Primary Source Analysis : Equiano

Before he was even taken aboard the slave ship, Equiano experienced the cruel and unsympathetic tactics of his white captors when his sister “was torn from [him], and immediately carried away” despite their pleas and ceaseless weeping (Equiano 46). Similar to the actions of Byrd, Equiano’s captors expressed little regard to the sentiments of African slaves, though it was undeniable that they, too, felt painfully real, human emotions despite their difference in skin color. Similar to Byrd’s account of inappropriate conduct between a young servant from the capitol, Equiano describes the brutality that many women faced, stating that “it was almost a constant practice with [the] clerks, and other whites, to commit violent depredations on the chastity of the female slaves,” even on girls as young as ten years old (Equiano 48-49). Equiano, unlike Byrd, shows remorse for his actions, admitting that “with reluctance, [he] obliged to submit to [these acts] at all times, being unable to help [the women],” unlike his white masters who assaulted their victims for their own gratification (Equiano 49). Similar to the exaggerated punishments distributed by Byrd to his slaves, Equiano recounts how whites staked a black man “to the ground” and cut his ears off “bit by bit” because he had had relations with “a white woman who was a common prostitute (Equiano 49). This horrific description shows the irony present present in interactions between white masters and black slaves when one race commits a crime against the other. It also displays the disregard shown to the pain tolerated by slaves at the hands of their

“The Horrors of a Slave Ship,” describes in detail, the tragic experiences of Olaudah Equiano as a captive slave. Equiano suffered many sleepless nights; he was flogged and kidnapped multiple times. In the article, the author is trying to give the reader the feeling by giving details of the brutally floggings and desperation as many slaves suffocated to death as they were placed in an overcrowded deck. Overall, the author tries to give readers their point across of the difficulties in being a captive slave.

Equiano was a victim of this Triangular Trade enterprise and was taken away from everything he had ever known at the young age of 11. He was traded from tribe to tribe and in most cases was treated just like any other child of the village. He is labeled as a slave, though the treatment he receives does not fall under the stereotypical conditions of a slave. He was allowed to play with other children and was treated like a

Olaudah Equiano, Boyrereau Brinch, and Ayuba Suleiman all have similarities and differences from the way they were all captured and their experiences in Atlantic Slave Trade. They were all captured in West Africa during the 1700's. Equiano was captured at eleven with his sister, whereas Brinch was sixteen and Suleiman was in his late twenties. Equiano was captured in Nigeria, Brinch was captured in Mali, and Suleiman was captured Senegal. Nevertheless, they were captured in different way. Equiano and his sister were captured when their parents were not home working in the fields to labor. Brinch was swimming with friends and Suleiman was on a mission for his father to “sell two Negroes and to buy Paper, and some other Necessaries. Suleiman

If it were not for the stories past down from generation to generation or the documentations in historical books, the history of the twelve million African slaves that traveled the “Middle Passage” in miserable conditions would not exist. Olaudah Equiano contributes to this horrid history with The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Through this narrative, the appalling personal experience of each slave is depicted. He accomplishes his rhetorical purpose of informing the world of the slave experience in this narrative. His use of unique style and rhetorical devices in this conveying narrative portray his imperative rhetorical purpose.

Another individual, Olaudah Equiano, was captured in Nigeria. He was taken by ship across the Middle Passage. Once he was put aboard the ship, the crew roughed him up some in order to test his fortitude. Having looked around his situation, he noticed the other slaves were very dejected. He passed out and awoke with members of the party that had sold him around him. He was afraid he was being sold to be eaten, but was assured he was not. He was led to the lower decks of the ship. The stench and disgust of the area were more than he could take. Olaudah became depressed and fell very sick. He often wished that death would come and take him. Once the cargo ship was fully loaded, the space was exceedingly limited. He was beaten for not eating and whipped hourly. After finding some of his own nation, he was told that they were being taken to a white man’s country to work. This was some relief to him. He soon became so weak that he was brought to the deck and allowed to stay there. This was a minor relief as he had to witness those that were brought form below at near death. During a period of calm seas, several slaves successfully jumped ship. The crew was quick to react and made all slaves go below deck. After stopping the ship setting about a

One of the most interesting arguments that modern apologists makes for the practice of race-based slavery in the Americas is the fact that slavery existed in Africa during that time period and that Africans were complicit in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. What is fascinating about Olaudah Equiano's discussion of the Middle Passage is that, as a man who had been enslaved in Africa prior to being shipped as a slave to the Americas, he was in a unique position to describe slavery in Africa with his introduction to European-influenced slavery in North America. His perception was that the immense brutality of the Middle Passage foreshadowed the dehumanization of slaves in the Americas, which was more inhumane than the treatment he had received as a slave while in Africa. Furthermore, he did not suggest that this brutality was linked to the race of the traders, though that seemed to have been his initial impression, but to the nature of the Trans-Atlantic trade. Therefore, Equiano's writings suggest that shipping Africans across the ocean for slavery was part of the dehumanizing process that helped fuel the practice of slavery in America.

