Similarities Between Olaudah Equiano And William Bradford

Although Olaudah Equiano was not directly involved in American slavery, several aspects of The Life of Olaudah Equiano can be used to understand why the institution lasted so long. A major part of the novel was dedicated to counter one of the major propagating ideas of slavery: the widespread myth that Africans were either not fully human or were of a less developed branch of humanity so enslaving them was moral. Equiano spends the first section of the book

“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.

Religion was a very important aspect of everyday life, and majority the travelers to the new world had strong beliefs. This powerful faith is shown by puritans, William Bradford and Mary Rowlandson. These two characters in both of their stories showed their strong relationship with God. They tended to be more dependent on God to show them the way, instead of them making their own decisions. Every little thing that would happen they believed was apart of God's plan, and it had some sort of significance. This helped them get through hardships and over obstacles, because they believed God was doing what was best for them. Others were more independent and believed in logic and reason, one person being the slave Equiano. Equiano didn’t have a strong

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

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.

The different lives and experiences of William Bradford, John Smith, and Olaudah Equiano show how there are many ways to be adapted to a new world. There were many struggles that each of them faced, and each had different motives when writing their experiences. In some way, there are all connected to one another, with some similarities, but there are differences also.

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 New World in the seventeenth century presented itself in different ways to differing groups of people as portrayed in the accounts written by Olaudah Equiano in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, John Smith in The General History of Virginia, and William Bradford in Of Plymouth Plantation. Olaudah Equiano is a slave through the Middle Passage as a child and spends ten years of his life being traded from owner to owner in Barbados. John Smith is one of the men to lead the first set of colonists to the New World and to establish the first settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. William Bradford is one of the leaders of the Pilgrim colony aboard the Mayflower who settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Each man experiences his own form of fear upon board the ship that will take him to the New World as the anticipation of seeing what the future holds grows. Aboard each ship and in each settlement, conditions worsen as food supplies run low and the chance for illness increases. Dehumanization also occurs in each passage to a group of people who those from a richer, European background deem as a threat to an orderly community or as lesser in quality. As written by Olaudah Equiano, John Smith, and William Bradford, journeying to a new land is a petrifying experience when the level of supplies decreases, the chance of illness increases, and the respect for outside groups decreases.

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.

William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, and Edward Taylor expressed multiple similarities within their writing themes, as well as, their lives. They were all Puritan immigrants, which upon settling in America, were associated with highly respected positions within the original colonies. “William Bradford epitomizes the spirit of determination and self-sacrifice…” (Baym 72), therefore, he was elected as governor of Plymouth in 1620. Anne Bradstreet’s husband, also was elected as the Bay Colony governor, which in turn, added to her daily duties and responsibilities at home, resulting in her questioning her faith and the word of Scriptures (Baym 110). Lastly, Edward Taylor played an important role in his community for, which he resided for 58 years.

William Bradford was a very highly self educated author who was a governor of the plymouth colony five times. He wrote about the colony which we did read and then he also had published his personal diary. William had many experiences in his life that were not favorable but even though he was going through them he overcame them and shaped plymouth into a great colony.

During the 1600s England was sending many adventurers and colonists to the new world to settle it. One famous colonist was John Smith. Smith was a leader in the Jamestown settlement in 1606, where he encountered natives, and survived being captured and imprisoned by them. Also notable among the famous colonists was William Bradford. Bradford led the Plymouth colony, which was founded in 1620. The colony survived major sickness and lack of food but the natives were sympathetic with the Plymouth colonist and taught them how to live off the land. Both Smith and Bradford wrote of their adventures in the new world, but they both had very different reasons for being there which it’s evident in their writings.

It was in the eighteenth century human beings were counted as goods of exchange due to their skin color or place of birth. Innocent Western and Central Africans were kidnapped from their native land who though it was safe haven. They were hunted as wild animals and ferried by unsafe ships to a new world which they never heard of or dreamed to be. The kidnaped became slaves and hold cruelly in shackles while their female counterparts were raped and violated. One of the survivors of those victims of slavery was Olaudah Equiano. Equiano was avail to publish his autobiography in his book title, “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African”. According to his autobiography and his own word, his sister

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.