“The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano” by Olaudah Equiano is an autobiography reporting his experience as a slave in Africa, Europe, and the americas. As Equiano and his sister were unsupervised at the one day, two men and a woman kidnapped them. The children were taken by surprise with no time to call for help and were made slaves for a great part of their lives. Although Equiano was a slave in different parts of the world, he experienced slavery differently under the control of different people. In Africa, ….. Equiano’s first experience with slavery was in his very own land of Africa. He was forceful taken on a journey from Central to West Africa. This was Equiano’s first time being forced away from his family, chained, and deprived of food. Little did he know that life as a slave in Africa would be one of the most comfortable times of his life in comparison to slavery in Europe and the Americas. In Africa, he held the title of “slave” but was treated quite well. First of …show more content…
all, because he wasn’t far from his country, the culture of his masters was quite similar to that of his own. For the most part, he understood the languages of his masters, and if he didn’t, it was close enough that he easily learned it. In fact, he learned 2 to 3 new languages throughout his journey. The people also followed customs such as hand washing before having a meal. Although he may not have known it at the time, Equiano felt some comfort in the familiarity with the rituals of his masters. He would later learn this when he was exposed to an entirely new culture of the Europeans. (Equiano, 49, 52 ) Furthermore in Africa, Equiano’s masters treated him as a human being. There are many instances he writes about where many different masters that have treated him well. After he and his sister were separated, Equiano was distraught many days, grieving and refusing to eat. When he finally got into the hands of a leader of the people, he was relieved. He writes, “they all used me extremely well, and did all they could to comfort me”, even stating that the wife was “something like a mother” to him. He was also carried by his master when he was tired. In another instance, after Equiano had accidentally killed his master’s chicken, he hid in fear of punishment. The village searched for him an entire day, and after not finding him, he returned. Even after the slave was thought to run away, he was treated graciously. Instead of inducing any kind of punishment, the woman intervened on his behalf to the master and ordered that he be “taken care of, and not to be ill-treated.” (Equiano, 50, 52) Not only was Equiano treated decently as a human being, he was at times treated as family, which made him forget he was even a slave. It was the custom of a slave to eat apart from the free masters. However, under a new master’s ownership, he was able to eat and drink at the same table as her and her son as soon as they met. Not only that, but the son would not eat or drink himself unless Equiano did first, since he was the eldest. This was no longer a hierarchy of slave and free, but that of age within a family. Equiano writes about these masters, “Indeed everything here, and all their treatment of me, made me forget that I was a slave.” In addition, Equiano and the free boy played together with bows and arrows with neighboring boys, the same way he did at home. This shows a division of Equiano’s life from slavery. It was almost as if the family had bought him out of slavery and into their family. “I now began to think I was to be adopted into the family, and was beginning to be reconciled to my situation, and to forget by degrees my misfortunes.” (Equiano, 53, 54) At this time, the oppression Equiano endured was only mental and emotion, as he was not physically abused. Equiano writes, “I was quite oppressed and weighed down by grief after my mother and friends; and my love of liberty.” The only thing weighing him down was sorrow and homesickness. After some traveling through Africa, he writes that he had never witnessed any mistreatment of slaves. The only time any physical action was taken was to tie the slaves down when required in order to prevent escape. (Equiano, 50, 52) Equiano never did escape slavery in Africa, but made his way to the Americas. The route from Africa to America was arguably the most traumatizing part of slavery for Equiano. He was exposed to new things that he had never heard of, such as the ocean and white men. He also did not speak the English language of the white men, which was much different and harder for him to learn. These differences lead Equiano to believe that the men were going to kill him on the ship. The white men were the abusers of the African slaves on the Slave Ships. There were furnaces and Africans chained together, each expressing misery and