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Introduction Essay on Olaudah Equiano
Introduction Essay on Olaudah Equiano
Slavery an ethical dilemma
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In the late 18th Century an ex-slave from Nigeria wrote an influential work that helped to end the British Slave trade. Olaudah Equiano, or Gusta Vassa, wrote The interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gusta Vassa, the African in 1789 which told of his personal experiences with slavery from a rational, persuasive point of view, focusing on the religious aspects of Christianity, the worth of Africans and the brutally detrimental effects of the slave trade. He was particularly calculated in his appeals since they were effective in the use of ethos, pathos and logos.
Equiano was born in 1745 in Nigeria to a group he refers to as the Igbo people. At the age 12, he was taken from his homeland and put into slavery, spending much
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“I thought God might perhaps have permitted this, in order to teach me wisdom and resignation” (Equiano 1004). Regarding this quote, the writer gives impression that religion is the reason that he was disappointed countless times when he tried to obtain his freedom. Such a pious tone of acceptance and not anger seems peculiar for a man who lost the chance at his freedom. Also, Equiano refuses to lay blame to either new or old slave owner and instead considers this a trial for his spirit. The Christian doctrine is another topic he spotlights in his writing when he asks a slave owner who had sold “41,000 negroes” and cut off a man’s legs for attempting to escape (Equiano 1009). “I asked him if the man had died in the operation, how he, as a Christian, could answer for the horrid act, before God. And he told me, answering was a thing of another world; what he thought and did were policy” (Equiano 1009). In this quote, Equiano notes the separation between what he believes the Christine doctrine says and how the white men slavers perceive their actions as something they do not need to alter while they are alive. A reverent plea to this white man could not persuade him that his parting from religious doctrine and claiming the religion was unscrupulous. Religious determination despite the cruel aspects of his life makes …show more content…
“Such a tendency has the slave trade to debauch men’s minds, and harden them to every feeling of humanity” (Equiano 1013). The fact that Equiano could separate the institution of slavery from the white slave owners and focus on the main problem shows that he is a rational intelligent writer. Equiano became a strong supporter of the abolitionist movement which led to the writing of this work. He truly believed that no man should have authority over another man and once he bought his own freedom he continued to pursue this for others as
Olaudah Equiano was not an American born slave. He was born and raised well into his childhood in Africa with his family. His slave narrative, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustav Vassa, the African, published in New York in 1791 however, had a lasting impact on America as it described the inhumane treatment of Africans being sold into slavery (Baym 1: 687). Equiano’s initial concept of freedom stemmed from his childhood of which he speaks very fondly, describing his homeland as a “nation of dancers, musicians and poets,” a...
He describes the ways in which he was considered fortunate amongst other slaves. Equiano confessed that all of his masters were “worthy and humane”, they treated him right and even gave him the gift of literacy and religion (709). He compares his experience to the experience of other less fortunate individuals, and finds that treating slaves in a kinder manner actually benefits the slave owners (Equiano 709). Equiano states that the slaves under more solicitous masters “were uncommonly cheerful and healthy, and did more work” (709). Furthermore, he mentions how many malevolent slave owners would have to replace their slaves very often in order to make up for the amount of slaves that would die due to the harsh and unhealthy conditions that the slaves were put in (709). Equiano does all of this in order to try and reason with his audience in a more efficient way. Equiano realized that trying to convince his audience that slavery was completely wrong would not work due to the very strong views on it in his time. Instead he tries to convince his audience to change the manner in which they treat their slaves in order to benefit themselves, which consequently would benefit the slaves and contribute to their
Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa) was kidnapped from his African village at the age of eleven, shipped through the arduous "Middle Passage" of the Atlantic Ocean, seasoned in the West Indies and sold to a Virginia planter. He was later bought by a British naval Officer, Captain Pascal, as a present for his cousins in London. After ten years of enslavement throughout the North American continent, where he assisted his merchant slave master and worked as a seaman, Equiano bought his freedom. At the age of forty four he wrote and published his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African. Written by Himself, which he registered at Stationer's Hall, London, in 1789. More than two centuries later, this work is recognized not only as one of the first works written in English by a former slave, but perhaps more important as the paradigm of the slave narrative, a new literary genre.
Olaudah Equiano claims that his sister and him were kidnapped in Africa and brought to the colonies at the
Equiano starting out had caring captors, “[t]he people I was sold to used to carry me very often when I was tired either on their shoulders or on their backs” (Equiano 54). Equiano’s first master lost his wife and daughter causing the mental state to be off, so Equiano was sold. Luckily Equiano was able to see his sister once again, he felt the need to be there for her and try to aid the pain she was feeling. All slave masters admired Equiano and he was still live a fair well off life but, that would soon change when boards the slave ship. Equiano finally will see the true horrors of how slaves were treated, “...and I even wished for my former slavery in preference to my present situation” (Equiano
Olaudah Equiano was able to overcome this intense adversity and actually accumulate wealth by making the best of certain situations he faced throughout his experiences. Even though he was a victim of the slave trade, he willfully took advantage of the opportunity to see the world and to become a productive individual. Olaudah Equiano and his sister were kidnapped by slave traders from their native village in Isseke, Nigeria. The nature of the African village, Isseke, was labor based and emphasized the concept of earning profit from hard work. There was a strong sense of community among these villagers, as Equiano explains in his personal narrative, “Thus we are all habituated to labor from our earliest years.