Another prominent similarity in the works of Equiano and Douglass is the belief that separation from family is the worst consequence of slavery. Slaves experienced countless hardships, and unfortunately many were unable to go through them with their relatives. Equiano describes his experience of being separated from his family in Chapter II of his story. According to his account, “The next day proved a day of greater sorrow than I had yet experienced; for my sister and I were then separated, while we lay clasped in each other’s arms (29). Earlier, the Equiano siblings had been separated from their parents, which was overwhelming. However, separation from his sister left Olaudah in tears. Frederick Douglass experienced separation from his mother at a young age. He questions, “For what this separation is done, I do not know, unless it be to hinder the development of the . . . child. This is the inevitable result” (13). Douglass never met his mother as a result of the whites taking him away from her. Although slaves would probably work efficiently when accompanied by their family, the masters did not realize this, and consequently disconnected families. These eminent similarities in the works of Douglass and Equiano effectively portray the wicked

Equiano was very smart and intelligence he used his good mannerism to impress and navigate through many situations and because he was well behaved people found him to be very charming. He was liked by many people and even though it doesn’t appear that he used it to his advantage purposely. He had to have known it benefited him like when he mentions “Mr. King, my new master, then made a reply, and said the reason he had bought me was on the account of my good character; and as he had not least doubt of my good behavior, I should be very well off with him” (Equiano pg103). He knew it was because of his obedience that he had in some ways gained his masters trust and that his master might not be as hard on him as he would be towards any of the other slaves that appeared disobedient. He good mannerism was so intriguing that even other slave owners acknowledged his behavior and wished to own him. All the slave owners that would visited his master’s house wanted to buy him because he seemed as if he posed no threat which proved him to be a good boy and less of a threat. Equiano has mentions about a rich widow and her son that wanted to purchase him as well. He was a hard worker and his mannerism was unlike any other slave and most slave owners valued that. It seems as if his good behavior

Throughout the book The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Equiano tries to say that he is just an ordinary person, but this cannot be the case. He survives several ship wrecks, learns to read and write, and is able to buy his freedom. This is far from ordinary and borderlines with extraordinary. As he describes his adventures he starts by telling you a depressing story of how his sister got separated from him. This sets up the reader to know that there is plenty more tragedy to come. This is when he gets thrown into a life of slavery. From there he tries to wiggle his way out from the life of a slave and to create his own. Equiano uses anecdotes that he has experienced to prove to his readers that slavery is cruel and unforgiving, such as the time when he was being transported, to the treatment under his masters, and finally even when he was a free man.

In Olaudah Equiano narrative discusses the many obstacles, struggles which he has to overcome for his path to freedom. Equiano had many difficult problems in his life which many people have taken a special role in. I will discuss about the countless people that had both positive and negative impact in Equiano’s life. Equiano’s life was not an easy one, I will argue despite the many obstacles that came across his life he always remained strong which is why he was able to gain his freedom. I will discuss the major transitions that were made in in his. The unexpected journeys that came in his life and changed it entirely.

The slave trade, yet horrific in it’s inhumanity, became an important aspect of the world’s economy during the eighteenth century. During a time when thousands of Africans were being traded for currency, Olaudah Equiano became one of countless children kidnapped and sold on the black market as a slave. Slavery existed centuries before the birth of Equiano (1745), but strengthened drastically due to an increasing demand for labor in the developing western hemisphere, especially in the Caribbean and Carolinas. Through illogical justification, slave trading became a powerful facet of commerce, regardless of its deliberate mistreatment of human beings by other human beings. Olaudah Equiano was able to overcome this intense

Slavery for many was a time of despair and anguish, it felt like hell not only by the heat of the sun, but, by the treatment many received from their owners as well. Despite written almost 100 years apart, two of the most famous and well known slave narratives that give the modern day reader just an idea of what slavery was like are, Aphra Behn’s “Oroonoko, or, The Royal Slave” and Olaudah Equiano’s “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”. The journey of these two young men, although in many ways are similar, from a larger perspective could not be more different. For Oroonoko a somewhat established young man who comes from royalty, optimizes what it means to be a noble savage. As for a young Equiano who seems to spend most of his childhood in slavery, must find a way to overcome the hand he has been dealt and work hard to earn his freedom. Throughout both of these stories there are similarities and there are differences as well. Some of the most interesting aspects that might stand out to the reader are, the aspect of slavery and or the lack of it, suicide and how both characters go about it in their own way and points of view and how the reader is influenced by it.

The article, The Horrors of a Slave Ship, is first person point of view account of the capturing of Olaudah Equiano. He tells the story of how he was captured from his home while his parents were away to be used as a slave. The article starts off with Olaudah and his sister being captured while their parents were away. They were taken into the woods, tied up, and forced to travel bound without food. After many days of traveling, Olaudah and his sister were separated. From that point he was passed around and finally landed in the hands of his first owner. His first owner was a smith and Olaudah worked in his shop. He was there for about a month

The narrative by Olaudah Equiano gives an interesting perspective of slavery both within and outside of Africa in the eighteenth century. From these writings we can gain insight into the religion and customs of an African culture. We can also see how developed the system of trade was within Africa, and worldwide by this time. Finally, we hear an insider's view on being enslaved, how slaves were treated in Africa, and what the treatment of African slaves was like at the hands of the Europeans.