At the age of eleven, Equiano was kidnapped and sold to slave traders headed for the West Indies. The slave vessel carried Equiano to Barbados, the eastern-most Caribbean island and an inglorious port of entry for thousands of captive Africans. His Interesting Narrative served as the foremost abolitionist writing of the day because he was an African voice that described the violence and degradation of the slave trade and of slavery itself. May 24, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/equianos-influence-and-narrative/. Analysis. Teachers and parents! They can only justify these actions by considering black people as less than human. In 1792 Equiano married an Englishwoman, Susanna Cullen, with whom he had two daughters. Equiano refers to his treatment by European slave traders in the Middle Passage as a new refinement in cruelty and paints a picture of a harrowing journey on board a slave ship. In 1789 he published his autobiography, 'The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano or Gustavus Vassa, the African'. In his work on Mr. Kings plantation as a freeman, Equiano bore witness to the culture of the Musquito indian tribe indigenous to the island and its parallels with his own home nations culture. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Why are Olaudah Equiano writings important? Olaudah Equiano's The Interesting Narrative - Brendan Hufnagel Eric Michael Washington is an associate professor of history at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. First and foremost, he was one of the first black authors to gain a wide readership in the United States. In his attempted conversion of the indian prince he comments; I was well pleased at this, and took great delight in him, and used much supplication to God for his conversion.[4] His work with the indian prince assured him of Gods will and his faith was then strengthened by his own actions. It is hard to assess the impact of this fact on the overall value of Equianos work and contribution to the abolition of slavery. This charisma developed from his faithfulness in Christianity proved useful in gaining friends and allies such as Captain Doran who eventually aided his purchase of his freedom and return to Europe. From there he was traded between a number of different masters and participated in the French and Indian wars, events that he recounts at length in his autobiography, before finally purchasing his freedom. His work was instrumental in helping to change public opinion about slavery and the slave trade, and it played a role in the eventual abolition of slavery in the United States. Every bit of information that he presented to his readers was seen as an illustration of a slaves life (Jaros 17). O'Brien, John. The Quakers were a potent example of a group vocally opposed to slavery, though, of course, slaves themselves had protested and revolted against their condition for hundreds of years. If such cruelty had been limited to a certain place or set of places, one could argue that these were aberrations and that slavery could continue simply by weeding out the worst examples of it. Other scholars have suggested that there may be other reasons to account for the discrepancy; Equiano was not responsible for creating these records, and there may be all sorts of reasons why the people who were in charge of these documents, or he, might have decided not to have identified him as having born in Africa, some of which we probably cannot reconstruct from this distance. Unlike accounts of enslaved people that begin in the Western Hemisphere, Equiano introduces his readers to his homeland and people and focuses on the type of government established in his Igbo village, as well as his communitys marriage customs, arts, and agriculture. (2021, May 24). Considers Equiano the first political leader of Britains black community (p. 102). [2] Equiano, The Interesting Narrative, 88. What does thunder in summer symbolize in literature? . These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. New Age Thinking Lured Me into Danger. A: Well, for people in Africa, Equiano's narrative is very important because it is the anchor of African studies. The Life of Olaudah Equiano Quotes and Analysis | GradeSaver But it is one of the first in a long tradition of memoirs by former slaves that often agitate for the end of slavery through a personal story. Walvin, James. Written by Himself. In twelve chapters, Equiano presented a body of evidence that helped to support the cause of abolition and the end of transatlantic slaving by Britain and others. After weeping and grieving for a time, he grew calmer, thinking this was God's way to teach him wisdom and resignation. The narrative of Olaudah Equiano gives a captivating account of a young African male kidnapped from his homeland, forced into slavery, and how he overcame this oppression and regained his freedom. Instant PDF downloads. So too does the record of his baptism into Christianity in 1759 at St. Margarets Church in London. Moreover, the impact of slavery can be seen to this day. Brown, Christopher Leslie. His work was published under his birth name: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano. Equiano does, though, signal another contradiction in white peoples thinking: that black people are both incompetent and inferior, but also vital to the functioning of plantations, such that the abolition of slavery would lead to economic devastation. The authoritative account of Equianos life, art, and times, incorporating significant new primary sources. He had survived these things to be able to finally receive the grace offered to him by Christ. In 1773, Equiano returned to London after a harrowing voyage during which he almost died. Life of Gustavus Vassa. 2021. Updates? Every part of the authors narrative, including his birthplace, journey to freedom, and literacy, is in the book because they create a person who can be deemed a human in the eyes of the general public. (Note: While historians have questioned his account, after reading their arguments and doing my own assessment of the documents, I am inclined to trust the veracity of Equianos story.) The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Slave Ship In this situation, Equiano was a persona that lent his visibility to show a broader picture of those that could not express it to the people that were unable to see otherwise. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. [9] Equiano, The Interesting Narrative, 32. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class., Requesting a new guide requires a free LitCharts account. It is possible that Equiano decided to change some facts about his early life in order to create a life story that would be more appealing to the general audience. Olaudah Equiano: Creating An Identity Through Christianity The Interesting Narrative was first printed in the United States in New York in 1791 (without Equianos permission, as was typical for books reprinted from Britain in the early decades of the new republic), and was widely reprinted throughout the first half of the nineteenth century. Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Recent biographical discoveries cast doubt on Equianos story of his birth and early years. Once a freeman, Equiano then has the liberty to take his experiences and make something new out of them in creating his own identity. While enslaved in his homeland, kidnappers kept Equiano separated from his sister. One historian has argued that he was actually from South Carolina originally, though others have countered that his detailed account of the trade from Africa to the U.S. makes those origins unlikely. Olaudah Equiano - American Literature - Oxford Bibliographies Publication of Equiano's autobiography in 1789 was aided by British abolitionists, including Hannah More, Josiah Wedgwood, and John Wesley, who were collecting evidence on the sufferings of enslaved people.In The Interesting Narrative Equiano idealized Africa and showed great pride in the ways of life there, and he attacked those who trafficked in slavery across Africa. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. LitCharts Teacher Editions. When first on board the slave ship Equiano describes a horrid scene in which, One white man in particular I saw flogged so unmercifully with a large rope near the foremast, that he died in consequence for it; and they tossed him over the side as they would have done a brute.[6] This first experience gave Equiano the impression that these men were horrible unmerciful creatures or even evil spirits that were to punish them to no purpose with his opinion formed through his statement of, Every circumstance I met with served only to render my opinion of the cruelty of the whites.[7] Once purchased by a benevolent master, Michael Henry Pascal, Equianos perspective of the European changes drastically from one of a barbaric race to a civilized and advanced culture.
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