Olaudah Equiano's Argument Against Slavery

In The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Olaudah Equiano writes about his experiences as a slave. Beginning with his childhood, he tells of how he was kidnapped and traveled through the Bermuda Triangle, bought by his first white owner, and eventually gained his freedom. Although Equiano still considers himself an African at the end of his text, the text tells a different story about his transformation from an African to a British man. Considered to be a slave narrative by many critics because of its true stories about slavery, there are many issues with Equiano’s argument against slavery: Rather than asking that Britain completely rid of slavery, Equiano actually suggests that they create a new form of slavery which would allow Africans to assimilate to the white men through economic reforms such as paying the Africans for their work and using their land for production. In a solution stated at the end of his book requesting Parliament to rid of slavery, Equiano suggests giving the Africans a chance to “catch-up” to the white man (Equiano, 199). As if no longer considering himself a native is not a big enough statement, he also considers the Africans less than the white men and himself. This is an enormous insult to the

“The wear and tear of a continent, nearly twice as large as Europe, and rich in vegetable and mineral productions, is much easier conceived than calculated,” states Equiano (199). Africa is a fertile country, but in order to get rid of slavery, he suggests taking advantage of the country’s production. Equiano wrote to his letter to the British in efforts to stop slavery, but suggesting they use Africa’s size and richness to expand their profits does not help the argument against slavery. In actuality, it confirms that the Africans should be used for Britain’s