The Interesting Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano, By James Sweet And Katrina Thompson

Narratives about captivity have often intrigued readers in Western culture. Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano’s stories helped pave the way for stereotypes within both European and white culture; teaching Europeans to see Native Americans as cruel and allowing whites to see the evil in the American slave market. In both “A Narrative of the Captivity” and “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano,” Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano share their individual stories of being kidnapped and enslaved. Though the two narrators share similarities in their personal accounts of being held captive, either individual’s reaction sheds light on the true purpose of both Rowlandson and Equiano’s writing.

“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.

"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

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.

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

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.

Olaudah Equiano had a very unique experience with the slave trade system. He began conveying his experience with how he was captured in his village by two men and a women, who kidnapped him and his sister. Their captors traveled with them for a few days before separating the siblings, and selling Equiano to his first master. He was treated fairly well, even when he ran away for a day and came back, he says his master “having slightly reprimanded me, ordered me to be taken care of, and not ill-treated.” (Equiano 27) Shortly after this engagement, Equiano’s master loses his wife and child and sends Equiano away to be sold again. He even gets to see his sister one last time before, again, they are separated.

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.

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

The Atlantic slave trade, from its beginnings in the 1500’s to its end in the 1800’s was in itself the largest forced migration in human history. Slavery was not a new concept to the Atlantic coastal regions of Africa, but the Europeans were able to take hold of an age old tradition and blow it out of proportion. Olaudah Equiano’s story is especially unique, given the wide array of worldviews he came in contact with, as well as the continued evolution of his own worldview throughout all of his experiences.

“I was soon put down under the decks,and there I received such a salutation in my nostrils as I have never experienced in my life”.This is an excerpt from Olaudah Equiano’s narrative.Olaudah Equiano will be my main focus for this paper. Olaudah Equiano was an african who experienced the Atlantic Slave Trade and The Middle Passage.After being a slave for some time Olaudah Equiano became free and eventually wrote his own narrative.To add on,Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography was a powerful tool for the abolition movement because it revealed the horrible truths of the Atlantic slave trade.In addition Olaudah’s narrative provided insight on multiple things.Throughout this paper I will include a backstory,his experience in the Atlantic Slave Trade his experience being a slave,and before he was a slave.

The novel The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano played an important role in the abolitionist movement in England during the late 18th century, ultimately contributing to the abolishment of British support for the Atlantic slave trade. Published, at a critical time, when the movement was gaining steam, the novel provided an authentic voice of an African slave at a time when people of colour were often represented in British and American literature as caricatures or, worse yet, through the eyes and voices of their white enslavers, both of which exacerbated the common misconceptions about Africans that encouraged the British populace to continue supporting the slave trade. Equiano’s narrative showed the significant contributions

Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings takes a particularly complicated stance in its critique of slavery. While Equiano has a (biased) tendency to focus on the good natured character of African slaves, he also tends to portray them as a commodity, a title he immensely fears. In addition, Equiano appears throughout the narrative to attempt to forsake his African identity, leading some to believe that Equiano is complicit towards his stance on slavery. However, Equiano also portrays slavery as an affront to all of humankind and argues against the separation of families caused by slavery. This makes Equiano’s critique of slavery

(OE) after reading the excerpt of “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African,” it was then necessary to read the complete text. Upon completion of the reading, I found that it was somewhat troublesome because there is not a sense of urgency in the tone of his writing to help his fellow Negros out of their enslavement. The narrative does not provoke the reader to become alarmed at the plight of Negro slave but instead calmly depicts horrors in ways that the reader can breeze through the material without feeling excitement or compassion. The book exposes human right violations inflicted on people who are cursed with enslavement; therefore, this novel helps us to examine the way we treated our fellow man and woman in the past, so that we do not make the same mistake in the future. Equiano is faced with telling a barbaric, horrifying story of his life in the first person; however, he attempts to legitimize his writing by using a formal writing style with a