despair. “The white people looked and acted, as I thought, in so savage a manner; for I had never seen among any such instances of brutal cruelty,” he writes. He would have rather been a slave to the cruelest master in Africa than in the slave ship, sailing to America. As soon as the ship lost sight of land, Equiano lost all hope of ever returning back to his home land. (Equiano, 36, 54-57) Equiano summarizes his experience as a slave in Europe in this way; “Did I consider myself an European, I might say my sufferings were great: but when I compare my lot with that of most of my countrymen, I regard myself as a particular favourite of Heaven.” He was considered a slave in that he didn’t have legal freedom as the Europeans. He didn’t willingly go to Europe, but was forced and bought as a slave. However, like in Africa, he was well liked and treated kindly. In comparison to his experience in America and onboard the slave ships, slavery in Europe was “perfect freedom”. (Equiano, 35, 88) First of all, Equiano was treated kindly on the ship towards Europe, and it set a positive tone for the rest of his time as a slave in Europe. He writes, “everybody on board used me very kindly, quite contrary to what I had seen of any white people before; I therefore began to think that they were not all of the same disposition.” There were also 2 masters that Equiano admits to have been attached to, and did not want to separate. (Equiano, 62, 69, 73, 80) Neither did his masters fail him when on land. In Falmouth, Equiano was accepted to eat together with his masters. His master and the little girl loved him, as he liked them, so it reminded him of the times he was with his African masters. Later, in Guernsey, his master treated him as though he was her own son. She showed him attention, affection, and educated him. Some even sent him to school to fulfill his wish of being able to read and write English. (Equiano, 66, 67, 74) Although Europe was “perfect freedom” , he did encounter a few difficulties. These struggles were due to exposure to new things. One problem he encountered was a language barrier. ”I thought of myself worse off than any of the rest of my companions; for they could talk to each other, but I had no person to speak to that I could understand.” Equiano also felt inferior amongst the white Europeans because of physical differences in skin color. During his stay with his masters at Guernsey, he witnessed the mother wash her daughter’s face, which turned a rosy color. He also tried to manipulate it on himself, thinking his face, too, would turn the same color as Mary’s. When it didn’t he express he “began to be mortified at the difference in our complexion.” Not only was his physical appearance different from those of the Europeans, his body wasn’t adapted to the weather in Europe. Transitioning from the hot African sun to the cold weather in the North caused his hands and feet to swell. He was sick many months, and almost had to undergo amputation of his legs. (Equiano, 36, 61, 67, 69) With each passing season of slavery, Equiano found new hope that would allow him to survive the misery of slavery over time. In Africa, Equiano had strong hopes that would allow him to keep an optimist mindset which helped him to survive his situation. First of all, although he was distressed with being kidnapped, he was together with his sister. Equiano writes, “the only comfort we had was in being in one another’s arms all night, and bathing each other with our tears.” However, as soon as they were torn apart, his grief became stronger. (Equiano, 49) He was now left with the comfort of his familiarity of the land around him. When he arrived at the first house after his kidnapping, Equiano thought he had known the road which they were on. He lived in hopes that if he escaped, he would be able to find his way back home. Even when he lived with the family that treated him well, he dreamed of his escape. While he was journeying through Africa, he kept track of where his house was located in relations to the sun. He knew his home was towards the east and prepared for his escape. However, even this hope was crushed the night he hid from his master after killing the chicken. He overheard neighbors saying that it was impossible for him to reach his house since it was so far and he would most likely get lost and die in the woods. (Equiano, 49, 51) Equiano had no more hope in returning to his home land, as they left the African shore and traveled across seas. He now found comfort within temporary joys. Some of these include the fact that he was treated well by his masters in Europe and making friends. Some of the friendships include Dick, his Native American friend, and the boys on board he was able to play with. (Equiano, 62, 63, 67, 76) Furthermore, Equiano had some hope that lasted him for longer periods of time.
