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Describe the life and influence of olaudah equiano
Describe the life and influence of olaudah equiano
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In The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, by and about Olaudah Equiano, the author presents himself in an ideal way for the intended audience. At the time of the original publication, the audience consisted of the British upper-class; many of these people were ambivalent regarding the abolitionist movement. The purpose of this book was to encourage them to care enough about the plight of slaves to support the movement. Equiano willingly uses himself as a representation of all current and former slaves and people who are African or of African descent, if there is anyone he does not represent, he includes them as a separate person in his book. He uses his identification with Christianity and mastery of the English language to …show more content…
show the audience how non-European people can adapt to and match European values given the opportunity. This was important because the European intelligence scale is the only one worthy to be judged by, obviously. Equiano uses these arguments to prove racial stereotypes incorrect in order to advance the abolition of slavery and promote racial equality in eighteenth century Britain. Before converting to Christianity, Equiano followed a regional Igbo religion. When talking about the religion of his homeland, Equiano disassociates from it. He uses “the natives” instead of “as a nation” or just “we,” as he uses previously when discussing food and other cultural elements (17, 12, 13). He removes himself from association with the supposed barbarism of their beliefs. These beliefs include: one Creator who lives in the sun and smokes a pipe, ancestor spirits, food sacrifice and offerings, circumcision, purification rituals, no public place of worship, and no ranking of religious offices (17-19). Equiano uses descriptions of the religious practices of the Igbo people to establish a groundwork for his conversion to Christianity. He shows where he came from to emphasize the path he traveled and continues to travel. Once Equiano is educated into the Christian faith, he places his complete trust in God. He also places his fear into the hands of God, “I began to raise my fear from man to Him alone, and to call daily on His holy name with fear and reverence” (59). This appeals to the God-fearing portion of his audience. Equiano further emphasizes his faith by attributing all positive things to God and His mercy, while attributing the negative things that happen to Equiano’s own sinful nature. Part of this sinful nature includes putting some of the trust he places into God, into his masters. His trust in God is rewarded and his trust in his masters is not. Both Equiano’s mistakes and his reaffirmation of faith are important to show the audience his God-fearing nature. In addition, the established foundation of Equiano’s prior beliefs prove to the audience that no matter the origins of people, they can become a ‘civilized,’ faithful follower of Christ. Since a, former, barbarian such as Equiano can convert to Christianity, anyone can become a devotee. Christianity is a vital connection to possible abolitionists that may prompt serious consideration in supporting the movement. Equiano uses language to convey his intelligence and ability to learn. He writes in an elevated style of writing popular in the late 1700s, when he wrote The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. This style includes: a variety of punctuation, varied sentence lengths, complex sentence structure, preeminent vocabulary, and recitations of poetry and scripture. English is nowhere near his first language, since he grew up speaking the language of his nation in addition to similar dialects. Taking that into consideration, his mastery of the English language is remarkable. To the audience, he proves that Africans are just as intelligent as Europeans. It is also a prime example of the amazing things humanity can do when given the opportunity to be taught. Equiano also displays his overall intelligence in its broadness.
