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Example research essay topic: Gustavus Vassa Interesting Narrative - 1,435 words

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Keith Sandiford, author of Measuring the Moment, eloquently made the claim for Equiano's Interesting Narrative as a reliable documentary source. Sandiford writes, Throughout the narrative, [Equiano] makes a conscious effort to delineate the principal incidents and experiences of his life as faithful memory would allow and to appraise his conduct with honest judgement and sober reflection (119). To me this is how Equiano embarks on making his narrative credible: I believe it is difficult for those who publish their own memoirs to escape the imputation of vanity... People generally think those memoirs only worthy to be read or remembered which abound in great striking events, those, in short, which in a high degree excite either admiration or pity; all others they consign to contempt or oblivion.

It is therefore, I confess, not a little hazardous in a private and obscure individual, and a stranger too, thus to solicit the indulgent attention of the public, especially when I own I offer here the history of neither a saint, a hero, nor a tyrant. 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. If, then, the following narrative does not appear sufficiently interesting to engage general attention, let my motive be some excuse for its publication. " The narrative begins in the unassuming, yet ardent voice that carries the reader throughout his life story. He makes his plans entirely clear: he intends his narrative to open the world's eyes to the degradation and inhumanity of slavery.

Yet he knows, too, that merely preaching of goodwill towards Africans would not turn any heads. He must show directly the irony that those naming others "barbarians" were the barbaric ones themselves. His intensely personal story, with detailed descriptions of what he saw - cruel or ordinary - and of how one African dealt with forced encounters with different lands and cultures, was what it would take for Englishmen to relate and thus to understand. A number of themes pervade Equiano's narrative.

Editor Robert Allison says the text revolves around "freedom and salvation. " Adam Potkay in Forum: Teaching Equiano's Interesting Narrative, claims that Equiano's narrative had a number of persuasive modes, modes such as apologia, allegory, sermon, exhortation... and [criticism] directed to abolishing the slave trade (604). Power and identity struggles are also important problems Equiano faces. Some of the most telling passages involve Equiano's discussion of his various names. In his Ibo native land, he was named "Olaudah, " which signified "one favored, and having a loud voice and well spoken. " His name was thus symbolic of his strong anti-slavery voice. His name testified to his extraordinary life and also suggests his relative fortune, or perhaps God's Providence.

Luck and grace would play a large role in his life and narrative. Yet in Virginia Equiano was called Jacob and then Michael - he no longer had control over his own identity. The passage where he is given the name Gustavus Vassa describes clearly the struggle for self-empowerment versus outside control: "While I was on board this ship, my captain and master named me Gustavus Vassa. I at that time began to understand him a little, and refused to be called so, and told him as well as I could that I would be called Jacob; but he said I should not, and still called me Gustavus: and when I refused to answer to my new name, which I at first did, it gained me many a cuff; so at length I submitted, and by which I have been known ever since. " (61) That Equiano would later accept this name he once objected to so strongly furthers the question of identity which Equiano, and all displaced Africans, were forced to face. Equiano, at one point, considered himself more Englishman than African, yet he later realized the obligation he owed to his native people. But he nevertheless would struggle with dual identities his entire life: African yet Englishman, slave yet friend to his masters, freed man yet not protected by the laws.

His double name was an outward indication of his life ambiguity. The narrative's first paragraph reveals Equiano's intense motives for writing. Yet the work is interesting in that it appeals to not only moral (though they reign supreme) but also economic reasons for the abolishment of slavery. In Talking Too Much English, Tanya Caldwell argues, [Equiano], far from establishing himself and black Africans against Britain as a potential new force, Equiano sees the danger of being perceived in this way and reveals the thoroughly European nature of his mind most convincingly when he proposes strengthening the system of which he is part by offering up Africa to forces of British trade (268 and 280). Sure, the degradation of a people was unchristian, but Equiano advised that it was uneconomical as well. Africa could be an enormous market to feed the industrial revolution.

And, "by changing your conduct, and treating your slaves as men, every cause of fear would be banished. They would be faithful, honest, intelligent, and vigorous; and peace, prosperity, and happiness would attend you. " (100). In other words, freed men would be better workers. Equiano attacks not only slavery but also racism. Today's reader, living in a world where the ambiguous parameters of race create so many rules, may find his thoughts on race relations a bit strange.

Equiano believed that intermarriage was the key to ending racism by blurring the distinctions that make race so obvious. It is important to keep in mind that Equiano's perspective differs greatly from many other former slaves. Remember that he was a young boy when taken from his family; his few memories are supplemented in the text by Abolitionist Anthony Benezet's account of African traditions and customs. Equiano, too, admired and coveted British culture and society. Intermarriage was an easy solution for him, for he never had the opportunity to forge one strong identity.

For both Englishmen and Africans, however, this solution was not quite so clear-cut. Equiano's modesty yet honesty, his diligence and faith without a preaching tone all appealed to the public. His narrative offers a uniquely personal, yet universal account of the degradations of slavery. Readers concluded on their own that the system needed to be changed.

Equiano allowed his readers to conclude that he was "a decent person [who] did not deserve to be enslaved, and that therefore no African deserved to be enslaved. " (14) After returning to Europe, Equiano's life followed a path of struggling for identity. During this period, Equiano struggled greatly with his religious beliefs. He wanted to be as perfect a faithful to God as possible and faced the guilt of breaking his commandments. He saw and participated in many debates between the Catholic and evangelical Protestant doctrine.

Equiano even witnessed a sermon by the immensely popular leader of the Great Awakening in America, George Whitefield. On a voyage to Cadiz, Spain, Equiano had a vision of Christ and was converted to evangelicalism. Following this, he accompanied Dr. Irving on a voyage to cultivate a plantation at Jamaica and the Mosquito Coast, Nicaragua. There he attempted to Christianize some of the Indian population, to no avail. Yet Equiano's greatest addition to the cause would be his own story of oppression, which he announced with the publishing of his narrative in 1789.

Motherhood - its joys and sorrows - and the status of women in a particular society are major elements defining the novel. B's text is, in fact, a novel employing the epistolary form to convey the thoughts and feelings of a recently widowed woman in Senegal, Ramatoulaye, to her longtime friend, Aissatou, who lives in the United States after experiencing many of the same marital and societal problems as the letter writer. The novel is especially striking in that it depicts the lives of educated upper-class urban people. So Long a Letter is remarkably straightforward regarding lives of Muslim women and the examinations of the causes of various experiences, especially the negative ones.

And while the lives of many women have improved to some extent since these novels took place, numerous oppressive laws remain that relegate women to inferior status. Many African women see these works as a watershed and attest that the custo...


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