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Who Is Olaudah Equiano

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Olaudah Equiano

"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African" is a story written by and boy who was a slave. It is one of the most widely-read books about slavery. In the story Equiano states that he is from Africa and was sent over to the West Indies to be sold into slavery. There are several scholars that argue that Equiano was from South Carolina rather than Africa and claim he lied about his identity. If this were to be true this would defiantly effect people's trust about what Equiano wrote and for some it may even give them a different picture about the facts of slave trade and slavery in general. To analyze the problems this could have, I will first give a summary of the story and then talk about how and why this would affect his story and also the thoughts of the readers if this statement is to be true. …show more content…

Equiano was born in 1745 in Eboe, which was in Africa, and is now known as Nigeria. At the age of eleven him and his sister were kidnapped and sold to slave traders in the West Indies. Him and his sister got separated during the slave trade while trying their best not to. Equiano talks about the culture of the people in Africa. He was purchased by a Navy Lieutenant by Michael Pascal. Pascal purpose of buying him was to give him as a gift to some friends in London but he decided to keep him as an aid during the Seven Year's

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136 Words | 1 Pages

Olaudah Equiano begins his journal entry by describing the ocean and the slave ship, which were the first things he saw when he was taken onto the slave ship. He was fascinated by them, but he soon realized that it was going to be a horrific journey. Equiano’s first thought was that they were going to kill him, for they had a different skin tone, bore long hair, and spoke a different language. The crew beat Olaudah when he refused to eat. The conditions under the deck where Equiano lived were dreadful: people were packed together so tightly that they were fighting for breathing room.

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133 Words | 1 Pages

Olaudah Equiano arrived at the coast where he first saw the sea and a slave ship. He was carried onto the slave ship where he felt that bad spirits were around and the people there wanted to kill him. Equiano was generally fearful of everything on the ship, especially when he noticed that the crew looked and spoke differently than was used to. Horrors of the ship overpowered Equiano and he fainted on the deck. After awakening, Equiano realized that he has no change of returning to his native country.

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621 Words | 3 Pages

Jackie Flores Dr. Hevert History 1301 23 September 2017 Olaudah Equiano Olaudah Equiano also known as Gustavus Vassa was most known for his autobiography. He was born during 1746, and was also a writer and anti-slavery campaigner. He was also a freed slave. He gave support to stop slavery during the British movement.

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1987 Words | 8 Pages

Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery (Equiano, 24). He was bought by a naval captain, Michael Henry Pascal, who changed Equiano's name to Gustavas Vassa (Equiano, 38-39). Equiano first arrived

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552 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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915 Words | 4 Pages

He published an autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, which recounted his experiences and life as a slave. His autobiography served as one of the first testimonies in the abolition movement (Biography.com). His work began with a petition address to Parliament and ended with an antislavery letter to the Queen (Smith, 2013). Equiano’s book gave his readers a first hand perspective of slavery through the eyes of a former slave. This book made a vital contribution to the abolitionists’ cause and also raised slavery

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679 Words | 3 Pages

The trade of African slaves in the 17th century was perceived as so commonplace that a good deal of the world's population gave it little or no thought. British involvement with slavery became unavoidable at the end of the 17th century, when abolitionist literature gained public attention. The first hand account of life as a slave in Olaudah Equiano's auto-biography was like no other piece of abolitionist literature at the time. The three methods of persuasion in his writing are ethical appealing ethos, logic engaging logos, and his most effective of emotional appealing pathos. Equiano's use of pathos in his auto-biography was effective in persuading the British that slavery is wrong, because of the emotional effects, such as misery, sympathy,

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1515 Words | 7 Pages

Such stories were regularly utilized as promulgation or propaganda: accordingly, Europeans frequently stereotyped Native Americans as merciless and whites started to see subjugation of African-Americans as detestable. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the two narratives which are A Narrative of the Captivity and The interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equianoa. A Narrative of Captivity by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano are two generally read imprisonment accounts , which, individually, relate the encounters of a grown-up white lady caught by Indians and an eleven-year-old Black male caught for the American slave market. Looking at these two accounts uncovers fascinating similitudes and contrasts and in addition in the encounters and responses of these two prisoners.

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1457 Words | 6 Pages

One account of being taken upon a slave ship comes from Gustavus Vassa (also known as Olaudah Equiano). As relived through his autobiography The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, Vassa details his experience boarding the ships as horrifying. Thrown aboard a ship, Vassa found himself at once terrified. As he recovered, he found other black people around him. Never having seen Whites before, Vassa had no idea what was going to happen to him.

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148 Words | 1 Pages

I have decided to complete my second paper on Olaudah Equiano because I find his narrative and life to be very powerful. The idea that he lived in Africa, but was actually born in South Carolina and the creativity that he had with the stories, makes him out to be a very interesting person. In this article, Sylvester Johnson, explains Equiano’s influence on colonialism as he examines the significance of his biblical commentary about Africa. Johnson also explains how the Christianization of the world were partly influenced from Equiano’s narratives. The reference of biblical legends in his writings often represents the underside to Equiano’s conversation.

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889 Words | 4 Pages

My name is Olaudah Equiano. I was born in the Eboe of Africa. While I was just a young child, my sister and I were taken by kidnappers and they sold us to these slave traders. This was the worst and terrifying day of my life. I was sent to the West Indies or the island of Barbados.

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588 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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283 Words | 2 Pages

If my Native American tribe was to choose a side between the French and the English, I would pick the French. Firstly, the French have a small population in America. Therefore, they aren 't as demanding for certain supplies since there is less of them. That will leave more supplies for the Native Americans. Also, this means that they won 't take up as much land in America as the English do.

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1133 Words | 5 Pages

Laleshka Santiago-Rivera Professor R. Stephens English 2110-902 20 February 2018 Captivity narratives originated around the 16th and 17th century as America progressed and writers adjusted to the change. Two of the most well-known captivity narratives are A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African Written by Himself by Olaudah Equiano. Both narratives influenced their reader's actions by sharing the commotion of being captured and enslaved, and why they didn’t give up, therefore changing the path of history. Rowlandson’s narrates the occurrences of a 39-year-old white woman captured by Indians in 1675 and

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1459 Words | 6 Pages

Novel Response Reading 1. Explain a character's problem and then offer your character advice on how to solve his/her problem. Mayella Ewell has a big problem, to say the least. She’s abused by her drunken hate-filled father, lonely and unhappy. Although her shameful indictment of Tom Robinson is unacceptable, she also is a victim of abuse, and she still needs help.

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