Equiano 's Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano’s “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavas Vassa, the African” was first published in 1789 in London, England (687). Equiano’s narrative is informative; however, it is critical of the treatment of slaves and persuasive in its appeals to end the brutal treatment of African Americans. His intended audience was his friends and the public. Regarding the purpose of his narrative, Equiano wrote in Chapter I, “If it affords any satisfaction to my numerous friends … or in the smallest degree promotes the interests of humanity, the ends for which it was undertaken will be fully attained” (688). His narrative also offered a first-hand (first-person narrative) account of slavery and shared the story of his journey towards freedom. Equiano’s narrative is in chronological order after a brief introduction in Chapter I, which explained his purpose for writing his story along with providing background information on his childhood and the culture of his birthplace in Essaka, Africa. Furthermore, although much of Equiano’s story centered on his extensive sea travel, his harmonious mixture of formal and informal word choices along with the lack of the technical terminology commonly associated with sailors helps the general audience

Olaudah equiano was born in Africa in 1745 in Nigeria. When he was a young boy he was kidnapped and he was sold into slavery into the west indies. He only spent a small time in Virginia, he spent the majority of his time on british ships serving the captains. One of the captains on the ships gave equiano the name Gustavas Vassa. He would use this name for the rest of his life. He traveled to many different places and the a quaker named Robert King bought him in 1763. Vassa Was able to buy his way out in 1766 and he traveled to Great Britain, He went to school and worked as an assistant. .In 1789 he published a book called “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”.The book went through only one american versions ,but it went through 8 british versions throughout his life time. In 1792 he got married to Susanna Cullen and they had two daughters. In 1797 Vassa died In London, Great

Another detail that Equiano incorporated within his writing, is the meaning of his name. As he says in the text “I was named Olaudah, which, in our language, signifies vicissitude or fortune also, one favoured, and having a loud voice and well spoken” (Gates Jr. & Smith 121). Equiano was a man who was the youngest born son to village leaders who owned slaves, became a captive of slavery himself, briefly worked in the fields as a slave before following his master overseas and ultimately buying his own freedom. What’s most profound throughout that, is the fact that he used his voice to help others who are stuck where he was able to break free. PBS has an article where

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.

Olaudah Equiano is a former African slave that accounts his capture and passage to the New World. He was the son of an African chief in a West African village. He begins his accounts by talking about his family and life in Africa. Equiano describes how he and his sister were kidnapped by African slave traders when he was 11. He was soon separated from his sister and traveled for months till he reaches the Atlantic coast.

One of the most interesting arguments that modern apologists makes for the practice of race-based slavery in the Americas is the fact that slavery existed in Africa during that time period and that Africans were complicit in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. What is fascinating about Olaudah Equiano's discussion of the Middle Passage is that, as a man who had been enslaved in Africa prior to being shipped as a slave to the Americas, he was in a unique position to describe slavery in Africa with his introduction to European-influenced slavery in North America. His perception was that the immense brutality of the Middle Passage foreshadowed the dehumanization of slaves in the Americas, which was more inhumane than the treatment he had received as a slave while in Africa. Furthermore, he did not suggest that this brutality was linked to the race of the traders, though that seemed to have been his initial impression, but to the nature of the Trans-Atlantic trade. Therefore, Equiano's writings suggest that shipping Africans across the ocean for slavery was part of the dehumanizing process that helped fuel the practice of slavery in America.

Scholars who study The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano; or Gustavus Vassa, the African have long held the debate of which name they should refer to him. As Equiano invokes two names for himself throughout his life in his writings. In the majority of his publications, he refers to himself as Gustavus Vassa, the African or the Ethiopian. However, there were a few pieces in which he referred to himself as Olaudah Equiano, such as his autobiography, and Paul E. Lovejoy attempts to determine which name scholars should use to identify him, why they should use it, and why it matters. He discusses the several other names that were used to refer to Equiano throughout his life as a slave, as his name changed as often as his masters

The narratives of Douglass and Equiano offer true records of life as a slave. In the matter of life revolving around slavery, Frederick Douglass and Olaudah Equiano experienced extremely similar events. Each was forced to separate from their families and homes to live under horrible conditions and be traded like animals across land and sea. They both became witness to the cruel treatment of other slaves and had to endure grueling workloads set upon them by their keepers. During that time period there were two main ways to become a slave, those being either kidnapped or born into a slave owned family. In Equiano’s autobiography he describes in detail his shocking journey through what is now known as the

