NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Equianos Equianos Travels African History Equiano's Travels Research Paper Equiano's Travels Olaudah Equiano, called Gustavus Vassa by his white masters, became a legend through his words. In 1788 England published his autobiographical work, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, which set the precedent for anti-slavery literature written by former slaves themselves, which would have a profound impact on the abolition movements in the eighteenth century. Born in 1745 in a small village in modern-day Nigeria, Equiano would travel far before his death in 1797. African slave traders tore him from his family when he was eleven. Thus began a series of worldly experiences not matched by many of the most cosmopolitan people let alone of an oppressed young black man. Equiano offers unique perspective not found in the later works of African-American freedmen, like Frederick Douglass, for he remembers his native African community before enslavement.
Equiano writes of his struggle to assimilate to the many cultures he became a part of, often by force: as Ibo, slave, sailor, Englishman, and Christian. His vivid descriptions and faithful telling of tales allow readers to relate closely to the troubled spirit of one man attempting to forge identity and gain self-empowerment in an adverse world. Among the tradition of slave narratives, Equiano's is considered a remarkable achievement since the autobiographical style was not a well-developed genre in the eighteenth century. His narrative has vivid and concrete details and is written in the picaresque style.
Equiano also provides a detailed account of the his kidnapping, his trek through the jungles, his arrival at the sea coast, and the arduous crossing of the Atlantic in the belly of a slave ship. Captured far from the African coast when he was a boy of 11, Olaudah Equiano was sold into slavery, later acquired his freedom, and, in 1789, wrote his widely-read autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African. The youngest son of a village leader, Equiano was born among the Ibo people in the kingdom of Benin, along the Niger River. He was the greatest favourite with [his] mother. His family expected to follow in his fathers footsteps and become a chief, an elder, a judge. Slavery was an integral part of the Ibo culture, as it was with many other African peoples.
His family owned slaves, but there was also a continual threat of being abducted, of becoming someone elses slave. This is what happened, one day, while Equiano and his sister were at home alone. Two men and a woman captured the children. Several days later Equiano and his sister were separated. Equiano continued to travel farther and farther from home, day after day, month after month, exchanging masters along the way. Equiano's early experiences as a slave were not all disagreeable; some families treated Equiano almost as a part of the family.
The kind treatment, however, was about to end. About six or seven months after being abducted, Equiano was brought to the coast, where he first encountered a slave ship and white men. As it was for all slaves, the Middle Passage for Equiano was a long, arduous nightmare. In his autobiography he describes the inconceivable conditions of the slaves hold: the shrieks of the women, the groans of the dying, the floggings, the wish to commit suicide, how those who somehow managed to drown themselves were envied.
The ship finally arrived at Barbados, where buyers purchased most of the slaves. There was no buyer, however, for the young Equiano. Less than two weeks after his arrival, he was shipped off to the English colony of Virginia, where he was purchased and put to work. Less than a month later, he had a new master Michael Henry Pascal, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Under this master, who owned Equiano for the next seven years, Equiano would move to England, educate himself, and travel the world on ships under Pascals command. In 1766, Equiano bought his freedom.
He found work in the trade business in the West Indies, then in London. In 1773, he took part in an expedition to try to discover the Northwest Passage, a route through the arctic to the Pacific Ocean. Back in England, Equiano became an active abolitionist. He lectured against the cruelty of British slaveowners. He spoke out against the English slave trade.
He worked to resettle freed slaves. By 1789, the year he published his autobiography, Olaudah Equiano was a well-known abolitionist. Ten years after his death in 1797, the English slave trade was finally abolished. 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. So Equiano begins his narrative 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 worlds 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. Despite his words in this first paragraph, Equiano did lead an extraordinary life. For one, he was not subject to the extent of horrors of some of his kinsmen lifelong bondage to grueling work with no chance of freedom. The modesty with which he views his experiences, triumphant or degrading, will sometimes contrast with the interpretation the reader makes furthering Equiano's message.
His experiences had happened to many and to a far greater intensity. The reader then can imply the absolute horrors of slavery for the rest of the African population. Second, Equiano's life was extraordinary for he found a means to aid his brethren. He was extremely fortunate to acquire learning and literacy, and only through them did he touch the powerful with his words. As an angry slave, Equiano would have had trouble furthering his cause. As an ex-slave, a newly-connected member of British society with powerful ties to wealthy merchants and humanitarians, humble ties to sea men and servants, and moral and spiritual ties to clergymen, Equiano neither saint, hero, nor tyrant related to all.
His narrative found immense popularity throughout the world. A number of themes pervade Equiano's narrative. The text revolves around freedom and salvation. 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, and both of the above paragraphs which testified to his extraordinary life also suggest his relative fortune, or perhaps Gods Providence. Similarly, his first remembrance of this was in Issue, when poisonous snakes would ignore only him. 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 a outward indication of his life ambiguity. The narratives 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. 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. Todays 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 believes that intermarriage is 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 Benezets 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. Equiano seemed reluctant to tell his story. He claimed that he was a private and obscure individual and neither a saint, a hero, nor a tyrant. One thing he realized, though, was that his life was far from typical. In his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, The African, he tells the story of his youth in an African village, his kidnapping, his being made a slave in Africa, his horrendous voyage on a slave ship, his bondage in the Americas, his conversion to Christianity, the purchase of his freedom, his experiences on a British man of war, his employment on a plantation and on commercial ships, and his contribution to the abolitionist movement.
He hoped his book would promote the interests of humanity. It more than succeeded. Equiano's narrative is very important because it is the anchor of African studies. In every discipline, you study Equiano.
Historians begin with Equiano. Social scientists begin with Equiano. Literary artists and literary scholars begin with Equiano. Equiano makes it impossible for you to forget the issue of slavery and the fact that we have millions and millions of our brothers and sisters who are now no longer part of us, but who have now gone through this experience of slavery, who have now become part of another culture, but who are equally part of us, and who are yearning to connect. Equiano's story, more than any other story, carries that authenticity, that driving force and that is essential to connect, to not forget, to remember, and to take responsibility for the actions of our forefathers.
Free research essays on topics related to: gustavus vassa, slave ship, life of olaudah equiano, narrative of the life, interesting narrative
Research essay sample on Life Of Olaudah Equiano Narrative Of The Life
