Comparing Rowlandson And Equiano And The Perils Of Slavery

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It was once thought that slavery was just a normal civilized part of life, whether you owned a slave or were one, that’s just how it was. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, slavery was a well know topic, and slave narratives such as the ones by Rowlandson and Equiano were becoming quite popular. Slave narratives such as these assisted in revealing the horrors of slavery. Both these slave narratives have similar traits that helped people around the world better understand the perils of slavery. Both the Rowlandson and Equiano slave narratives utilize the perils of slavery, and one might say they are “one in the same.” Both Rowlandson and Equiano were abruptly taken from their home, and forced to live somewhere they could not have …show more content…

Another peril that Rowlandson and Equiano both have to endure is the destitution that they both yearn for freedom, yet they fear the consequences of escaping. During Rowlandson’s narrative, she truly desires to escape, but fears she will not survive if she escapes from the captivity of the Indians (Rowlandson 130). As soon as Rowlandson realizes that the Indians are planning to keep her alive and not kill her, her first thought is that she has to escape from these barbaric human beings. However; Rowlandson states that although she wishes to escape there is nothing decent that will come out of it. She realizes that if she successfully escapes, there is a pronounced chance that she will not survive due to the harsh natural elements of the time however, if she attempts to escape and fails, she recognizes she will surely be slain on the spot. So, no matter how severely she wants to escape, there is no safe outcome of her doing so. In a similar manner, Equiano wishes to become free, and will do anything in his power to achieve his freedom, but corresponding with the Rowlandson piece, his freedom comes with a price. As soon as Equiano’s feet hit the deck of the ship he is already wishing to escape. He Says “…could I have got over the nettings, I would have jumped over the side…” (Equiano 266). This statement clearly …show more content…

In the Rowlandson slave narrative; before she is captured, she has a joyful life along with her loving husband and many children. Rowlandson`s life before captivity is everything a woman could long for. As soon as she is captured, however; she is forced to confront her worst nightmare, the evil livelihood of the Indians. During Rowlandson’s narrative she recalls rather a horrific event where the Indians killed and burned a woman and her child because she was continuously requesting to go home, and finally attempted to leave not wanting to spend a second more in the midst of the Indians. “…when they had done that, they made a fire and put them both into it…” (Rowlandson 131). Once Rowlandson witnesses this along with the horrific actions the Indians preformed on her village, Rowlandson officially has a complete understanding of how barbaric the Indians actually are. Rowlandson is personally brought from a place of protected innocence (her home) and force into direct confrontation with the barbaric Indians by being forced to be their slave. While a slave, Rowlandson is forced to carry her mistresses things no matter that the weight was too much. However, Rowlandson is not the only person forced to confront certain evils of slavery, Equiano also has similar evils

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