Michael Henry Pascal. For the next seven years, Equiano was traveling the world under Pascal’s command. Later on in 1766, Equiano had bought his freedom and began to work in trade business in the West Indies. In England, Equiano became an active abolitionist and began speaking against British slave owners and the English slave trade. By the year of 1789, Equiano had published his autobiography, and ten years after his death in 1797 English slave trade was
He was taken from his birth culture (African Culture) and forced to appreciate and learn a new one. He was also given a completely new name, which he used throughout his life, though he used his African name when he published this book. He traveled through Great Britain as an author eventually marrying and having two daughters. He also joined an abolitionist movement. Equiano describes many hardships and desperate conditions but also new sights and experiences. He eventually learns to like and appreciate the the European culture. Equiano was lucky because instead of turning into a cruel and angry person he became a remorseful person who decided to see the best in people.