Compare And Contrast Mary Rowlandson And Olaudah Equiano

Equiano wrote to help show society the evils that lie in slavery. He used writing, to tell the truth of conditions of life for slaves, making readers feel every word he used through their senses: “The stench of the hold, while we were on the coast, was so intolerably loathsome, that it was dangerous to remain there for anytime” (Equiano 364). While they both wrote with different purposes in mind, Rowlandson and Equiano managed to paint a picture so vivid that it invoked emotions that edified society.

Mary Rowlandson and Sojourner Truth were both prominent women who had stories about their captivities. Mary Rowlandson was a White woman who was kidnapped by Native Americans during a raid on her village. While Sojourner Truth was born into slavery and remained property until 1826. Both ladies had differences on among their captivities and encountered oppression in unique ways.The difference between Sojourner Truth and Mary Rowlandson emphasis on individuality, time and historical moment and institutional oppression they both endure.

Both Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano were held captive at a time in their lives. White men captured Olaudah Equiano, while Mary Rowlandson had Indian captivators. Olaudah’s story tells of the time where he first saw the slave ship he was put on and the journey across great waters to the new world. Rowlandson’s story tells of the apathy of the Indians and her stay with the tribe. It is apparent that the journey across the sea was horrible enough for the ship’s passengers to commit suicide by jumping off of the ship rather than staying on board with the putrid smell of human wastes and lack of ventilation. In a brief paragraph, Equiano wrote of his daily routine before his captivity. He mentioned the relationship he had with his mother, and how he was her favorite child. "I became, of course, the greatest favorite with my mother and was always with her." (72) Olaudah and Mary were alike because Olaudah had a great relationship with his mother while Mary was fond of her own child in her narrative. "About two hours in the night, my sweet babe like a lamb departed this life; I must and could lie down next to my dead babe, side by side all the night after." (2) Neither Olaudah Equiano nor Mary Rowlandson ended their stories with the family members they were most fond of. Equiano’s captivity was the reason why he was stripped from his mother while Rowlandson’s baby died during her

Equiano was able to utilize his life experiences and expose the true story behind a slaves journey (from the capturing to the day the slave is placed with an owner), which allowed him to be an influential opponent against the enslavement of Africans. Equiano stated that, “[t]ourtures, murder, and every other imaginable barbarity and iniquity are practiced

All throughout his entire story, Equiano’s use of pathos gave the person reading the text the feeling that slavery had to be taken out of the realm of socially acceptable things. On page 87 Equiano's story states; “This wretched situation was again aggravated by the

Being taken away from his sister, Equiano not only was grieving, but he was put aboard a ship where he had no idea what was coming next. When he was first carried onto the boats his first thoughts were “that I had gotten into a world of bad spirits, and that they were going to kill me.” After this thought, he had fainted for being only a mere child scared for his life. He believed that these people with a lighter complexion were going to eventually eat him. Once he was told of his true purpose on board the ship, his mind came to ease. Before even setting sail for the west indies, he was experience the

During their “removes,” Mary becomes too weak to walk any longer, and the Indians, “like inhuman creatures, laugh and rejoice to see it.”They do nothing to provide for her comfort during their long journeys through the rough landscape. Her only refuge is to take comfort in her prayer and hope that God will help her through these hard times. After the first several days, Mary develops a dependency upon the Indians, and begins to get used to their means of living.

Equiano’s luck soon shifted when he was once again kidnapped and sold as a slave, this time he would have to endure the notoriously dreadful journey across the sea to America. Knowing that this was a pivotal point in his life and that he would become a gudgeon to the harshness of slavery, Equiano attempted to prepare himself for what lay ahead. However, the sight of the inhumane acts he witnessed on the African coast, while being transported, were new to Equiano and instilled fear into his consciousness.

In “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” it discussed the life and hardship of Equiano throughout his life. Equiano was from a small province of Africa called Eboe where they were well mannered and traditional. He grew up in a wealthy and established family with his mother, father, and siblings. During the course of Equiano’s life he had some good and challenging time, but through it all he endured it to the end. Throughout his life Equiano experienced what he feels like to be free and to be a slave. In the memoir forced, cruel, and child labor was depicted. Slaves in Africa were treated exceptionally well were as slaves in America were treated if they were not human. .Equiano was treated as if he was a part of the family he was sold to until he was sold to a family that treated their slaves poorly. Religion and Equiano determination helped him gain freedom. Also his experience was astonishingly unique.

When Mary Rowlandson, was capture she was injured by the Indian. Although she survive that wound but her daughter die. The Indians were so brutal “Barbarous creature, with our bodies wounded and bleeding, and our hearts no less than our bodies” (259). In this case Rowlandson was in pain for the loss at the same was badly treated by the Indians. Another heroic incident is when the Indians attack a small village during

Many people go through unimaginable cruelty. In Mary Rowlandson "A Narrative of Captivity", she was taken by Indians that took her to captivity. In Olaudah Equiano "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano", he explains how he was captured and his journey on the slave ship. Both Mary and Equiano both experience loss, hardship, and cruelty.

For example, Equiano expresses that he is envious of the freedom whites enjoy; the fact that these people were deprived of basic fundamental rights clearly highlights just how miserable life was for the victims. He then reveals, “Every circumstance [he] met with, served only to render [his] state more painful, and heightened [his] apprehensions,” Equiano’s intensified trepidation evinces his lack of hope that life could get better, “and [his] opinion of the cruelty of the whites” enhances as well (Equiano 45).

Many people get a thrill out of reading horror stories and watching suspense movies, especially about kidnappings and abductions. However, kidnappings in stories and books are nothing like in real life. Mary Rowlandson and Jaycee Dugard are two real people that were abducted. Both ladies were taken away from their families against their will, but their stories are very different from each other in terms of the setting, their captors, and their children.

“At last when the ship we were in, had got in all her cargo, they made ready with many fearful noises, and we were all put under deck, so that we could not see how they managed the vessel. However, this disappointment was the least of my sorrow. The stench of the hold while we were on the coast was so intolerably loathsome, that it was dangerous to remain there for any time, and some of us had been permitted to stay on the deck for the fresh air; but now that the whole ship’s cargo were confined together, it became absolutely pestilential. ” -(Olaudah Equiano) Equiano is preparing to bring you into his life during slavery. Equiano expressed one of many hard times that he had to face during his slave voyage throughout that quote. I chose that strong quote so that it would shine knowledge on those who are unsure of what was to come about the life of Equiano. This piece of literature stood out the most to me because it gave me a different view of slavery. This story allowed me to try and picture myself going through what Equiano had to face. It was hard trying to prepare myself because no one wants to imagine themselves going through the pain, neglect, beating, hunger, and etc. like the way he did. It made me realize this was told from a child’s point of view and that he showed different emotions from what I would have presented to others. This piece is relevant because this is someone’s personal life story or what I would call

Suffering is a very important topic when it comes to writing tragedies or similar genres. It is a topic that authors take very seriously and are meticulous when implementing it in their works. Suffering is the experience of physical or mental distress. It can occur internally or externally. There are many ways in which human can suffer, for instance, human can suffer through physical pain, or going through mental hardships. When we look at both the Odyssey and the Inferno, we will find that without suffering, the story will lack its meaning and that is because suffering is arguably the central piece in both plots. Joye states, “The causes or the events of suffering are often situated outside of the human control or will of the sufferer.” (4). Many times, in the works we are going to examine, suffering is caused by God, but other times, it is caused by the actions of the sufferer. Certain questions emerge when people in both works suffer or witness suffering, like, why would a deity allow such thing to happen or exist? But there are deeper meanings in suffering and we are going to examine those meanings in both works.