Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa It was in 1758 when Olaudah Equiano was kidnapped from his home in Southeastern Nigeria and sold into slavery. Equiano was just eleven years old at the time and was forced to leave his Ibo religion, his family, and all else familiar. His account of being introduced to the Europeans which forced him into slavery is especially powerful, for Equiano had never laid sight on a white man before. ...I was carried on board. I was immediately handled and tossed up to
The Primitive In Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African When societies judge other cultures their judgments are often biased and ethnocentric. In Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan, “the perfect specimen of white masculinity and testament to the viability of white civilization,[1]” projected many ideals and views of European society. Olaudah Equiano gave a first hand account of his life
together that long because he would be sold again. Olaudah Equiano would eventually be sold to a man by the name of Michael Henry Pascal, an officer of the British Royal Navy, who set sail for the American continent. Michael Pascal renamed him Gustavus Vassa. In the years that followed, Olaudah became a great seaman and sailed around the world. His stops included the slave-trading islands of the West Indies, England, Ireland, Wales, France, Portugal, Italy, Central America, Georgia, Virginia, Philadelphia
one assimilate or resist? But The Melting Pot Theory is not inclusive of Blacks since the process of assimilation could not work its magic on black skin. In the slave narrative, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, the capture of Africans, their ultimate enslavement in the Americas, the West Indies, and Europe exemplify the assigned inferior status to Blacks in societies of the alien worlds. Blacks have less than their proportionate share of
The two slave narratives Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. Written by Himself provide two different perspectives on the institution of slavery. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl depicts a female perspective of slavery in the 1850s while The Interesting Narrative of the Life... provides a male perspective from almost a hundred years before. Although written at different times from different perspectives
The title, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, shows a more explicit marriage between his two identities: Olaudah the free “English” man and Gustavus, the slave. Even though he seems dedicated to his English identity and although he tries to marry Englishness and slavery, Equiano also separates them. “Did [he] consider himself to be European
The Fate of the Vasa a) Things that went right: 1. The ship was completed in the designated timeframe with gaudy decorations. 2. Almost everything was as per the plan, apart from the fact that the base was destabilized. Even after frequent transformations, the ship was designed according to what the King wished for. b) Things that went wrong: 1. Henrik Hybertsson (the shipwright) became ill and died in 1627 He died one year before the Vasa was completed. During the year of his illness, he shared
One thing is without debate, Olaudah Equiano’s, A.K.A. Gustavus Vassa, novel was instrumental in the abolition of the Atlantic Slave trade. His writings helped influence Europe to believe that the Atlantic Slave trade was evil and wrong. Also, it helped to give human properties to the dehumanized Africans. While I concede that there are not many, if any, similarities between Anthony Benezet’s writing and Equiano’s, I still believe he was not born in Africa for the following reasons: the inconsistencies
on different slave and naval ships, as his voyages bring him to many different places such as England, the Caribbean, and the southern United States. Michael Henry Pascal, one of his masters during this period, gives the author the name of Gustavas Vassa, which he himself as for the rest of his life. During this time, he also converts to Christianity. After his travels with Pascal, Robert King, a Quaker from Philadelphia, purchases the author in 1763. Under King, he works as a clerk as well as on King’s
revelation that Gustavus Vassa was a native-born Igbo originally named Olaudah Equiano appears to have evolved during 1788 in response to the needs of the abolitionist movement” (Carretta, 3). This quotation is trying to get the readers to understand tha... ... middle of paper ... ...me Gustavus, he almost always used the name Gustavus during his life. Similarly to when he was baptized and when he got older became a missionary to Africa, he then continued to use the name Gustavus. By using that
It has been suggested that Olaudah Equiano lied about his birthplace in his The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African. The question of Olaudah Equiano’s birth place, whether it be modern day Nigeria or South Carolina, has little effect on the historical significance of his “autobiography.” In this essay I will discuss the reasons scholars are questioning the authenticity of his works, the affect his work played in the slave trade, and the impact this
The Life of Gustavas Vassa, by Olaudah Equiano, was the first-ever slave autobiography ever to be written. Throughout his work, Equiano refers to himself as “Gustavas Vassa”, which was the slave name he was referred to during his pre-freedom life. The Life of Gustavas Vassa is a primary source, meaning that Equiano witnessed and experienced the events and conditions that were documented first hand. ¬Equiano was a merchant, abolitionist, and explorer. He was born in Eboe, what is now Nigeria, before
Olaudah Equiano published his narrative, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, in 1789. Equiano was born in 1745 in the district of Eboe, Africa. His autobiography informs readers of his life during the slave trade. By the way, the slave trade was a harsh business during the 15th to the 19th centuries. Anyway, this eighteenth century narrative is about a boy who was kidnapped at the age of eleven and sold into slavery. Moreover, Equiano was one
Kupperman, Karen O. (2000). Olaudah Equiano Recalls His Enslavement, 1750s. Major Problems in American Colonial History (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 292. This document refers to Equiano’s recall of the day he and his sister were kidnapped and sold for slavery. The kids usually had a sensor out to watch for kidnappers. That day, two men and one woman entered the house so quickly Equiano and his sister did not have time to react. The document is a helpful source for an overview on how
The Middle Passage was a voyage that brought enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to North America and the West Indies. Olaudah Equiano was born around year 1745 in Guinea which is now Nigeria. He was sold into slavery while he was still a child and he worked in America and in the West Indies. He bought his own freedom and he stayed in England. He described his life as a slave in the Middle Passage as terrible. He was whipped after he refused his masters who offered him eatables. He said he
Equiano and his sister were captured and sold into slavery (Carey). His experiences from his home in Africa, as well as those as a slave, would later influence his renowned autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. First published in 1789, Volume I focuses on Equiano’s short time in Africa followed by his treacherous journey as a slave. He begins the narrative with an in depth description of his homeland of Nigeria, speaking of their food,
Authentic Shakespeare, Authentic Africans: Performing Othello In South Africa." Comparative Drama 46.3 (2012): 339-354. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. Equiano, Olaudah. "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African,Written By Himself." The Project Gutenberg. N.p., 17 Mar. 2005. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. Field, Emily Donaldson. "'Excepting Himself': Olaudah Equiano, Native Americans, And The Civilizing Mission." MELUS: The Journal Of The Society For
World and Europe were the only instances when whites attempted to recognize their humanity. Olaudah Equiano wrote of his own assimilation into European culture in his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa. The ability of an African to seamlessly join European society held weight in the debate over whether or not blacks were human or not. The humanity of Africans was demonstrated to white society through Olaudah Equiano’s assimilation into European
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African Equiano begins his story of his life by exposing journalist for their selfish writings that are used to expose others, but keep their image clean. Furthermore, people expect life stories to have emotional even, as if they are to be entertaining and exciting. Equiano states that he is "neither a saint, a hero, nor a tyrant;" he is lucky to be on the good side with the Lord, in which he feel have blessed him
In Equiano 's personal slave narrative, The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Equiano uses distinguishing first person pronouns, thought provoking rhetorical questions, and eye-opening, harsh diction to flip the idea that the African people act backwards and barbaric. Equiano does so by demonstrating his personal exceptionalism through his literacy to show that truly the white people remain backwards and barbaric because of their hypocrisy. The contradiction of the perceptions