Both Mary and Equiano suffered greatly upon their being taken. They both endured mental, physical, and emotional distress at being torn from their families and friends. Equiano was only a child when he was taken from his village, away from everything and everyone he had ever known, so the natural fear of parental separation would be terrifying in itself. Many years later, as he was being shipped overseas, he witnessed the cruel and inhumane treatment of innocent people. In describing the living conditions of the slave ship, Equiano states, “The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable” (Equiano 1279).
He used both sides of the coin to convince the slave owners. He stated that not all slave owners were bad and said that one of his slaves owner treated him as family. He also said that slave owners were not listening to their own philosophy, and said “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 61).
According to PBS Africans in America, after Equinao bought his freedom he became an active abolitionist in England. Olaudah Equiano’s descriptions of the middle passage severed a purpose for
As a freed slave no one cared about them, and they could be taken advantage of or killed with little to no consequences. In chapter 7, Equiano gets into a fight with a slave. At this point, he had been newly freed and did not have a master. When the slave’s master found out about the fight, he demanded that Equiano was to be beaten publicly. Equiano refused to leave the ship and hid because he knew what could happen to free slaves.
This was the corruption of the white men of that time who were afraid of the truth surfacing and everyone finding out the truth about slavery. Equiano was able to share a little detail about how slaves were treated by saying that “[he] was first transported to Barbados and then Virginia, where he was purchased by a local planter,” (512). This action shows the reader that the slaves were treated as a form of property that was sold for labor. Equiano was never given the chance to gain the same freedom as a white man, he had to work for money. He goes on to say "I was now exceedingly miserable, and thought myself worse off than any of the rest of my companions ...
Olaudah Equiano had not yet published his narrative when Voltaire imagined, in his novel 's Chapter 19, Candide and Cacambo meeting an articulate "negro" critic of the slave labor used on European sugar plantations. Re-read this passage in Candide: How do its insights into the realities of slavery compare and contrast with what you learn about the slave trade and slave labor from Equiano 's experiences? How do Equiano 's experiences in slavery compare and contrast with his descriptions of the slaves ' lives in his father 's household, when he was a young child? How does Equiano 's lack of critical stance against the slave holding practiced by his native Igbo culture either strengthen or undermine his argument against Europeans ' use of African
Equiano experienced the worst situation when his sister and him were taken as slaves. He was separated from his sister after being captured, and he never had the chance to see her again after that. As slave he used other names such as Gustavus Vassa which was given by British and American masters. He used that name for his book called “Equiano’s Travels : The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa the African” (Perkins 162). He fought to end slavery after writing his first African-American slave narrative and autobiography.
17.1 Captivity and Enslavement, Olaudah Equiano, the interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano written by himself 1. What are Equiano’s impressions of the white men on the ship and their treatment of the slaves? How does this treatment reflect the slave traders’ primary concerns? Equiano’s first impression of these white men is a feeling of uncertainty and sorrow for the future. As his story goes on Equiano is afraid of these white men, but also he is wishing to end it all because of the conditions and treatment of the slaves.
For example, when he told of his arrival in Virginia when he was the last of his group left at a plantation with no one to talk to and no way to understand those around him. To the British readers, who thrived in their own daily social interactions, the thought of such a lonely situation created feelings of pity and understanding. Equiano thought that he was “worse off than any of the rest” of his companions and “was constantly grieving and pining,” because of his loneliness. The British readers related to his emotional distress and allowed themselves to see him as a person. Therefore, they were more open to his ideas on slavery as a whole, because they could relate to Equiano's
In Equiano's personal slave narrative, "The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African", Equiano flips the idea that the African people are backwards and barbaric, thus ripe for slavery, by demonstrating his personal exceptionalism through his literacy to show that it is truly the white people who are backwards and barbaric through their own hypocrisy. This reversal that Equiano demonstrates in his slave narrative shows that the savagery of African people exists as a misconception and makes the reader fully grasp the need to abolish slavery and any inequality present. On page seventy-eight, Equiano uses first person pronouns like 'I', 'my', and 'me' to separate himself from the other African people and whites around him. This separation that Equiano creates demonstrates his exceptionalism as an African slave.
Equiano discusses the ship's circumstances and the hardships the slaves faced throughout the story. The situation on board the ship is uncomfortable, even if the slaves were never released. "The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded. Only those who made every effort to ruin the lives of others were granted freedom in the story of The Life of Olaudah Equiano. Equiano describes the circumstances of the ship and the hardships the slaves faced throughout the story.
Equiano was just a kid at this time period, and it was common for slaves to undergo this sort of pressure that young. Many kids were taken from families as he was, so they could grow into slavery and become used to the ways. Equiano was in an area with his fellow Africans but felt lost as he was around men with different colored skin, that had "funny" language to him. Equiano witnessed many things during his slavery on the ship. Slaves weren't fed and were flogged for not eating.
Olaudah Equiano was one of the most famous black men in the history of slavery who was lucky enough to purchase his freedom by himself. Equiano was highly popular for his autobiography named The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African. This is an interesting autobiographywhich was published in 1789 and it emphasized various aspects of slavery throughout the entire book. In The Interesting Narrative, Olaudah Equiano uses poetic diction and tone ( sadistic) to illustrate his perspective as a slave by portraying the cruality and brutality of slavery. Equiano was very disappointed with his master’s betrayal.
Is the Greek religion monotheistic or polytheistic? Explain your answer and support your explanation with examples. The Greek religion was polytheistic as they believed in and worshiped their belief in multiple gods. Key features of their polytheistic religion include but is not limited to (i) multiple deities (ii) Olympian gods (iii) Anthropomorphic qualities (iv) no central authority and (v) cult practices. (Encyclopdia Britannica, n.d.)
Both stories begin with shocking horrors, although much of Equiano’s narrative was based on these horrific scenes. Equiano’s survival of his involuntary journey to America, being enslaved as a child, and witnessing torture in Virginia, should be of aid towards the disapproval of the brutality of slavery. After buying his own freedom, Equiano became a front-runner in the abolitionist movement representing those who stood against slavery. Now in the 21st century we still fight for the freedom and self-respect we find in Equiano’s narrative. Rowlandson’s and Equiano’s narratives each represent a different characteristic of what it means to be part of the American nation.
