Defying The Odds:
Analyzes of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Told by Himself
Olaudah Equiano’s name means well spoken and favored. He lived up to his name, being one of the only Africans to climb Europe’s social ladder, during the Enlightenment. He was kidnapped at the age of eleven and sold into slavery. Although in slavery, he gained knowledge, literacy, and became a Christian. He was able to buy his freedom from a Quaker master. He did not hide in fear after being set free, but instead lived life boldly. His published his story under the title, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Told by Himself. His memoir was so sought after because of his rare social status and his debate on the humanness of Africans.
If Equiano had been white, his story would not have gained
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popularity; it would have been written off as another success story. His skin color and past makes his memoir seem like a miracle. Very rarely did African slaves gain the status that Equiano had. His writing included subscribes such as: the Prince of Wales and eight dukes. He was the first modern writer to go on a book tour (Puchner 74). He married a white Englishwoman named Susannah Cullen, and had two children with her. The mere thought of an African achieving so much would have been deemed absurd. Equiano’s story forces people to re-evaluate the stigma placed on Africans during the Enlightenment.
They were thought to be less than human. Slavery was justified in people’s eyes, because they thought Africans were not humans. Olaudah challenges the image of Africans, because he shows that they have emotions, they can feel, and they have intelligence. He expresses extreme sorrow when he is ripped from his sister, “I cried and grieved continually; and for several days I did not eat anything but what was forced in my mouth” (Puchner 87). He emphasizes his humanness by being able to express his emotions intelligently. Equiano’s aim, as an abolitionist, was to change people’s stance on slavery. His story forces readers to re-evaluate their initial opinions, and also re-examine their beliefs on slavery. Likewise, Olaudah’s Christian faith contradicts the belief that Africans are savages. Here is an African man who is dedicated to his faith and has moral understanding (Puchner 74). He appeals to the Christian readers by recalling to their memory that God created all men
equal. Finally, Equiano’s memoir was a success, because of his unusual rise in class and his argument that Africans are humans. He defied the odds and became a prosperous African man in a racist world. His story propelled the fight for the end of slavery.
Olaudah tells the story of slavery from a different perspective; “Their complexions too differing so much from ours, their long hair, and the language they spoke, (which was very different from any I had ever heard) united to confirm me in this belief. Indeed such were the horrors of my views and fears at the moment, that, if ten thousand worlds had been my own, I would have freely parted with them all to have exchanged my condition with that of the meanest slave in my own country.” “I asked them if we were not to be eaten by those white men with horrible looks, red faces, and loose hair. They told me I was not.”
The fight for racial equality is one of the most prominent issues Americans have faced throughout history and even today; as the idea that enslaving individuals is unethical emerged, many great and innovative authors began writing about the issues that enslaved people had to face. Olaudah Equiano was no exception. In his work The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, he attempts to persuade his readers that the American way of slavery is brutal, inhumane, and unscrupulous. Equiano manages to do this by minimizing the apparent differences between himself and his primarily white audience, mentioning the cruelties that he and many other slaves had to face, and the advantages of treating your slaves correctly.
Olaudah Equiano was a freed slave living in London who made it his life person to abolish the British slave trade. His knowledge and training of the English language allowed him to grow into one of the key figures in the movement to abolish the slave trade in England. Although many scholars acknowledge his incredible talent, there has been evidence in the recent years that may question his reliability as a first-hand account. There is evidence to support that Equiano may have been born in South Carolina. This evidence does not make him a valid source of information about the slave trade and leads his audience to question his statements.
Equiano finally gains his liberty and begins to develop his character as he converts his religion and becomes a faithful man. Equiano immerses himself and is allowed to blend into Western society. Works Cited Equiano, Olaudah. [1789] 1987. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African.
Equiano later explains his religious beliefs in chapter 10 of the Narrative. This has often been interpreted as a plot for Equiano to gain the trust of readers, who at this point in time placed high value in religion, however Professor Eileen Elrod views this as interpretation as dismissal of Equiano’s Christianity as a result of assimilation to the Western world. Elrod notes, “if we take the facile view that he is simply using religion to manipulate readers, or we see him as simply manipulated by religion, we ignore the earnest and consistent piety that sets the tone and establishes the purpose of the narrative” (Elrod, p.409). This purpose was to protest the violent treatment of captured and enslaved Africans. Equiano prompts readers to confront their hypocrisy, questioning how Christians could approve of violent, abusive behavior toward their fellow man. “…by the way of the authority of biblical texts, [Equiano] establishes a set of touchstones that allow him to condemn the Christianity of his experience and affirm in its stead an idealized Christianity, a biblical reality in which justice and compassion triumph” (Elrod, p.