One of these hopes were held in his goals of becoming a free man. This could have happened in one of two ways. First, when he was in América, he was told rumors that the ships would take him back to Africa. Although he soon found out that the ship would actually sail to Europe. The second way he hoped to become free was to buy his way out of slavery. Goals of becoming free had helped him to endure his struggles and strive for a better life for himself. He dreamed of working for himself, and Daniel Queen himself offered to instruct him on business when he was no longer a slave. Lastly, the more he familiarized himself with European and culture, he was able to reduce his terror. Equiano writes, “the fear, however, which was the effect of my ignorance, wore away as I began to know them.” The more he learned the culture and language, the more he enjoyed the European society. (Equiano, 62, 67, 74
86) Equiano’s biggest comfort during slavery came from his faith in God. When there was nobody around he could understand, he talked to God. Even during distress, he had his mind on God, which allowed for a positive mindset that helped him survive slavery through the years. “I considered that trials and disappointments are sometimes for our good, and I thought God might perhaps have permitted this in order to teach me wisdom and resignation.” Because he believed in God, and believed that it was God’s will for him to undergo slavery, he endured slavery in hopes that he would be free when God permitted again. (Equiano, 62, 89, 163, 164)
Equiano was the youngest of his brothers who enjoyed playing outside throwing javelins enjoying the normal life of a small child. At the beginning of the day, the elders would leave their children at home while they went out into the fields to work. While they were gone, some of the children would get together to play but always took precautions of potential kidnappers. Even with all these precautions, people were still seized from their homes and taken away. Equiano was home one day with his little sister tending to the everyday household needs when out of nowhere they were captured by a couple men who had gotten over the walls. They had no time to resist or scream for help before they found themselves bound, gagged, and being taken away. Equiano had no idea where these people were taking him and they didn’t stop once until nightfall where they stayed until dawn. He tells us about how they traveled for many days and nights not having any clue where they were going or when they would get there. Slaves traveled by land and by sea, but Equiano’s journey was by sea. He tells us how he was carried aboard and immediately chained to other African Americans that were already on the ship. Once the ship halted on land, Equiano along with many other slaves were sent to the merchant’s yard where they would be herded together and bought by the
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 novel The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano exists as an extremely important work in the abolitionist movement in England. As an 18th century narrative written by a former black slave, the novel provides a glimpse into the lives of the African slaves involved in the slave trade as well as the slave traders themselves. Even with the controversy over the authenticity of Equiano’s claims on his origin in Africa and his subsequent voyage through the Middle Passage, this novel serves as a powerfully instructive piece of literature. Throughout the novel, Equiano strives to impress upon the reader a certain set of moral standards or ideals that he desires to instruct the reader about. One such moral ideal that is prevalent throughout the entirety of the novel is Equiano’s construction of the idea of the value and worth of the African slaves, as opposed to the view of the African slaves as simply commodities or objects to be purchased and traded.
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.
Equiano starting out had caring captors, “[t]he people I was sold to used to carry me very often when I was tired either on their shoulders or on their backs” (Equiano 54). Equiano’s first master lost his wife and daughter causing the mental state to be off, so Equiano was sold. Luckily Equiano was able to see his sister once again, he felt the need to be there for her and try to aid the pain she was feeling. All slave masters admired Equiano and he was still live a fair well off life but, that would soon change when boards the slave ship. Equiano finally will see the true horrors of how slaves were treated, “...and I even wished for my former slavery in preference to my present situation” (Equiano
The autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, first published in 1789, is the first example of a slave narrative. Unlike most of the class, I took it upon myself to read the entire story of Equiano’s Travels, abridged and edited by Paul Edwards. In that version, as in the version represented in The Norton Anthology American Literature Shorter Fifth Edition, the journey of Olaudah Equiano is expressed in his own words, from his own point of view. That makes this writing a truly unique piece of literature. It is not only the first slave narrative but also one of the only ones written pre-civil war by a former slave, and someone seized from Africa. These facts give the writing a unique feel, for it is the words of a man that was born a free man, raised to be a ruler of his tribe, kidnapped and made into a slave as a young child, and then journeying through life to become once again free as a mature adult. Equiano experienced almost all parts of a slave’s existence. He was a slave throughout Africa, England, and the New World.
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.
Equiano knew he had to please his masters in order to have any opportunity of freedom. He knew he had to find a way to stick with a kind master; otherwise he could be sold, mistreated and even killed. To do this he chose to build a rapport with his masters worked hard to be indispensable to them. Equiano negotiated trades, proving he was of value for more than just manual labor. Adapting to his environment by learning to read, write and speak English fluently was an intelligent way to advance his worth as a slave, and also to help himself in the future when he purchased his freedom. After he became a free man, he continued to think of methods to abolish slavery, his now primary goal in life. He positioned himself as a mediator to promote his message of anti-slavery to people of different classes and then went further to offer a solution for continued economic growth. Just as a trickster is able to transform in to whatever it needs to become, Equiano was both a protestor of slavery and an industrialist, when the time called for it.