Towards the end of the chapter, Equiano describes what it was like on the voyage across the Atlantic, as he recalls, “They put us in separate parcels, and examined us attentively … when soon after we were all put down under the deck again, there was much dread and trembling among us, and nothing but bitter cries to be heard all the night from these apprehensions” (Equiano 1789). Through this description, Equiano shows how he and the people around him were not treated as humans, but as cargo. He shows how, in order for someone to turn a profit, people were taken from their homes and eventually thrown into the lower decks of ships to be sent off to the Atlantic World. Through these descriptions, Equiano seems to be attempting to highlight the inhumane conditions that he and many others were subjected to; and the unjust nature of the trading of people as

His captors complexions, hair and language were different than any he had heard. Equiano saw many black people chained together. He fainted from the over powering horror and anguish. The black slave traders sold him. He was given liquor, which made him sick. Then the slave traders abandoned him and left the ship. When the white men offered him food, he refused and they beat him severely. The conditions on board were horrible. People died from the stench and filth. The white people described their land to Equiano and told him he would work there. The passage was suffocating and he prayed for death but could not escape.

The slave trade, yet horrific in it’s inhumanity, became an important aspect of the world’s economy during the eighteenth century. During a time when thousands of Africans were being traded for currency, Olaudah Equiano became one of countless children kidnapped and sold on the black market as a slave. Slavery existed centuries before the birth of Equiano (1745), but strengthened drastically due to an increasing demand for labor in the developing western hemisphere, especially in the Caribbean and Carolinas. Through illogical justification, slave trading became a powerful facet of commerce, regardless of its deliberate mistreatment of human beings by other human beings. Olaudah Equiano was able to overcome this intense

The narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano was quite an interesting selection to read. It had a lot of different ideas and views in the text that struck some thinking. Equiano was enslaved in both Africa and America. At which he compares the experience of both. Of course since Equiano was enslaved by Americans he at first had a bad viewpoint of Americans or his prior slave masters at which he referred them as mean and cruel. He has had times where his slave master was not as mean as he thought they would be in for example in chapter two. Equiano explains a time when he accidently killed one of the master’s chickens and hid from the master to prevent being punished. He eventually was told on by another slave but surprisingly was not punished, instead he was promised not to be ill-treated by his action. I believe that Equiano’s perception

In “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” it discussed the life and hardship of Equiano throughout his life. Equiano was from a small province of Africa called Eboe where they were well mannered and traditional. He grew up in a wealthy and established family with his mother, father, and siblings. During the course of Equiano’s life he had some good and challenging time, but through it all he endured it to the end. Throughout his life Equiano experienced what he feels like to be free and to be a slave. In the memoir forced, cruel, and child labor was depicted. Slaves in Africa were treated exceptionally well were as slaves in America were treated if they were not human. .Equiano was treated as if he was a part of the family he was sold to until he was sold to a family that treated their slaves poorly. Religion and Equiano determination helped him gain freedom. Also his experience was astonishingly unique.

"I believe there are few events in my life which have not happened to many; it is true the incidents of it are numerous, and, did I consider myself an European, I might say my sufferings were great; but when I compare my lot with that of most of my countrymen, I regard myself as a particular favorite of heaven, and acknowledge the mercies of Providence in every occurrence of my life." Olaudah Equiano lived the life as a slave like many black people of the 18th century. He was born free but soon was forced into slavery which took him all around the world. From his accounts he has written down, he shows his life as a slave. Equiano had been bought and sold throughout the Americas and Europe; he showed the

If it were not for the stories past down from generation to generation or the documentations in historical books, the history of the twelve million African slaves that traveled the “Middle Passage” in miserable conditions would not exist. Olaudah Equiano contributes to this horrid history with The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Through this narrative, the appalling personal experience of each slave is depicted. He accomplishes his rhetorical purpose of informing the world of the slave experience in this narrative. His use of unique style and rhetorical devices in this conveying narrative portray his imperative rhetorical purpose.