The Narrative Of The Life And Adventure Of Venture

The story that surrounds the transatlantic slave trade is notoriously known, by both young and old, across the nation. This story has not only survived, but thrived as “truth” through generations for several centuries; Although, it is much closer to a mystical tale than reality. In Reversing Sail, Michael Gomez lays the myths affiliated with African Diaspora to rest. Gomez shows the path of the amalgamation of the African people along with their resources into Europe. A path that leads to the New World, that would potentially become the Americas, would ultimately result in more than just the exploitation of Africans as slaves. Compacted into an eight-chapter undergrad textbook, Gomez uses Reversing Sail to unground the history, complexity, and instrumentality of the African Diaspora. He does such in a

Imagine being stuck in chains for six months in your own filth and waste. For some slaves on the middle passage it was exactly like that. This, however, was different than slaves born into slavery, for they didn’t have to go through that harsh journey. Both were common to try and escape, few making it. Making the outcomes of Frederick Douglass, who wrote an autobiography, and Kunta Kinte, from the movie “Roots,” different. While “Roots” and the narrative of the “Life of Frederick Douglass” have some similarities, the differences of their origins and outcomes are more significant because that’s what shaped them who they are.

The Interesting Narrative conveys the first-hand experiences of an African who is stripped of the basic rights given to humans and is forced into slavery, while at the same this individual fights for freedom. This autobiography is a reliable source for historians, educators, and students. After analyzing the literature, I concluded that the autobiography’s main criteria included content, tone, perspective, and the structure of his writing. The authors ability to manipulate this criterion, allows for the successful creation of an environment that builds a connection between the audience and his journey.

Europeans filled in the blanks of African history by using exoticism to come up with origin theories that made sense to them. Because the African population has a different physical appearance than Europeans, they were viewed as the “other” race, and therefore were inferior in the minds of Europeans. Africa, however, was a society that was equally as complex as any European nation, unique with their own kingdoms and customs. Because of this, it was incorrect for Europeans to label Africans as “savage” individuals. Africa’s culture is rich and deserves to be interpreted in the way that they see fit, rather than having European stereotypes of the past define their culture of

In addition to Jacobs’ account, Douglass’ narrative focused on his journey through manhood and freedom – “…I wished I could be as free as they would be when they got to be men … ‘Have not I as good a right to be free as you have?’” (Douglass, Chapter VII) – as well as, “This battle with Mr. Covey was the turning-point in my career as a slave. It rekindled the few expiring embers of freedom, and revived within me a sense of my own manhood.” (Douglass, Chapter X). He had no freedom, but when he decided to fight back against the evil hand of slavery, he found it and made it his own. As a slave, he had no right to freedom, which in turn belittled his own manhood. His fight with Mr. Covey restored his sense of honor, his entitled manhood, as well as a spark of freedom he did not previously have.

Europeans believed they were better than the Africans and it was their duty to colonize. “The Europeans were more advanced than the Africans both in technology and science” (Doc.C). This statement from Doc. C explains how the driving force was cultural, meaning they thought they

grueling work. They would treat them as they did the Indians, and for much the

Europeans thought africans were the inferior race. The motivation behind conquering colonies in africa starts economically. The goal for europeans was to become bigger and bigger and so europeans were going to do anything to reach that goal. They invest in new markets which made the population grow.They did that by colonizing Africa. The governments wanted to maximize profits

When the Europeans scrambled to colonize Africa, the reactions of the natives was progressively more apprehensive. At first the natives found that they could be peaceful with this strange new white man. Soon after, though, they found that these new men mistreated and cheated them greatly, and had superior military technology. Given these new conditions of the relationship the Africans decided it was in their best interest to take up arms against the Europeans and try to rid themselves of the harmful White Man.

“The Book of Negroes is a master piece, daring and impressive in its geographic, historical and human reach, convincing in its narrative art and detail, necessary for imagining the real beyond the traces left by history.” I completely agree with The Globe and Mail’s interpretation of this story. One could almost see the desolate conditions of the slave boats and feel the pain of every person brought into slavery. Lawrence Hill created a compelling story that depicts the hard ships, emotional turmoil and bravery when he wrote The Book of Negroes.

The first time African slaves set foot on Virginian soil in 1619 marked the beginning of a very gruesome and violent period in American history. Spanning nearly two centuries, over half a million slaves were transported straight to the Colonies, a staggering number that only makes up a minute percentage out of the overall amount of Africans imported to the rest of the Americas. From this dark era arose black intellectuals, such as Frederick Douglass, who dedicated their lives by either speaking or writing on the topic of abolitionism. Case in point, seven years after Douglass made his successful escape into the North, the young abolitionist published his own first-hand account, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, in which he reveals

To understand the importance of Kara Walker’s controversial works, one must understand the significance of American slavery. Slavery is to America (not just the United States, but the Caribbean and South America, too) as the Holocaust is to Germany. Somewhere between ten and fifteen million Africans were forcibly transported from Africa to America as part of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. However, nearly two million Africans died during the voyage to America. Fifteen to thirty percent reportedly died during the voyages along the coastlines upon arrival. Altogether, anywhere from two to five million Africans may have died as a result of American

The African-American authors of this time period wrote stories describing life during and after slavery. Real life issues that these authors lived through and experienced through the world around them. The excerpts that we read of Booker T. Washington’s “Up From Slavery,” told a compelling tale of his life of being born into

Prior to the publication of any slave narrative, African Americans had been represented by early historians’ interpretations of their race, culture, and situation along with contemporary authors’ fictionalized depictions. Their persona was often “characterized as infantile, incompetent, and...incapable of achievement” (Hunter-Willis 11) while the actions of slaveholders were justified with the arguments that slavery would maintain a cheap labor force and a guarantee that their suffering did not differ to the toils of the rest of the “struggling world” (Hunter-Willis 12). The emergence of the slave narratives created a new voice that discredited all former allegations of inferiority and produced a new perception of resilience and ingenuity.

One reason I feel the wealthy Europeans have a certain outlook on the Africans is because of their lifestyle. Rich Europeans saw themselves as above everyone in their society. They were