(191) Equiano became active by promoting and petitioning slavery and dedicated his life to the freedom of his enslaved people. Racial adversity has proven very difficult to overcome, even in today’s society. Olaudah Equiano used his economic intelligence to provide him with the power to accumulate wealth and buy his freedom. Equiano knew he was dealt an uneasy hand of cards at life, but he played them as skillfully and intelligently as he could, with bare instincts. He took advantage of the situations that he was forced into and was able to win his hand at the game of slavery, for he found a way to manipulate the system that opposed him, and used it to his advantage.
The narrative of Olaudah Equiano is truly a magnificent one. Not only does the reader get to see the world through Equiano's own personal experiences, we get to read a major autobiography that combined the form of a slave narrative with that of a spiritual conversion autobiography. Religion may be viewed as at the heart of the matter in Equiano's long, remarkable journey. Through Equiano's own experiences, the reader uncovers just how massive a role religion played in the part of his Narrative and in that of his own life. More specifically, we learn of how his religious conversion meant a type of freedom as momentous as his own independence from slavery. As one reads his tale, one learns just how dedicated he his to that of his Christian faith; from his constant narration of the scriptures to the way that Equiano feels a growing sense of empowerment from the biblical texts for the oppressed community. However, at the same time, one may question Equiano's own Christian piety. Did Equiano really seek to tell the tale of his soul's spiritual journey, did he really believe God would set him free or was he simply using religion as a ways of manipulating British and American readers to accept him as a credible narrator. Regardless of which of these facts is true, religion is quite possibly the defining feature of his life story.
The story of Olaudah Equiano and his people went through a lot throughout the time of the 18th Century. Africans faced, “the part of Africa, known by the name of Guinea, to which the trade for slaves is carried on, extends along the coast above 3400 miles, from the Senegal to Angola, and includes a variety of kingdoms.” This is where it first started the business of slavery and selling and buying slaves for them to work for their owners. During this time men and women had to face different types of punishment from adultery and other types of reasons to put them to death, execution, but if the woman had a baby they were often spared to stay with their child. African’s displayed there different types of traditions through weddings, friends, public
Olaudah Equiano in his Interesting Narrative is taken from his African home and thrown into a Western world completely foreign to him. Equiano is a slave for a total of ten years and endeavors to take on certain traits and customs of Western thinking. He takes great pains to improve himself, learn religion, and adopt Western mercantilism. However, Equiano holds on to a great deal of his African heritage. Throughout the narrative, the author keeps his African innocence and purity of intent; two qualities he finds sorely lacking in the Europeans. This compromise leaves him in a volatile middle ground between his adapted West and his native Africa. Olaudah Equiano takes on Western ideals while keeping several of his African values; this makes him a man associated with two cultures but a member of neither.
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.
Equiano, Olaudah . The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, Written by Himself. 9th ed. W.W. Norton &Company, Inc., 2000. 448. print.
Olaudah Equiano was not an American born slave. He was born and raised well into his childhood in Africa with his family. His slave narrative, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustav Vassa, the African, published in New York in 1791 however, had a lasting impact on America as it described the inhumane treatment of Africans being sold into slavery (Baym 1: 687). Equiano’s initial concept of freedom stemmed from his childhood of which he speaks very fondly, describing his homeland as a “nation of dancers, musicians and poets,” a...
Many slaves have been treated brutally by white men and Christians; as a result, slave narratives were written to advocate for antislavery and better treatment. One example of a slave narrative is The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African Written by himself, published in 1789. Olaudah Equiano is an African American who was a captured at a young age from his own race, and was later sold into the slave trade. He is determined to become free, and to advocate for anti-slavery. Despite being a minority in society, he hopes that his use of pathos and vivid descriptions will help persuade white men and Christians to realize that African American slaves are human too; therefore, slavery should not be cruel.
"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.
The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, written by Equiano himself, tells the story of Equiano’s tough, yet good life. In this narrative, one prevalent theme in his religion. Beginning with beliefs of the African Creator, Equiano had come to know the British Christian God as his own during his time as a slave. His time as a slave was filled with violence, cruelty and disrespect, yet Equiano did not emerge as an angry individual when he gained his freedom. In some way, his religion had an imperative effect on his actions and his feelings. For Equiano, religion served as a foundation when Equiano was a kid, an anchor when he was a young adult, and a guide when he was a freed man.