In the first chapter of the book, when reminiscing upon his African childhood, Equiano had claimed that he had never heard of the white man or Europeans before. It wouldn't be until his kidnapping and forced slavery that he actually encountered the people and their customs. Equiano had called them "ignorant" in their manners towards the other Africans and a selected few of themselves; he had wondered how these people had descended from Africa due to their prejudice to its own people. Even by acknowledging how strange his own customs were back in his village, Equiano couldn't help see Europe's customs to be just as strange, or even more so when he saw them. He constantly stated how he had believed the men were using "magic" for everything they
While travelling the seas with Pascal, Equiano has many more encounters in and with Britain. With more and more exposure to Christianity and European culture, he details that he was no longer frightened and apprehensive towards it, beginning to show confluence of African and European cultures. He was eventually sent to school in Britain, educated and shortly after, baptized. It is worth noting that later in the novel he often relates his new religious standpoint to his enslavement. While becoming a Christian himself, whether or not he holds responsible God, himself, or the hypocritical Christian Europeans for his enslavement is left ambiguous.
While still sailing on the ship with his master, Captain Michael Henry Pascal, gave him his name Gustavus Vassa. In the beginning, he refused to answer to the name given and wanted to be called Jacob. While still refusing he was put into cuffs and the name stuck with him since then. After the many names and traveling to many different places, people questioned his real identity. This goes into debate because individuals wanted to know if Equiano was more known for his literary scholarship, as a committed activist, or both. With this it caused misinterpretations and misrepresentations from the past. One of the quotes from his book referred that he was from Africa and "had frequently told several people . . . the story of my being kidnapped
America’s individuality is constructed with a various number of circumstances. The most important circumstance is the injustice of the people. Throughout history America has had many forms of injustice like slavery, kidnapping, public shame, rights and many more. We see some of these situations in Equiano, On Being Brought from Africa to America and The Scarlet Letter. Injustice comes in many distinct forms, in Equiano it talks about the injustice of African slaves and the way they were treated. In Of Plymouth Plantation it talks the injustice that the Pilgrims had on the Indians. And last but not least in The Scarlet Letter it talks about the injustice of women's rights and also public opinion and how is the unjust to judge a person before you get to know the situation.
The Life of Olaudah Equiano focuses on the various scenes to which Equiano or otherwise known as Gustavus Vassa was a witness too. Equiano’s story allows for an in depth perspective of slave trade and the way it functioned. Equiano takes the reader upon his journey as an African Slave beginning with his experiences in his native village, his numerous amounts of masters, cruelties and oppressions across the globe, and all the way to his success as a freeman. Equiano strongly focuses on the fact that almost every event in his life made an impression on his mind and influenced his conduct. Hence, making sense of the importance of his status and growth despite of his roots. Equiano always remained aware of his race and culture however he was in search of a freedom that no matter whom he was told to be his identity of obtaining this as well as soon gaining control of his own life always remained the same.
In Olaudah Equiano’s piece called the The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, he describes a trip with many enslaved black people on a ship where the conditions were not sustainable for their lives. The majority of this passage describes the horrible actions done to the enslaved. However, Equiano also uses the word “magic” to describe the situation. I believe he does this to show the reader how he was not use to white men and their lifestyle. The first example of this is where he talk about how the men move the boat magically. Equiano explains, “...and the white men had some spell or magic they put in the water...in order to stop the vessel” (877). He is not used to the ship or
The Equianos basically says Africa portrayed them by selling them or trading them for different goods and the continent accepted this behavior because in the reading it talks about how Equianos was walked miles and days to get to the boat where slaves were picked up at. Equiano use of first person narrative voice work to persuade readers for his cause, because he explains how life was going as a black person in chapter two on page 200. He starts it off by saying “I hope the reader will not think I have trespassed on his patience in introducing myself to him with some account of the manners and custom of my country.” This part should persuade his white reader of his cause by him giving them enough information about his self and what he thinks about certain things about his country. Basically the whole reason for him writing this information in chapter one and two in a first person narrative is to make the reader understand it more because it is coming from a black person who has been through the things back in his days. I would have a different response to the story if this was told in second or third person then the message would not be delivered or heard the correct way like the actual person is telling it.
For example, Equiano expresses that he is envious of the freedom whites enjoy; the fact that these people were deprived of basic fundamental rights clearly highlights just how miserable life was for the victims. He then reveals, “Every circumstance [he] met with, served only to render [his] state more painful, and heightened [his] apprehensions,” Equiano’s intensified trepidation evinces his lack of hope that life could get better, “and [his] opinion of the cruelty of the whites” enhances as well (Equiano 45).
Olaudah Equiano, the author of The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano was captured in Africa and sold into slavery. Later in life, he purchased his freedom and wrote his autobiography in 1789. Equiano experienced hardships beyond imaging in his years as a slave and oftentimes witnessed extensive cruelty by whites towards Africans. Equiano 's experience of the Atlantic slave trade and middle passage as we understand it today was typical of a regular captive. The Atlantic slave trade, more specifically the experience that Equiano had was horrific. The Atlantic slave trade stands as one of the greatest mistreatments towards other humans to have ever happened, for nearly 400 years this occurred. Equiano 's experience however
18) Do you think Equiano’s mind was “colonized” by the religious views of Christianity? (719-21)
After being betrayed many times, he finally managed to obtain a certificate of good behavior from Mr. King and returned to England.
The public and the healer believes that Erick was possessed by the devil. The mother highlights that the boy’s condition seems to worsen when she read from the Bible. After she received guidance from a healer, an exorcism was performed and she was advised to go to church and pray for two days. Subsequently, she returns to the healer and the exorcist was not able to contact the devil and they believed that this meant the devil left Erick’s body. I understand why they believed that the devil was present, especially since Erick’s eyes rolled up into his head and this hands began to shake when his mother read from the Bible. However, since I do not believe that demons can take over the human body, I agree with the priest and feel that Erick’s
Propaganda is used to spread information or ideas with the sole purpose of influencing feelings or actions of those willing to listen. Reading “Thoughts Upon Slavery” and “Equiano’s Autobiography”, the way it was written was to be able to persuade the reader in which they see and relate to the mistreatment and horror to which Africans were subjected to. In Equiano’s Autobiography, he tells his story of bondage and freedom to pursued, inform and entertain his readers. Showing the misery of slavery by telling his own experience, and everything he went through he is able to make an emotional connection with his reader to where now they understand his struggle and feel for him. This is how he achieves propaganda, and shows his support for the anti-slavery movement.
During Columbus’ journey, he had found the people of Espanola to be very generous with all of their possessions but they behaved very timorous. He perceives them as barbaric and uneducated because of their use of clothes and weapons, “… all go naked, men and women, as their mothers bore them… they
You know I was on vacation, not near this base but near one in Montania. So I bought a newspaper and there was a sargent that raped a woman. They had the other crimes that airmen had done from the base over the past few years. and I was totally shocked because the only problems at the base I grew up near was someone making a mistake or being
Though the concept of social injustice is universal in nature, the experience varies with each person. Factors like a person’ race, or gender can further influence the severity of the injustice; victims caught in the overlap between discriminations often go unrecognized by the law and society. Many people recognize the names Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice as African Americans who were murdered by local police. But names like Michelle Cusseaux, Tanish Anderson, and Meagan Hockaday often receive less feedback even though they are also murdered African Americans. The only distinction between the sets of names is gender. Even within racial injustice, discrimination is present between genders as some cases get national