Olaudah Equiano's narrative is one of the first accounts of an african journey of slavery making it the first slave narrative. Equiano claims he was born in the Danish island of St. Croix in the caribbean but in reality he was born in Africa and eventually kidnapped along side his sister and was sold into slavery. He probably made this claim to try and get out of slavery and into freedom when he was owned by Pascal. He was purchased by Michael Henry Pascal a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Pascal had intended him as a gift but instead kept Equiano as an aid towards his ship and crew.…
Olaudah Equiano is describing the brutal treatment of slaves being transported overseas. In the beginning of the passage he describes his fear of being killed or eaten by the European men. After he was brought onto the ship he describes what he sees and states “there was a multitude of black people of every description chained together, every one of their countenances expressing dejection and sorrow.”(73) The slaves are kept in the cargo hold of the ship chained to the ground. There were guards watching them to make sure they didn’t try and jump over board. Equiano recounts the state of the area the slaves were kept in he states “the air soon became unfit for respiration, from a variety of loathsome smells, and brought on a sickness among the…
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano presented English identity as the epitome of modernity, and the mark of cultural maturity. Rather than being a set racial or national identity Equiano portrayed englishness as an achievable goal, even for a racially black man. The Narrative intentionally depicted Equiano’s transformation from African boy to Englishman a positive change. Through the portrayal of his life as a struggle to become an Englishman; and his telling of a willing adoption of anglican religion, cultural values, and economic sensibilities, Olaudah Equiano purposefully appealed to the paternalistic nature of the English in order to advocate for the abolition of slavery.…
Olaudah Equiano was a slave(formally an African prince). When he was captured, he didn't understand the reason why. The Europeans were very “new” to him. He had never seen white people before. He thought that the Whites would eat them based on the way he was treated. Ever since the beginning of the voyage, he was treated with cruelty for the littlest things. He was even beaten if he refused to eat. They only fed them enough to stay alive to be sold. Since they were all confined to one area with no way out, if one of them got sick then they all would catch the disease. Most died from these epidemics. Others around him were being treated the same way. Some of the them tried to jump ship and escape,but when they were caught they were serverely…
The autobiography ‘Kidnapped’, by Equiano is his point of view on the journey on slave ships to America. The story shows first hand the conditions on the ship and the treatment he received by the white slave owners. One time that shows just how cruel the owners were, they went fishing, ate the fish that were caught, and then threw the leftovers back into the ocean therefore wasting them.…
Olaudah Equiano was born in the year 1745 in an area called 'Eboe' in Guinea. Almost everything we know about Equiano's life we find from Equiano's own account in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, published in 1789. At the age of eleven he and his sister were kidnapped while out playing, and were carried through the night to a cabin and then put on board a slave ship. It sounds like Olaudah is writing in the document. The document is in first person, Olaudah is talking about his experience on the middle passage. Equiano tells us that “When I looked around the ship too, and saw a large furnace of copper boiling, and a multitude of black people of every description chained together, every…
Since the African-Americans came over to the Land of the “Free”, to the emancipation proclamation of the 1960s, and even to the Brown V Board of Education case in the 1950s, the “Black Experience” has evolved in the past 200 years. From the idea of racism today, to the definition of freedom, and to how the black experience is viewed in society in the 21st century. Olaudah Equiano was the first African writer to reach a sizable American audience. His journey to America wasn’t glamorous, as it was full of heartbreak, torment, and suffering. Equiano was born in West Africa (now Nigeria) and was taken from his home to be put onto a slave ship.…
The ship Equiano ended up on was a gruesome terrifying slave and cargo ship. Equiano describes the white men that were on the ship and how the slaves were treated. He goes into detail as to why he felt the way he did and about the white men on the ship. He tells a story of how the treatment of the slaves on the ship was horrifying. He knew that at any moment he could be dead. This story really brings up how the treatment of the slaves reflected the slave traders concerns. These slaves were sick, weak and near death.…
The second narrative by Equiano also uses observational information, focuses on his point of view, and makes the narrative a reflective passage so he can portray his experience of becoming a slave. Equiano uses observational information to give the audience an image of what it looked like being on the slave ship, “I fell motionless on the deck” (ln 15-16), this explicates that he was fearful, shocked, and anguish from seeing other people chained up. Equiano makes the narrative focus on one event to give a more emphasis on his experience on the ship “the crew watched us very closely who were not chained down to the deck”(ln44-45). The concluding…
The first noticeable objection questioned the reasoning for the slave’s obedience to the European culture. Through the eyes of the slaves, specifically Oroonoko, the narrator was introduced to the African perspective of the European people. By examining their interpretation of the relationship between the two cultures, Oroonoko addressed an imperative and insightful question: “...and shall we render obedience to such a degenerate race, who have no one human virtue left to distinguish ‘em from the vilest creatures?” (Behn 2348). From an outsider’s perspective, clearly Oroonoko recognizes the flaws of the European society during that pivotal time period that set in motion the foundation for the modern world that we live in. After being subject…
At the beginning of the early 16th century slavery was soaring from the Old World unto the New World. All throughout Africa slaves was taken to be sold in the West Indies and the European regions. Despite the slave trade this occurrence has been all throughout our Ancient History and many different forms of expression has been distributed from now. From the evil perception of Europeans towards the Native Americans and the cruelty, abuse, and terror of the one another race has the power over you. The painful sentimental and substantial contribute to no type of escape of the harsh reality many slaves face with. Mary Rowlandson who wrote her narrative of Captivity and Restoration based upon her experience and The Interesting Narrative of the Life…
As enslaved Africans, Equiano and Douglass have multiple masters and are therefore imposed to change. At a young age, Equiano and his sister are kidnapped from their hometown and sold to slave traders. Equiano’s time in slavery is mainly spent on slave ships and British navy vessels, where he is eager to “engage in new adventures, and to see fresh wonders” (89). His amazement however is opposed by the culture shock he experiences from the European treatment of slaves. Equiano describes the air in the lower deck of the slave ship as “unfit for respiration,” the “galling of the chains” as “insupportable”, and the “groans of the dying” as horrid (60). Slave ships are evidently no place to call home. Equiano travels farther and farther from home exchanging masters along the way. Much like the osu, Equiano finds comfort and a sense of belonging in the church. He is “wonderfully surprised to see the laws and rules” of his country “written almost exactly” in the Bible (96). By finding connections to his home in the Bible and adopting Christianity, Equiano holds onto a piece of home. Douglass however, is deprived from everything that “ordinarily bind children to their homes” (360). His home was a place where he witnessed his brethren beaten and oppressed. His home was not his…
The excerpt from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, by Olaudah Equiano, touches upon the treatment and life of slaves in the West Indies. Through this short excerpt the reader learns about what he saw while he was a slave in the West Indies islands. Not only are there very few primary sources that have survived from the eighteenth century to modern day, but also there are hardly any sources that come from the viewpoint of a well-educated, free slave. When reading this excerpt one needs to keep in mind biases when it comes to reading an excerpt of a freed slave. Historian can use this excerpt to better understand what it meant to be a slave during this viewpoint.…
Olaudah Equiano was a former enslaved African, seaman and merchant. He contributed immensely to the abolishment of the slave trade by writing an autobiography entitled " The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano", that depicted the horrors caused by slavery.…
In the narrative “Narrative Life of Equiano” it is a narrative that he wrote to showcase the horrors and the fear he had to endure. The fight to stay alive, this was used to help stop slavery in the years later. The imagery in Olaudah Equiano narrative “Narrative of Life of Equiano” is used to highlight his misery.…