Olaudah Equiano in his Interesting Narrative is taken from his African home and thrown into a Western world completely foreign to him. Equiano is a slave for a total of ten years and endeavors to take on certain traits and customs of Western thinking. He takes great pains to improve himself, learn religion, and adopt Western mercantilism. However, Equiano holds on to a great deal of his African heritage. Throughout the narrative, the author keeps his African innocence and purity of intent; two qualities he finds sorely lacking in the Europeans. This compromise leaves him in a volatile middle ground between his adapted West and his native Africa. Olaudah Equiano takes on Western ideals while keeping several of his African values; this makes him a man associated with two cultures but a member of neither.
Equiano knew he had to please his masters in order to have any opportunity of freedom. He knew he had to find a way to stick with a kind master; otherwise he could be sold, mistreated and even killed. To do this he chose to build a rapport with his masters worked hard to be indispensable to them. Equiano negotiated trades, proving he was of value for more than just manual labor. Adapting to his environment by learning to read, write and speak English fluently was an intelligent way to advance his worth as a slave, and also to help himself in the future when he purchased his freedom. After he became a free man, he continued to think of methods to abolish slavery, his now primary goal in life. He positioned himself as a mediator to promote his message of anti-slavery to people of different classes and then went further to offer a solution for continued economic growth. Just as a trickster is able to transform in to whatever it needs to become, Equiano was both a protestor of slavery and an industrialist, when the time called for it.
"The Life of Olaudah Equiano” is a captivating story in which Equiano, the author, reflects on his life from becoming a slave to a freeman during the 19th century. Through his experiences and writing, Equiano paints a vivid picture of the atrocities and cruelties of European slavery. Ultimately through his narrative, Equiano intends to persuade his audience, the British government, to abolish the Atlantic slave trade as well as alert them of the harsh treatment of slaves. He successfully accomplishes his goal by subtly making arguments through the use of character, action, and setting.
Equiano concluded the white man’s vile actions are due to their undying yearn and cupidity for wealth. He emphasized the dehumanizing and barbaric treatment of blacks such as starvation, unsanitary conditions along with the equal treatment to some whites as well. This negatively impacted him emotionally and mentally, for he “had never seen among any people such instances of brutal cruelty; and this not only shown towards us blacks, but also to some of the whites themselves.” Notably, by any means necessary, the Europeans greediness was so vast that they do harm to their own people. At the end of the account, Equiano used the auctioning of bonds people to symbolizing how greed is the driving force of the Slave Trade by stating “on a signal given (as the beat of a drum), the buyers rush at once into the yard where the slaves are confined and make choice of that parcel they like best. The noise and clamor with which this is attended, and the eagerness visible in the countenances of the buyers, serve not a little to increase the apprehension of terrified Africans.” In other words, the Europeans portrayed bonds people has property and were full of zeal to purchase them and as their excitement increased so did trepidation of petrified Africans. However, that was not the business nor concerns of the
Equiano, Olaudah. The interesting narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African: an authoritative text. New York: Norton, 2001. Print.
The “Speeches,” written in 1762 and 1763, informs how the Pontiac rebellion occurred. Neolin, “a religious prophet who helped to inspire the rebellion” criticizes that the Indians have lost their culture (Foner, 2014). They have become dependent on the European’s culture, traditions, and even weapons. Instead of using their bows and arrows, they depended on European guns and knives. Though they may believe that they were free, the Indians were bounded by the European ways. The second passage about the life of a slave was written by Olaudah Equiano in 1789. This runaway slave from the West Indies was caught into slavery again, but his new slave owner was kind and not abusive. Robert King, Equiano’s slave owner, entrusted him with clerk duties and taught him new skills (The Life of Olaudah Equiano Chapter V Summary and Analysis, para 5-6). The passage emphasized on the procedure of auctioning slaves and the emotional struggles that the slaves have. He stresses on the emotional aspects when slaves are separated from their family and friends. Equiano does this because he wants the Christian slave owners to display their belief in religion and liberty. This is also a way to emphasize the cruelty of the Whites. This passage is about slave trade, and how slaves lose their friends and families to the
Equiano characterizes white people in this way through his exceptionalism and the knowledge he obtains, which allows him to recognize the true, hypocritical nature of the white person. Since Equiano is able to reach this noteworthy distinction, he shows that other African people could also reach his potential if allowed, displaying to the audience a new perception of African people. By overturning the common perception of white people at the time, Equiano forces the reader to question the conventions of enslavement so that the public understands the need to abolish captivity and other
Equiano finally gains his liberty and begins to develop his character as he converts his religion and becomes a faithful man. Equiano immerses himself and is allowed to blend into Western society. Works Cited Equiano, Olaudah. [1789] 1987. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African.
The narrative of Olaudah Equiano is truly a magnificent one. Not only does the reader get to see the world through Equiano's own personal experiences, we get to read a major autobiography that combined the form of a slave narrative with that of a spiritual conversion autobiography. Religion may be viewed as at the heart of the matter in Equiano's long, remarkable journey. Through Equiano's own experiences, the reader uncovers just how massive a role religion played in the part of his Narrative and in that of his own life. More specifically, we learn of how his religious conversion meant a type of freedom as momentous as his own independence from slavery. As one reads his tale, one learns just how dedicated he his to that of his Christian faith; from his constant narration of the scriptures to the way that Equiano feels a growing sense of empowerment from the biblical texts for the oppressed community. However, at the same time, one may question Equiano's own Christian piety. Did Equiano really seek to tell the tale of his soul's spiritual journey, did he really believe God would set him free or was he simply using religion as a ways of manipulating British and American readers to accept him as a credible narrator. Regardless of which of these facts is true, religion is quite possibly the defining feature of his life story.