Olaudah Equiano Analysis

The word freedom has many meanings and comes in a variety of forms. Whether one’s freedom is earned or given, sacrifices must be made and hardships faced; it is the inevitable. Nelson Mandela once said, “There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desire.” Where one man is free, others are enslaved. Olaudah Equiano, being enslaved for years, faced horrors beyond the descriptions of words as well as played a part in history, such as the French and Indian War. Travelling from Africa to England and from England to the New World, Equiano’s endured what we only envision through the telling of his narrative. Beginning

Equiano explains that after many days of travelling, during which he continuously switched owners, he got into the hands of chieftain in a pleasant country. This family was an example of less severe circumstances in which Equiano had not yet encountered. The reader can see this when Equiano tells about his first “unlucky event” occurring while he was projecting his plan of escape. Equiano reflects back on the time where he unintentionally killed a chicken, which belonged to his master and was tended to by an elderly woman slave, whom Equiano assisted. He talks about his moment of honesty, for his mother would’ve never approved of lying, and continued with the elderly woman slave’s violent retaliation of how she threatened to tell the master and make Equiano suffer for what he had done. This terrified Equiano and so he fled, but with nowhere to go he simply hid away. Eventually he came out and went back to the elderly lady; what other choice did he have. The elderly lady was shocked, but more than appreciated and because of that, the elderly slave stuck up for him. Equiano’s consequences were nothing more than slight reprimanding, but not ill-treated. From that master, Equiano was sold again after hardships hit the family. After being sold multiple times, Equiano wound up in Tinmah, sold to another

Here, Equiano says that on the passage, he was better treated than when coming from Africa. Instead of physical pain, he felt more emotional distress than anything because at this point he was lonely. Even those who were in worse positions than he had someone to talk to, so Equiano felt exceedingly miserable. After adjusting to the ship he resided on, Equiano made a couple of companions and became more accepting of his situation. To the extent of being introduced to God, an entity he yet did not understand but certainly considered and became curious about. Equiano and his current master once lodged at a gentleman’s house in Falmouth and the tides turned for Equiano yet again unexpectedly. He expresses to the reader that this family was fond of him, so much that when it was time for him to leave, the daughter of the family cried to such a great extent that Equiano stayed to pacify her. Even this moment ended though when one night he was sent on board the ship once more, where he next lodged with the family of one of his master’s mates. Equiano was fond of the wife and daughter and vice versa. Equiano spoke of the woman behaving with a great kindness and attention towards him, while also teaching him everything in the same manner that she taught her own child. This lasted until the summer of 1757, when Equiano was paced on board the ship, heading for London. When