Summary Of ' The Slave Trade '

"I believe there are few events in my life which have not happened to many; it is true the incidents of it are numerous, and, did I consider myself an European, I might say my sufferings were great; but when I compare my lot with that of most of my countrymen, I regard myself as a particular favorite of heaven, and acknowledge the mercies of Providence in every occurrence of my life." Olaudah Equiano lived the life as a slave like many black people of the 18th century. He was born free but soon was forced into slavery which took him all around the world. From his accounts he has written down, he shows his life as a slave. Equiano had been bought and sold throughout the Americas and Europe; he showed the

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

Olaudah Equiano’s “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavas Vassa, the African” was first published in 1789 in London, England (687). Equiano’s narrative is informative; however, it is critical of the treatment of slaves and persuasive in its appeals to end the brutal treatment of African Americans. His intended audience was his friends and the public. Regarding the purpose of his narrative, Equiano wrote in Chapter I, “If it affords any satisfaction to my numerous friends … or in the smallest degree promotes the interests of humanity, the ends for which it was undertaken will be fully attained” (688). His narrative also offered a first-hand (first-person narrative) account of slavery and shared the story of his journey towards freedom. Equiano’s narrative is in chronological order after a brief introduction in Chapter I, which explained his purpose for writing his story along with providing background information on his childhood and the culture of his birthplace in Essaka, Africa. Furthermore, although much of Equiano’s story centered on his extensive sea travel, his harmonious mixture of formal and informal word choices along with the lack of the technical terminology commonly associated with sailors helps the general audience

Another detail that Equiano incorporated within his writing, is the meaning of his name. As he says in the text “I was named Olaudah, which, in our language, signifies vicissitude or fortune also, one favoured, and having a loud voice and well spoken” (Gates Jr. & Smith 121). Equiano was a man who was the youngest born son to village leaders who owned slaves, became a captive of slavery himself, briefly worked in the fields as a slave before following his master overseas and ultimately buying his own freedom. What’s most profound throughout that, is the fact that he used his voice to help others who are stuck where he was able to break free. PBS has an article where

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

When Equiano was eleven he was kidnapped along with his sister and sold to slave traders in the beautiful Island of Barbados. Equiano was of royal African blood and born to the chief Ibo of the Benin nation, but spent majority of his time with his mother. Equiano is the youngest son of seven children. Equiano uses his narrative to paint a descriptive eyewitness account of slavery in the American colonies and in the Caribbean during that time.

He was kidnapped at age eleven and was sold by a local slave trader who was heading to America ( According to BBC). During Equiano's trip to America, he and a few other slaves were having trouble staying alive. Equiano fearing for his life, waiting to be eaten by these horrible people, (Europeans) was soon comforted by the other slaves who told him not to fear. In addition, soon Equiano and the slaves were put into the bottom of a ship an fought to get fresh air. Due to the closeness of the place, the heat of the climate, and the amount of the people, many of the slaves died. As a result, due to the hardships the slaves faced many of them took their lives by throwing themselves overboard rather then having to know that they will endure a life of misery. As for Equiano, he also wanted to throw himself overboard, but due to a net connected to the ship he was not able to do so. As, Equiano was looking above seeing the other slaves being killed he said to himself “ This situation I was expected every hour to stare the fate of my companions, some whom were almost daily brought upon deck at the point of death, I too want an end to my miseries” ( The Life Of Equiano). Equiano agreed that he too would rather die than to remain a

“One day, When all our people were gone out to their works as usual, and only I and my dear sister were left to mind the house, two men and a women got over our walls, and in a moment seized us both, and, without giving us time to cry out, or make resistance, they stopped our mouths, and ran off with us into the nearest wood.”(690) Equiano journey began when he was kidnapped from his village. “The next day proved a day of greater sorrow than I had yet experienced; for my sister and I were then separated.”(691) Equiano and his sister was no longer together and that hurt Equiano dearly. When he was kidnapped he was treated like family at his slave home. That’s when his life had changed, he was taken to the coast for shipment to the Barbados. This was his first time ever being encountered

The thought of being kidnapped away from your home, placed on a boat, shipped to a European colony, sold into slavery, and held against your own will is beyond unimaginable in our society. Olaudah Equiano was former enslaved African who wrote an autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, which he fully goes into great detail about his encounter with slavery. Equiano was born in 1745 in the province of Igbo which is town in the country of Nigeria. Equiano describes his father who was an Embrenche, which is a chief or a respect leader in the community who helped decide conflicts and punished crimes. For instance Equiano recalls that adultery was heavily punished by slavery or death, women were rebuked more than men, for example Equiano explains how a mother was convicted of adultery and sentenced to death, however the woman was pardon because of the fact that she had an infant son. Marriages were usually arranged by parents, and is celebrated with a feast. Equiano province contained many musicians, dancers, and poets that participated in large assemblies. Agriculture was the main source of employment, everyone including women and children were occupied. Women assisted men with growing crops, women mainly spun and weaved cotton, and they also cooked various meats, vegetables, for example they had plenty of corn, cotton, and tobacco. The Igbo people had a sense of cleanliness, such as washing their hands before ingesting their meals. Women were

In as much as Olaudah Equiano did not understand the condition of slaves in the West Indies because in Africa they assimilated quite well, he did understand the concept of it. However, slavery existed in Africa because warring communities took slaves as trophies of their victories, but Equiano points out they were treated well. Equiano writes, "some of these slaves have even slaves under them, as their own property, and for their own use"

While living with his master, working on slave ships, and working on a plantation, Equiano had seen many practices of slavery in America. The way Americans treated their slaves was very different than the way Africans treated their slaves. For those who survived the slave ship, they were separated and

Olaudah Equiano’s story of his life provides an intellectual, historical, and emotional basis for the study of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This autobiography discusses the plight experienced by Olaudah Equiano and his experience in the slave trade. Throughout his life, he collected information and stories about his own culture, upbringing, and of his experiences within the slave trade to inform the story of his life. He eventually wrote them all down for readers to absorb, comprehend, and appreciate. Additionally, his story is important for current scholarly work because the slave trade acts as an important aspect of history that shapes African society as well as current attitudes in all parts of the world. Olaudah Equiano expressed

This paper is about the African and European slave trade, and Its importance on how it helped form our country. I will be discussing the voyage across the Atlantic Ocean, known as the “Middle Passage”. Also I will talk about how the slaves were captured and where they went after being captured. The slave trade is important to our history and will forever be a part of America. First I am going to talk about the beginning and the start of the slave trade.

According to Digital History, most of slaves in Africans "were enslaves by other Africans" 1. It was also true because of the real observations and experiences that Equiano had and felt. Therefore, he was one of the rare survivals that could show us his emotion and the true story of what had happened to him. The Interesting Narrative constructs an appeal to its readers to abolish slavery by showing his different life at these moments, and I think it was the most effective strategy because it shows Equiano's life before, during and after the time he was enslaved. That will also show his perspective and emotion that touch readers' heart and make them sink into deep thought.

Despite Equiano and Olaudah having different journeys and experiences while they were slaves, their introduction into slavery was similar via kidnapping. At age 11, while their elders were working in the plantations, both Equiano and his sister were kidnapped by two men and a woman who took them into the woods and tied their hands together. Equiano stated, “for my sister and I were then separated, while we lay clasped in each other’s arms” (Equiano 358), both ending up with different masters. Since Equiano never experienced anything like this, for the short time that she was alongside him, his sister provided a sense of help and support throughout this shocking occurrence. Being a free black man in upstate New York,