In the autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano. Born in 1745, Equiano describes his life of being an native african, who was kidnapped from his homeland in the Eboe at the age eleven and was partaken in the African slave trade. Equiano encountered many facets of life during his journey around the world that no one could have expected. He was then able to regained his freedom unlike most of the victims of the slave trade. Equiano Olaudah considered himself “a particular favorite of heaven” and having good fortune regardless of the challenges and the suffering he faced while serving as a slave. Olaudah's good fortune is shown when
Equiano constantly sought out to purchase his freedom. When his master Robert King finally permitted him to raise enough money, he was overjoyed, “[He would] become . . . [his] own master” (105). At one point Equiano got into a fight with a black slave, and the slave’s master wanted to flog Equiano for beating his property, even though the slave hit Equiano first. Afterwards, Equiano met a free black man who was accused of being a slave and threatened with kidnapping. This shows that white men always had power over black men regardless if the black men was property or not. As a result, Equiano soon came to learn “there was little or no law for a free negro” (107). On another occasion Equiano was on a boat that wrecked on the coast of the Bahamas because of a strong current. During this tragic event, some of the white people started to drink their lives away, and none of them helped the others or themselves: “not one of the white men did anything to preserve their lives” (Equiano 114). It was up to Equiano to save them, and if he had not, the white men would have died. However, Equiano did not get the recognition like a white person would. To summarize, this goes to show that blacks were still not equivalent to whites no matter if free or
He was a man who believed to be blessed from all events of his life and for which he hopes for his work to serve the purpose in helping his enslaved brethren. He wished to portrait a positive image on Ebobe people to whom he claims he descended from. The narrative provided a thorough indictment of the slave trade and to thereby compel the British government to abolish it. Although Equiano makes his point in relation to the events of his life by inciting consciences and raising the question to England on its commitment towards democracy, liberty, and equality. He then concludes with a striking rhetorical assault against slavery by stating that it is incompatible with virtue, morality and biblical
The different experiences reflected here include a few points of views about slavery. At first, it is an experience of an enslaved person, Olaudah Equiano. A man, who was enslaved at the age of 11, encountered three different owners, and finally bought his freedom in 1766. The second experience covers the story of a European slave trader, and his experience about how the slave trade was executed in practice. The third document is a letter from the monarch of the kingdom of Kongo who described how his kingdom suffered from the slave trade. And the last document, on the other hand, describes the thoughts of the king
"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.
As a young boy, Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped from his home in Africa and forced into the infamous slave trade. Like many other slaves, he was physically and emotionally traumatized by a series of unfortunate events that occurred in his lifetime. He was traded often, served under numerous masters, shipped along with hundreds of other enslaved people, and had to bear witness to the deaths of several slaves. Equiano was among the few who were eventually able to gain freedom, and even more of a rarity, acquired an education and published his own book. His book was an original for this time period because his audience was primarily European people who had never been able to read about the slave trade from the perspective of an actual former slave.
In the Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano, Equiano starts right out in the beginning with his story. He starts out with introducing his life as a free African. This could be seen as part of his narrative plot to show the reader how happy he was in his homeland. After the introduction, there is then the story of his life as a slave. This is where sympathetic tactics are initiated of how he was abducted and taken to a different country. There was even a line that hit the emotions of all dead on. He questions that, “ O, ye nominal Christians! Might not an African ask you, learned you this from your God, who says unto you, Do unto all men as you would men should do unto you?” (Equiano 209). That simple line phrased the entire meaning of what a slave narrative was. He sought out the sympathy of others by using religion to captivate and then motivate them to support slaves having rights like other humans. During this time, religion was a very big entity. She was able to call out the slave masters on their hypocrisy in their religion. She was pointing out the facts saying one thing while doing the other. This is one of the most powerful w...