The Slave Ship Olaudah Equiano

Olaudah Equiano a native African born in 1745 kidnapped as a young boy, and sent into slavery. He spent 2nd half of his childhood in slavery, and he eventually bought his way to freedom. After he bought his freedom he became a sailor and traveled the world. Equiano then wrote a narrative of his years in slavery. His narrative helps millions see the horrors of slavery( Norton 687). Robert Rigg’s painting, the slave ship, is a piece of art that tells of the struggles of slaves, as they underwent their journey to America's.

Looking at Rigg’s painting the Slave ship gives a visual of what Slaves went through on their journey to the Americas. It shows African slaves crammed under the deck of a ship,while their are more slaves above deck. The slaves above deck are being wiped, and some are being forced fed; And some

For example Equiano states “I had never experienced in my life: so that, with the loathsome of the stench, and crying together, I became so sick and low that I was eat, nor had I the least desire to taste anything”(696). In this statement Equiano is writing about how he felt while being kept underneath the deck of the ship. This description corresponds with riggs’s painting, and his visual of a multitude of slaves shoved underneath the deck of the ship(Riggs). Furthermore to show how alike the two works are Equiano states “ The shrieks of the woman and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable”(697). In this statement Equiano explains how the ship itself is a scene of horror. He describes woman crying, and groans of dying; And he calls the whole scene “almost inconceivable”. Riggs’s painting the slave ship shows everything Equiano described. In Riggs’s painting it shows slaves leaned over onto each other and it looks as if the are dead, it also shows other slaves mouths open to show them crying out or