He is learned in English, finance and economics, and sailing. After he was purchased by Robert King, the Quaker, Equiano was put in charge of clerical work and finances for King’s business. He performed these duties___, saving King money, time, and effort. A distinguished example of Equiano’s mastery of English and finance, as well as his devotion to God, is as follows: In the course of a few days more, the few bullocks that remained were found dead; but the turkeys I had, though on the deck, and exposed to so much wet and bad weather, did well, and I afterwards gained near three hundred per cent. on the sale of them; so that in the event it proved a happy circumstance for me that I had not bought the bullocks I intended, for they must have perished with the rest; and I could not help looking on this, otherwise trifling circumstance, as a particular providence of God, and I was thankful accordingly. (107) Equiano proves throughout the book that he is a talented sailor who can not only obey orders, but also issue them in an intelligent, effective manner. He is entrusted to captain his own ship on more than one occasion and largely succeeds. CONCLUDE THIS
BITCH Equiano goes against traditional attitudes towards race in eighteenth century Britain by humanizing a people who were typically seen as subhuman in order to promote their equality. Equiano uses his Christianity and intelligence to show readers and potential supporters that he--and through him, black people—are not only human, but are also on the same level as Europeans. As a prominent member of the abolition movement, Equiano implies that freeing slaves one at a time does not help. For the sake of the human lives at stake, all slaves must be freed at once. This is so that other people are not victimized as Equiano was after buying his freedom; after he is free, more than one person attempts to kidnap him thinking that he is an escaped slave (118-119). Equiano is far from the only black man kidnapped for those reasons. If there are no slaves, incidents similar to the ones Equiano experiences will not occur. It is harder for people to discriminate based on slavery when slavery is no longer a supported institution. Just as freeing slave individually is not enough, solely freeing slaves is not enough, attitudes towards race must change. The treatment of Equiano changes when he is in the United States between being a slave and a free man. People care less about harming him, because they would no longer be damaging the property of a white man. Using himself as an example, Olaudah Equiano refutes common racial attitudes in eighteenth century Britain and promotes the cause of abolitionism. He uses his own experiences with converting to Christianity and mastering English while displaying his intelligence and general knowledge to do so. CLOSE THIS BITCH AS WELL
During the 1600’s people began to look for different types of work in the new world. As cash crops, such as tobacco, indigo, and rice, were growing in the South, there became a need for labor. This got the attention of convicts, debtors, and other people looking for new opportunities and money. Indentured servitude was vastly growing during the 17th and 18th centuries. Approximatively 10 million men, women, and children were moved to the new world. Women during this time found themselves being sold to men for these cash crops. A commonly used term during this time for these women was tobacco brides. Almost 7.7 million of the slaves captured and moved to the new world were African Americans. Slaves and indentured servants had it rough for
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
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.
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 (Gustavus Vassa) was kidnapped from his African village at the age of eleven, shipped through the arduous "Middle Passage" of the Atlantic Ocean, seasoned in the West Indies and sold to a Virginia planter. He was later bought by a British naval Officer, Captain Pascal, as a present for his cousins in London. After ten years of enslavement throughout the North American continent, where he assisted his merchant slave master and worked as a seaman, Equiano bought his freedom. At the age of forty four he wrote and published his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African. Written by Himself, which he registered at Stationer's Hall, London, in 1789. More than two centuries later, this work is recognized not only as one of the first works written in English by a former slave, but perhaps more important as the paradigm of the slave narrative, a new literary genre.
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.
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:
Religion, more specifically, Christianity can be seen throughout The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Religion plays a major role in Equiano’s remarkable journey; that of which can be seen through his personal experiences. Religion plays a significant role in his Narrative and his life overall as he undergoes a spiritual rebirth. This narrative shapes Equiano’s physical move from slavery to freedom and also his journey from sin to salvation.
The slave narratives written by Olaudah Equiano and Frederick Douglass, were important pieces of literature, helping to bring to the life the harsh realities of slavery. Equiano and Douglass, documented their experiences as slaves, to in hopes to connect with white audiences, showing them the immorality and hypocrisy of slavery. While both writers aimed to highlight the inhumanity of slavery, hoping it would lead to abolishment, Douglass and Equiano had different approaches. Both writers were influenced by different eras: Equiano’s writing is influenced by the Enlightenment Period, while Douglass was influenced by Romanticism. Comparing the styles, Douglass’ narratives are stinging, while Equiano’s narrative seems to be more appeasing. However, this has more to do with the influences of their time, than the character of either man. Contrasting styles of both men, echoes the contrasting philosophies of Romanticism and Enlightenment; different but one paves the way for the next.
(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.
Sir Gawain is presented as a noble knight who is the epitome of chivalry; he is loyal, honest and above all, courteous. He is the perfect knight; he is so recognised by the various characters in the story and, for all his modesty, implicitly in his view of himself. To the others his greatest qualities are his knightly courtesy and his success in battle. To Gawain these are important, but he seems to set an even higher value on his courage and integrity, the two central pillars of his manhood.
Assignment # 1 Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano History shows that both Africans and African Americans alike faced unique problems prior to and during the 1800's, particularly prior to 1865. One such problem is the issue of the Diaspora and how culture and slavery has affected the choice of religion. It is the purpose of this paper to expose comparatively the extent to which individuals have been influenced by these issues. One such individual is Olaudah Equiano.
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...
"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.